Saturday 5/29/04:
Got to Salsa Land the same relatively early time in the evening, but there was already a line outside the performance tent. Right next door in the dance tent, DJ Nelson Torres was spinning to an empty dance floor (zero people). People were in their seats for more than half an hour before the show started and could have gone next door to dance but no one did. I asked Nelson and he said that was the only time slot he had all evening. Such a waste to have one of New York’s best DJs and no one dancing.
Saturday night was a full house. My favorites groups/shows were Latin Motion Australia, Latin Dance Australia, Salsamania (San Francisco), Juan & Jessica (NY), Malik and his West African Ensemble, Seaon Stylist (LA), Billy Fajardo & Katie Marlow (Miami), and Yoko & Rue (Japan).
Latin Motion Australia reminded us that you get the girl if you can really dance. Latin Dance Australia’s two couples did a “salsa magic show” led by twin brothers. Salsamania’s pro team keeps getting better. Kudos to John and Liz its directors who keep raising the bar for themselves and other bay area groups each year. Malik and his West African Ensemble opened the second show with a great percussion number accompanied by inspired freestyle by dancers from different groups. Seaon’s number was an ode to himself and a mini-show onto itself. i didn’t care for his pre-recorded narration on the overhead screen, but the choreography and the dancers were great. Billy Fajardo came out with Katie Marlow draped over his shoulder like a snake and did a number on par with Cirque de Soleil.
I opted out of the last two numbers to get to the dance tent and stretch my feet. The first lady I asked said “no, I’m tired”. Hmm, she just came out of sitting through more than an hour of shows. A couple of minutes later she was on the dance floor during the same song. Ouch. It got better later, largely because of people I know from New York that were there.
Spanish Harlem Orchestra in the first musical set was excellent and a treat to both watch and listen to. Johnny Polanco Y Su conjunto Amistad in the second set was also good.
I ran into the “you are rushing” lady at the tail end of the night. I asked her where she was from and she said LA, but recently moved to the Bay Area. I asked her what her dance background was. She said she studied with someone whose name I didn’t recognize (or didn’t hear properly). I told her I was trying to understand her credentials for expressing an opinion about dance timing. She skedaddled saying she was looking for a friend.
By the end of the third night (even though it was better than the first two) and with only one night left, I was beginning to wonder if I would have been better off going to Jimmy Anton’s in New York for personal dance satisfaction. But I had a cunning plan…