5 posts tagged “dance”

But I was a muthafuttin P eye M P.

aka Red Light District themed Dance Party costume Pics!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few months back, I took a Blues Class from a Girl Named Mike.

In it, she demonstrated one of her key principles ...

Mike: "It doesnt matter what you do, its how you do it."

(Mike starts doing the Pee Pee Dance)

Mike: "Check it out. I am doing the Pee Pee Dance. It looks lame, right?"

(Everyone agrees and laughs)

Mike: "But now, Im going to really DO that dance."

(Mike does it again, but truly commits to the dance)

Mike: "Doesnt that look awesome?"

(Everyone bewilderly agrees)

Mike: "The point isnt Lets All Do Mikes Awesome Pee Pee Dance Move ...

The point is ... whatever move you do, FUCKING OWN IT."

 

This didnt really sink in at the moment. But it did set off an internal buzzer.

 

Maybe a month later, at a class with a guy named Topher:

Topher: "Jay. What are you doing? I know you can do this move. I have seen you do it."

ME: "Uhhh."

Topher: "Your problem is that you are trying too hard to be nice to the girl."

ME: "Uhhhh..."

Topher: "Instead, just trust her and your connection. Focus on *your* movements. Make them solid as all fuck. And when you do that, she will have to follow - there is no other alternative that isnt extra work."

Again, this didnt quite sink in.

 

But some time in the last month, it all happened. Almost like magic. At some point, my subconscious brain just understood what it knew, and decided to test it out.

My dancing has not been the same ever since. Once this happened, it was an almost immediate jump in dance skill. And when I kept getting positive feedback, I knew I was on to something.

 

So I have been experimenting with this concept ... of "owning the dance". I have even taken it as far as grabbing a good follow, and dancing to music types that I dont know. Or mashing a whole bunch of styles together in one dance.

 

It works. And when it works well, girls will tell me it was their favorite dance of the night.

 

I have no idea why I had to hear these golden nuggets of information. I should have already known them. Because it all comes down to CONFIDENCE. And I already know that is one of the biggest keys to success ... in life.

So I put this out there for others. Plant it as a seed in your mind, and let it grow.

Then reap the rewards when it finally blooms.

 

 

As you may remember, from my Caliente! post, I have been searching for some Salsa Music that I really enjoy, and is of a particular feel.

And so I embarked upon a quest. Armed solely with my dumbling wit, keen persistence, and a hint from the lovely Narami, I ventured forth into the internet. Cutting through bush after bush, through the Virtual Jungle of Wrong Turns and Meh.

And today, I finally broke through.

A ray of hope:

 

What is this, I say?!?! Turntablism, with some distinctly latin feeling to it - aka ... Salsable? [TIFG!] Yes, yes, YES! This is what I need to hear. This is what I need to dance to! This is the kind of stuff that needs to be injected into the dance parties, so that we can elevate it to the next level. Oh my. :)

 

And from that little clearing, I pushed forward with vigilance. I could feel that something good was in the cards for my expidition today. Do you feel it too, Short Round?

You should! Cause just at the next clearing, we have:

 

 

Holy awesome! A Dubby feel to the groove, with distinctly Latin roots. Plus a female with an amazing voice. I gobbled up the rest of this album like no other. All the tracks have a similar feeling of Sweet Island romance to them. And are good enough to fill my slow Salsaesque cravings. Its just bonus that each of them have musical roots that are not so salsa, but that I naturally enjoy.

But as I was listening to some of the tracks, a nagging feeling came over me. That woman sounds familiar. Really familiar. Could it be?!?!

A quick search of other albums shows: Yes! This is the *exact* group I was looking for. The song I had spent about two months questing after, is none other than Esta Noche, from the album Granhotelbuenosaires. It turns out that Narami was correct - Argentina it is! (See yall, beautiful and smart to boot!).

But then I noticed something. The track had another artist referenced in it. The female in it is Natalia Clavier.

Now, I know I had no business asking to find more. I already had more than my happy fill of good new music. And I had already found what I was looking for. But I could not help to press my luck ... And I found that Natalia Clavier has her own Album!!!

I grabbed it, and listened to it. And honestly. Seriously.

This is the most pure overwhelmingly beautiful album I have ever heard.

Its like what would happen if the Gods of Music got together one glorious day, and decided to mash up everything great about Portishead, beautiful voices, and latin music. Spice it up with the feeling of pure romance. And love. Then just pour it all into one delicious album.

I have no idea what she is saying. But it doesnt even matter. I can feel it nonetheless. Although I desperately wish there were a way to translate it, so I could fully understand the song. Match the meaning to the images in my head.

I am going to include it in its entirety in this post. Listen to it.

Then look me straight in the eye and tell me you dont agree. And I will call you a liar. And ask for your counteralbum as proof that you arent bluffing.

Take the challenge:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goddamn. Thats so beautiful. I desperately want to dance to it all. I can envision the style in my head too - a nice mix of slow Salsa patterns with some blues fundamentals. Throw in a dash of tango, and ... sigh.

Natalia Clavier: I <3 You.

 

 

 

Argentina: I <3 You too.

In my little tribute to Cinco De Mayo, Im gonna post about my most recent weird Salsa experience.

 

Im out at my favorite shoe store. I needed to buy some wide leg dance pants, for the upcoming performance (plus I think they will really go well with my Red Pumas!). And I wanted to get some Jazz shoes to wear for Blues Dancing. So I grab both, and head up to the counter.

That is when All Weird Broke Loose ...

Owner: "Youre not going with the white shoes?!"

Me: "No. Im not a white guy. It gets dirty too easily. Hell, my black shoes get dirty easily!"

Owner: "But you have *arrived* when you wear white shoes. Thats where its at."

Me: "Okay. But its just not my style."

Owner: looks at a cute girl in the store. "Im trying to get him into some white shoes. To upgrade."

The girl smiles.

Owner: looks back at me. "Okay. Well, let me see. Show me your moves."

Me: "Excuse me? Show you my moves?!"

Owner: "Yes. I want to see what you got." He offers a hand to the girl. "Would you mind dancing with him?"

Girl: "Sure. That would be fun."

At this point, my mind is going, "WTF?" And getting a little panicky. Its a friggin shoe store, in the middle of the day (I am bad dancing in the light). And I can already feel the heat of the imaginary "spotlight" on me, with 5 people staring at me.

I take the girls hands, keeping her in open position. I do a basic. Then I turn her. She feels really good. And I am freaking out. So I stopped.

Owner: "Good. But, can I see something more advanced?"

Me: "More advanced?"

Owner: "Yep. Like ..."

He grabs the girl, and puts her through a sequence. Roughly: basic, backbreak to hammerlock, pullthough to hip spins. Not too advanced for me, but I mentally missed one move in the 8 move sequence. 

Owner: "You want to give her a spin?"

Me: "Heh. Why you gotta put me on the spot like that?"

Owner: "Come on. You are a dancer. Its not being on the spot. Its just dancing. I want to see you do more advanced moves."

Me: "I make it a rule never to perform advanced moves until I know the feel of my follow."

Girl: "Nice excuse."

Um. Is she totally egging me on, or what? Now I am all aflutter, so I politely move the conversation elsewhere. Internally Im freaking out, because it makes me *really* nervous when I feel like people are studying, and judging me ... and me alone.

Finally I got the guy to ring me up.

Owner: "Next time you come in, we will resume lessons. Dont you love coming here?"

Me: Smiles. "You know I love coming here. Ive bought like 3 or 4 pairs of shoes here. And plan on buying more."

Owner: "Oh thats right." He says and starts fishing through a stack of something. "Have you ever heard of Hector Lavoe?"

Me: "No."

Owner: "Well here." He hands me a CD. "Thats a tribute to Hector Lavoe." He grabs it back and opens it. "Now you can listen to it in your car right away." He pauses. "Consider it a gift for playing along today."

Me: "Thank you."

Girl: "You will love it."

Me: "We will see. Hey ... thanks for the dance."

 

As soon as I walked out of the store, I calmed down. This is when my brain started shouting:

"Idiot! Why are you so panicked? Here is how it should have went down. You should have gotten the owner to agree to a challenge: if you can impress him, he will give the girl a discount on her purchase. And at the very least, you should have danced more with that girl. Or invited her out for a real dance. She felt so good."

"You are much better than you showed."

So I just laughed at myself. Man, another tick on the Weird Week Wall.

 

Later, I popped in the CD on the way to dancing. There are two tracks that I absolutely LOVE.

 

 

 

Im not quite sure why I like this one. It might be the interaction of the piano and the trumpets. The energy just feels right, and it seems like a fun song.

 

 

This is now one of my favorite Salsa songs. I have listened to it about 15 times already. I love the energy in the song. The horns are also very intriguing. And there is something about the way his voice sounds that makes it even more exciting to my ear.

I also like how it seems to break down in the song. It feels very *raw*. Like it could be a live recording of a party.

Hope you enjoy!

Tonight is my Valentine's Day Dance.

Im pretty excited. Because its formal attire. So I get to get dressed up. Which I love, Love, LOVE! I tried to go out and find a killer vest to sneak in under my suit - but its not in the cards. Vests are hard to come by nowadays.

I did manage to pick up a nice fabric square to go in my pocket. I am folding it in a 4 Mountains pattern, which kinda makes it look like a flower :)

 

But I did score some cool cufflinks. I am sooooo excited to wear them tonight!

 

Peep the bad boys:

 

 

Tonight, they will be one of my Whazzats.

 

Yay! :)

 

Oh, and here is the mood music I am listening to, courtesy of San Ilya: