I have been fortunate to be able to participate in Cubby Bear Chicago’s $5,000 salsa open every year but this year it had been my intention to let it pass. I didn’t have a partner, didn’t have time, didn’t want to put myself out there again. Two weeks before the contest I found out one of the dancers I had grown up with had passed away. We had gone to high school together. We lived
I changed my playlist for my Move This* program. On the first song Anna, one of my regulars, exclaimed “Hey that’s Doris Day”! I had included Que Sera, Sera by Doris Day. As we danced, Anna’s eyes misty, she smiled and talked about how the song had come out when she was a teenager. Her visceral reaction was so strong, it moved me. At the end of class she asked if I would play the
What to do after a lunch time dancing…. Mambo on the Concourse was a raving success. So Alvin, Nick and I decided to grab lunch to continue the party. We took it to go and ate outside in Grant Park. Under the branches the light fell filtered like a stain glass window. It was so deliriously beautiful. Next spot was Nick’s choice, as he was visiting from Taiwan. So we hit the Magnificent Mile, with
Social Dancing can save the world… or on a more micro level at least your lunch hour. Leave it to DJ El Caobo to bring some sizzle to the lunch hour with Latin music and open dancing at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. “Mambo on the Concourse” is an open event from 12:00-1:00pm every third Thursday of the month. Numbers swelled come 12:15 when people came from neighboring skyscrapers to social dance. Some people
So many people ask me what timing I prefer. For me it usually depends on the song. Some songs are easier to dance On 1 and some are easier to dance On 2. Some songs were created with the intention of emphasizing one beat structure or the other. As much as I enjoy On 2 or On 1, I enjoy dancing with people more. So if someone wants to dance with me, I want to