I found this article very interesting.... it explains why at the beginning of learning salsa, its difficult to multi task your motor skills. This is also scientific proof of why learning to follow is much easier than learning to lead... Learning to follow requires the use of the sense of touch (which according to the published research - the brain can easily handle because it is directly connected to the motor processing part of the brain). However leading requires the images of the actions (planning and forming motor actions) be kept in the leads head followed my multiple motor skill actions - which the brain cannot easily do at the same time. (it has to keep track of how the leads feet are placed, timing of music, planning the next move, how the move should look, the follows feet, the hands to lead the move...etc). It says that the reason we are able to do this is because by forcing our brain to perform all these activities repeatedly, it ends up turning all these different tasks into just one. So as an example, crossbody lead - instead of thinking, ok, step forward, step side, open up, lead the lady across, and come back together on 7 and basic step... we just think - cross-body lead (so we don't have to "plan" for a cross-body lead just let our muscles execute it) and our brain is then free to do 'other' things such as adding styling and flavor.

Thanks to our correspondent Karlos, who sent us this nice video clip of an old Eddie Torres instructional DVD. I get a lot of questions about timing and clave - and of course, the main discussion of dancing On2/On1. Here is a great find, one of the best I've seen, on what it is to dance on clave. This instruction specifically shows you how the 'tumbao' or 'el vacio' hooks into the basic salsa step. Specifically, watch how when those parts of the beat match the parts where Eddie in the video breaks forward and back. Of course, that is all I will say (to reduce the nasty-grams about On2). Anyways, a video is worth ten-thousand words.

I have come to realize that the videos that I have come to enjoy the most are the ones that provide me an emotional connection to the past of salsa. Sometimes I wonder if this is my 'second' life since somehow watching these vintage videos makes me flashback to a time I was never born.

After taking the rest of the video and editing it, I'm happy to start off a new series (that hopefully will continue). I had watched a DVD called On2005 A Year in Mamboland, and I decided to use it as inspiration on how to show all the nice video clips of social dancing at the 2007 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles California. I title this series: A Weekend in Salsa. I like the name because that usually when most of us go out for salsa during the week. Additionally, that is when most of the salsa congress events occur. Now, I have no real background in directing/production/editing so I did my best for my first shot. This is mainly for you guys to enjoy the dancing that goes on a salsa congresses during the night events. Again, please enjoy!

Well, got back from LA Congress (in one piece). However, more on that story (and its videos later on). However, I'd like to talk about playing with the music - since I finally found some video that someone took of Alex Lima one of my favorite solo dancers that really understand how to choreograph to the music. His solo choreography is amazingly fast, precise and fun to watch. I saw Alex Lima perform at Palm Springs several months ago, but at that time I was without a camera. Regardless, pay attention to the song that is being played as he dances to it. Notice how the footwork and body movements are nicely synchronized to the fluidness of the song. Of course, this is a video - but I remembered watching it live was an amazing experience.