The air outside is heavy. It’s a hot and humid Saturday night in KL. The streets are teeming with people walking, while others in their cars try to get from one place to another. Traffic is at a stand still in the city, but there is one place that is hotter and more vibrant with life

A flurry of twists, spins, steps and turns. Feet, hands and bodies move everywhere, all deftly timed to a rhythm driven by melodic beats and drumming patterns. Horns blare and the pace quickens. All across the bar the audience is engrossed by the song blaring from the speakers. An infectious tapping tickles your feet and you feel yourself begin to move without any will of your own.

The movement. The passion. The music. The rhythm. This is dancing.

The music changes, the song speeds up, pairs begin to split apart and dance on their own in a flurry of steps, turns, kicks, sultry gyrations. The movements are mesmerizing. The pairs rejoin and begin matching the music’s pace, moving, stepping and rolling shoulders with greater speed until they spin apart again and begin to dance on as individuals. The pattern is seductive, beautiful, and seems scripted; the unspoken communication of dance.

This is Salsa, a Latin dance that involves partners following varying patterns which are rhythmically tied to songs combining horns, deep baselines and drums beats blended with vocals to weave the perfect melody to dance to. Around the room people of all ages and ability levels are enjoying themselves. The expectations are nothing more than a dance, and a momentary sharing of the dance floor. Beginners and advanced dancers all meet to connect in the most basic way, dance.

While Salsa at it core is a dance, there are certain things that need to be learned to at least grasp the basics of the beat. Enter SalsaJay Studio.

SalsaJay was founded in 2003 and has taught over hundreds of students since its inception. Originally established as a place of meeting for a group of friends to learn to dance, SalsaJay has since evolved. It is now a bustling place where people are drawn to by connection to meet and get together after a long day at work to share the love for SALSA. Classes at SalsaJay are based on the idea that dance should be fun and relaxed. The first lesson you learn at SalsaJay is to enjoy yourself. Regardless of your skill level you learn the basics, such as footwork, body isolations and partner work. All of this is blended to allow beginners to gain coordination and control of their movements while encouraging them to be adventurous and explore new areas of body movements giving you a basis to express yourself once you are on the floor.

Classes at SalsaJay currently run from every Tues @ 8 pm (Beginner 101) and 9.15 pm ( Pre Intermediate) ; and Thursdays from 8 pm ( Beginner 101) , and 9.30 pm (Intermediate/Advance)

So what does one benefit from learning the fine art of Salsa?

Apart from gaining new friends and meeting new ones at every dance get together…

Apart from working out your body for a healthier you……

Apart from learning to interact with people ……

Salsa gives you confidence, it teaches you to trust your feet, your body, your very self. Watching salsa dancers you see inward and outward assuredness. This is what learning salsa can teach you. This is what SalsaJay students learn besides how to dance.

Has anyone heard of this short salsa film that was released in August 2007 called “Mano.” Apparently mambo queen, Magna Gopal, was featured in this film.

New York, NY – May 24, 2007 “When you buried your father, you buried us with him” never rang more true as in this passionate, cinematic short about brotherhood, honor and salsa dance. Shot over a three-day period in Los Angeles, CA, MANO features Giancarlo Esposito, Lee Thompson Young, Laz Alonso, Yesenia Adame and Teddy Garces in supporting roles. Directed by: Tony Nardolillo, MANO is the featured short film prefacing the FULL FEATURE LENGTH FILM script written by Tony Nardolillo, who plays the lead role of Victor.

Victor and Machito were best friends growing up on the streets of Washington Heights heavily involved in the underground salsa scene. Separated as teenagers after the death of Victor’s father, Victor leaves New York all together, however the passion for dance and music never leaves him. After returning to the block he grew up on years later, he seeks out his childhood buddy Machito, whom he discovers has followed his father’s fatal footsteps.

From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows.

In streets and shops, ‘Christmas trees’ (real or plastic evergreen ‘conifer’ trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments.

WHO IS FATHER CHRISTMAS ?

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name ‘Santa Claus’ which comes from the Dutch ‘Sinterklaas’. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children’s stockings.

Now that you understand a little about Christmas …. it’s time to Partayyyyy !!!!

Feliz Navidad folks !!!!!!

27th OCTOBER, SATURDAY IS HALLOWEEN NIGHT !!!
DON’T MISS RITMO LATINOS SCARY…….. SALSA HALLOWEEN PARTY !

Party starts 9.00pm onwards.

COME DRESSED TO KNOCK THE SALSA SHOES OF EVERYONE !!

If you remember … Salsa Cabana used to be located in Coco Lounge, in Sunway Lagoon Club. That was way back then, and the ‘brand new’ Salsa Cabana is now located in Oswego Bar in Impiana Hotel, primely located next to KLCC. With this new addition, everyone seemed to be spoilt for choices when it comes to Salsa dancing on a weekend.

Starting on the 2nd of November … Oswego seemed to be hopping on the bandwagon of weekend salsa dancing in town. And while our weekends seemed to be packed with places to go dancing in town, my only hope is to see a new place in PJ that offers a place to cure our mid-week Salsa itch.

And do take note, I am hearing a new place coming up in PJ … that’s right … smack right in mid-town Petaling Jaya. Let’s wait and see if this new club materializes.

The name SalsaJay should not be mistaken for a certain ’sauce’ manufacturing company nor has it got anything to do with Jaywalkers who Salsa.

THE CONCEPT
Who … or what is SalsaJay … you might ask?

On it’s own, SalsaJay is a community. A gathering of friends with common interest, which is Salsa dancing. And SalsaJay.com, is a blog that provides information on the Salsa scene in Malaysia and occasionally, abroad. Events, parties, dance clubs and dance schools are published here.

Are we a dance school then?

Well … no … and yes … to a certain extent. For a start … SalsaJay does offer a place to share and spread the knowhow of Salsa dancing. We do not claim to be the experts but with the right amount of guidance and some level of persistency … you WILL survive on the dancefloor, which .. as a matter of fact, is your ultimate goal.

THE PEOPLE
And who then, are we … to teach you something that we don’t claim be the expert? Well … let’s just say we care, therefore we share. Correct me if I am wrong … Salsa is from Latin America, and it’s a loooong way from there. Salsa has survived through the changes in time, inter-fusion with different cultures before reaching our Malaysian shores … and that, my dear friends … are something we Malaysians should be proud of.

And what other better way to carry on this legacy, if not by spreading some love and joy of Salsa dancing to everyone. More Salsa demands in Malaysia … more supply (salsa clubs and events) will surface.

THE LOGO
“It All About Having Fun!” is our new tagline and it explains itself pretty well. With the new tagline comes a new logo for SalsaJay … a total re-branding. New color concept that portrays the vibrant colors of Salsa dancing … while sculpting new friendship bonds through dancing.

Often than not, we find ourselves asking the following questions… as such i would like to share with you the following excepts.

Salseros and Salsaras around the world who first put their foot in , in the world of dancing… does encounter the same challenges that you face, no matter if they are gifted, or have a long string of dance accolades to go with it. So take some time to read , and understand the processes that will follow.

The most important thing is….DARE TO PARTICIPATE AND BE WILLING TO LEARN.

How long will it take me to become a good dancer?

A specific time estimate is impossible to give; the time it takes is completely up to you. It depends on how quickly you learn, how much you practice, how many lessons you take, the skill of your instructor, your dedication level and finally what you consider “good” to be. What is your goal?

- To be an okay social dancer?
- To be a great dancer?
- To perform and compete?
- To be the “best”?

Obviously it will take less time to become an okay social dancer than it will to become a performer. But the length of time varies from person to person as everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t be discouraged if people are learning faster than you. Keep in mind that some people also have experience with other types of dance, which may help them learn faster. Becoming good at salsa could take weeks or years, depending on what level you aspire to get to, and the effort you invest.

The more you practice, the faster you will improve and get to the level you want to. You may ask some other dancers how long they have been dancing. You’ll be surprised that some of the best dancers have been dancing for a relatively short amount of time, and there are others who have been learning and improving for years. Some of the best dancers you see in clubs may have been dancing for only a few months. However during this time span they may have taken a heavy combination of classes and privates, danced 6 nights a week, and practice turns and shines every spare minute. However very few dancers invest that kind of time and money and it is not necessary. You can become a very good dancer by taking only one lesson a week as long as you practice enough. The key to improving is “practice”. Remember, the more effort you put into it the more you get out of it. Lastly, it is important that you enjoy the learning process. Set reasonable goals and enjoy yourself. Remember the reason you started dancing was most likely because it is fun, so get out there and dance.

6 Levels of Salsa

Sitting in a restaurant one day, a student asked me to break down my interpretation of what skills are necessary to be the ultimate salsa dancer. I broke it down into six levels.

Level 1
Beginner level. Two people are just learning how to move in unison without stepping on each other and not hurting each other.

Level 2
The man and lady are now dancing in time to the music while doing basic patterns and variations.

Level 3
The man is now dancing more complex variations and patterns. They begin to use the space more interestingly with rotation and changes of direction while maintaining flow.

Level 4
The man stops worrying about his own steps and starts leading the lady with ease and control. This is when his leading skills excel and he understands what the follower needs. It is often the time that the man starts to “show-off” his lady with more elaborate variations.

Level 5
This is when the man and lady start to play with the rhythms. Syncopations, changes, slows, quicks, accents, and stops are all used and then the dancers can find the beat again to continue dancing.

Level 6
The ULTIMATE LEVEL…when it all comes together. This is when the dancers become “the physical instruments” of the music. If a deaf person were to watch them dance, he/she could SEE the music through their movements and interpretation. This is when the man leads his lady to the stops, accents, energy level and mood of every song. Therefore, every song looks different because the dancer is inspired in that moment to feel that piece of music. This is when I personally achieve the “dancer’s high”, Euphoria, or Ecstasy. When I can feel an accent building in the music, and my partner gives me the opportunity to do a move that punctuates the “break”, I get such a feeling of thrill and satisfaction.

Getting the most out of your classes

1. Practice
Practicing is the most important and usually the most underrated aspect of becoming a good dancer. It does not matter how much you learn, if you do not practice you will improve very slowly and and possibly even forget what you’ve learned in class. In fact, a good time to go out to a club and practice is right after a salsa class so that you can practice what you’ve just learned. We cannot overemphasize the importance of practice! Practicing is not only limited to dancing at the nightclubs though. You can practice turn patterns at home by yourself or with a partner (real or imaginary). You can practice spinning almost anywhere there is a good spinning surface i.e. wood or hard tile. When practicing you will get better results if you do it in front of the mirror so you can see how you’re doing. This is especially important when practicing styling, so you can judge what looks good. The best way to improve your dancing besides taking classes is by practicing as much as possible.

2. Tips for remembering what you’ve learned

One of challenges of learning to dance is actually remembering what you’ve learned. It is common for students to forget a move they’ve learned just one week before. This usually happens when the moves are not practiced. A great way to avoid this trap is to write down what you have learned after every class. You can ask the instructor for the name of the move or name/describe it yourself. When naming a move yourself, try to pick a name that will remind you what the move actually looks like.

Another key point is to repeat all the moves you’ve learned including the most basic turn patterns. Most students end up practicing just the latest move and neglect all the turn patterns they’ve previously learned. They end up only remembering the new stuff and significantly reduce their repertoire.

A great way to see how you’re progressing is to videotape yourself dancing. You can bring a video camera to a workshop and tape yourself performing what you’ve learned after the workshop is over. Videotaping yourself is beneficial because it gives you a concrete record of many of the moves you know. In addition you can look at your execution and
[deleted part] see the areas where you need to improve. So remember a lesson will just be a waste of time if you can’t put what you’ve learned into practice. So practice and use these tips help you refresh your memory.

3. Know the music

One more thing that will help your dancing is listening to the music. Buy a few salsa CD’s, and listen to them as often as possible, even as background music. You will be improving your timing and musical understanding — both key aspects for becoming a good dancer. This is especially important if you do not have any music or dance background. This will also help you get the most out of your dance classes. Learning the proper timing is one of the hardest things to teach so if you are comfortable with the rhythms and the music you will find it a lot easier to dance.

4.Get feedback
Listen to what others have to say about your dancing. This is really hard on the ego sometimes but it is a great way to find out what areas you need to improve on. Take all feedback with a grain of salt and keep in mind the source. In most cases the constructive criticism you get from your dance partners is pretty accurate. Sometimes comments on your dancing may not be flattering but don’t take it personally. No one is perfect and everyone can improve their dancing in some way. Probably the best and most constructive feedback you can get is from an instructor so try taking a private lesson every now and then to get a good idea of where you stand. Also try getting feedback from more experienced dancers you don’t normally dance with as your regular dance partners may have already adapted to you. The more feedback you get the better, so dance with as many different people as you can. Remember however that not everyone if comfortable giving feedback, so although you may politely ask for feedback, don’t push for it.

This is something I have bring up …. I am swaying a little away from our main topic. But I think this is important to all of us … something that many of us might have just know about it but shrugged it off as “nothing concerns us here in Malaysia” ….. but I figure I’d like people out there to know .. how fragile life can be …..

A magnitude 8.4 earthquake that hit South Sumatra on Wednesday is the largest of four of magnitude 8 or above that have hit worldwide in 2007, and the most powerful to hit Indonesia since the magnitude 8.6 “Nias” earthquake in March 2005, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Here are five facts about magnitude 8+ quakes.

WHERE HAVE THIS YEAR’S MAGNITUDE 8+ QUAKES BEEN?

* January 13: East of the Kuril Islands, which stretch between Japan and Russia, magnitude 8.1

* April 1: Solomon Islands, east of Melanesia, magnitude 8.1

* August 15: Near the coast of central Peru, magnitude 8.0

* September 12: South Sumatra, Indonesia, magnitude 8.4

• All four locations are on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a horse-shoe shaped 25,000 mile (40,000 kilometre)-long arc of volcanoes and fault lines that generates about 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes.

WHAT TRIGGERED THE SOUTH SUMATRAN QUAKE?

• The quake hit 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Bengkulu, on Sumatra island, as a result of thrust faulting at the boundary of two tectonic plates — the Australian plate and the Sunda plate. At this location, the Australian plate moves northeast from the Sunda plate at a velocity of about 69 mm/year, according to the USGS.

HOW MANY MAGNITUDE 8 EARTHQUAKES ARE THERE PER YEAR?

• On average, about one. And there are about 15 to 20 magnitude 7 earthquakes per year, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED BY MAGNITUDE 8+ QUAKES?

• The 17 magnitude 8+ quakes since 1990 have killed about 285,491 people.

WHICH WAS THE MOST DEADLY?

• The biggest quake — December 2004’s 9.1 magnitude quake off the west coast of north Sumatra, Indonesia — was by far the most deadly: accounting for 283,106 deaths from the total.
• Indonesia’s March 2005 northern Sumatra quake was the second-most deadly in this period — killing about 1,313 people.

Sources: Reuters, U.S. Geological Survey (www.usgs.gov, http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/mag8.html)

And here is a chronology of some earthquakes in recent years:

Dec 12, 1992 - INDONESIA - A magnitude 6.8 quake killed at least 2,200 people on a string of islands in the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

Sept 30, 1993 - INDIA - A series of quakes killed almost 10,000 people in western and southern India. The first tremor was of magnitude 6.4.

June 6, 1994 - COLOMBIA - A quake brought down buildings and triggered mudslides, killing about 1,000 people in the Paez River valley in south-western Colombia.

Jan 17, 1995 - JAPAN - A magnitude 7.2 quake, the country’s worst in half a century, rocks Kobe, killing 6,430 people.

May 28, 1995 - RUSSIA - Russia’s worst earthquake, magnitude 7.5, kills 1,989 people in the oil-producing Far East.

Feb 28, 1997 - IRAN - A magnitude 5.5 quake kills about 1,000 people in north-western Iran.

May 10, 1997 - IRAN - A magnitude 7.1 quake kills 1,560 people in rural areas of eastern Iran near the Afghan border.

Feb 4, 1998 - AFGHANISTAN - At least 4,500 people are killed in Takhar province in a quake of magnitude 6.1.

May 30, 1998 - AFGHANISTAN - A magnitude 6.9 quake kills up to 4,000 people in northern Takhar province.

July 17, 1998 - PAPUA NEW GUINEA - An undersea quake of magnitude 7.1 creates three tsunami waves, killing at least 2,100 people.

Aug 17, 1999 - TURKEY - More than 17,800 people are killed by a magnitude 7.4 quake.

Sept 21, 1999 - TAIWAN - At least 2,000 people are killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless by a magnitude 7.6 quake in central Taiwan.

Jan 26, 2001 - INDIA - An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 strikes the western state of Gujarat killing at least 19,700 people and causing damage in neighbouring Pakistan. The quake affected 15.9 million people in 7,904 villages.

March 26, 2002 - AFGHANISTAN - At least 1,500 people are killed when a series of quakes of between magnitude five and six strike northern Afghanistan

May 21, 2003 - ALGERIA - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes Algiers and nearby towns to the east, killing 2,251 and injuring 10,243.

Dec 26, 2003 - IRAN - A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the historic city of Bam, 1,000 km (600 miles) southeast of Tehran. 30,948 were killed in the quake.

Dec 26, 2004 - ASIA - The number of dead and missing in an Asian earthquake and tsunami is almost 230,000. The wave crashed into Sri Lanka and India, drowning thousands and swamping tourist isles in Thailand and the Maldives. The quake measured 9.15 in magnitude.

March 28, 2005 - INDONESIA - Nearly 1,000 people are killed after a quake of magnitude 8.7 struck the coast of Sumatra.

Oct 8, 2005 - PAKISTAN - At least 73,000 people are killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck about 95 km (60 miles) northeast of Islamabad. The quake also rocked Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 there.

March 31, 2006 - IRAN - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hits the area of Doroud and Boroujerd in the western Lorestan province, killing at least 70 people.

March 6, 2007 - INDONESIA - A 6.4 magnitude quake and another measuring 6.3 in Sumatra kill more than 70 people.

July 16, 2007 - JAPAN - A 6.8 magnitude quake killed 10 people in north-western Japan and shut the world’s largest nuclear power plant.

Aug 15, 2007 - PERU - An 8.0 magnitude quake killed more than 500 people and destroyed about 34,000 homes on central coast.

And to think the earthquake in Jakarta were the only ones we’ve heard about ……

I arrived Impiana Hotel early that day …. at 3:00pm. The event didn’t began till 7:30pm so I had plenty of time to kill. I dropped my stuffs in one of the hotel room prepared by Richard, the event organizer and headed across the street towards KL Convention Center for an early dinner. That … my dear friends … was the meal that lasted me 14 hours !

After dinner, I went back to the hotel and met up with Richard and went over the MC scripts. I thought I could take a quick rest but I looked at the time and it was almost 7:30pm …. so I quickly got ready and rushed down to the ballroom.

The elevator door opened and the first thing I hear … salsa music. I got out of the elevator and slowly walked towards the entrance of the ballroom, a couple of sweet looking ladies smiled and I nodded, smiling back at them. They were Jennifer’s close friends, helping with the registration counter.

I walked past Luke aka the “Bouncer” for the event, hunky guy … don’t wanna mess with him. Actually … he’s a nice fellow if you happen to know him. As I entered the ballroom, I spotted Pedro Monzon (His Excellency, Cuban Ambassador) and First Secretary of Cuban Embassy, Florentino Batista has arrived.

Very quickly, I marched over to the DJ counter and greeted some of the DeeJays for the night and proceed to grab the microphone and greeted the guests. One thing led to another … Cuban Ambassador, Pedro Monzon delivered his speech and then it was Sam/Aisha’s performance.

Right after Sam/Aisha’s spectacular dance performance, I read the rules of the event and proceeded to invite His Excellency, Pedro Monzon to officiate the event. And it was off ! The First Malaysian Salsa Marathon 2007 has officially began at exactly 8:45pm on the 7th September 2007. Our target … to ensure the dance floor is alive for the next 14 hours ! Malaysian Book of Records …. here we come ! A big screen on the background displayed a countdown clock … countdown from 14 hours to zero.

Since it was still early (usual salsa scene don’t start till around 11pm) there were not much of a crowd but everyone was on the dance floor. Wasting no time, I jumped onto the dance floor as well, still in my jacket and all. The crowd grew in number as time past … and eventually was at it peak around 11:30pm.

By then, I’ve changed into my comfy dance wear which is usually my jeans and tee-shirt .. was already sweating away. At 1:00am on the 8th September 2007, the crowd was still going strong … and the dance floor was packed ! Anyone and everyone you know in the “salsa”land is here … well, almost.

By 3:00am … the crowd were slowly thinning away … but you can see the familiar hardcore dancers still pressing on. Good thing food and drinks were on the house. I do strongly believe I consumed more fruit punch and visiting the loo thank the whole week put together ! Jacques Lebosse would’ve changed the 6th tee-shirts by now … and Jeamie Lee, never looked better. After 7 hours of salsa dancing and she still look as if she’s got more to go ! As for me … I was already finding more and more excuses to walk around, in and out of the ballroom ….

By 5:00am, strategies started kicking in … and this is where you see real teamwork amongst the various dance schools. This is the “graveyard shift” … and number of couples on the dance floor dwindled down in number … at one time, to only 2 couples.

You could see tired folks sleeping on aligned chairs, some sitting in groups on the floors while others massaging their aching, sored feet.

Tired …. sleepy …. drowsy …. hungry …. but …. never felt better ! Once you’ve set your goals …. nothing else matters. I was so touched by the mere sight of everyone taking care of the dance floor, ensuring it doesn’t go empty.

Fresh dancers started pouring in at around 8:00am … and that’s like sending in the reinforcements … and a relief. I went back to the hotel room to take a shower … to take a breather and was back on the dance floor in a zip.

By then … it was already 9:00am … and it was already bright as sunny outside. But back at the ballroom where the Malaysian Salsa Marathon was held … salsa dancers of all ages, colors and schools from here in Malaysia were still spinning and twirling to the music and rhythm of South American origin.

At 10:15am … DJ Dev announced that we’re 30 minutes away from achieving the Malaysian Book of Records and at 10:42am, the DJ spinned the very last song for Malaysian Salsa Marathon 2007 and everyone was back on the dance floor.

Although the last salsa song was like any other salsa number, the feeling was awesome …. different … to many. It was exciting … and somehow, it seemed everyone was dancing a step faster than normal. The smiling faces of everyone … while eyeing the big screen time once in a while.

30 seconds to the 14th hour …. I grabbed the microphone and started shouting the countdown … right down to the last 10 seconds and everyone joined me.

10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 ……… Congratulations !!!!! (The last 10 seconds seemed like forever … I could see everyone’s facial expression, some excited …. some nervous ….). Despite the tiresome lots …. everyone jumped with joy .. some with tears of happiness. It’s was like the Olympics and the World Cup all put in one.

Finally ! A record achieved. Another piece of history written in the book of Malaysian Salsa. And for many of us … were proud to be a piece in it. This may be the first ever event of such nature but will sure not be the last.

Perhaps The Guiness Book Of Records has an empty slot waiting for us to fill it up?

Here are more photos from various sources

From Timothy’ Camera
From Michael Yip’s Camera
From Adrienne’s Camera