A Perfect Mambalsa Moment

Just a quick post to tell you about a perfect Mambalsa moment that happened yesterday.

We'd just finished my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive  course at Salsa Soho. It was a great group as usual and one or two had some energy left for a dance afterwards. (Most were sampling the happy hour cocktails upstairs in the sunshine, which slide down well after a five hour salsa course!)

I'd packed up my gear and the music had switched over to the playlist pumped through from the office.

Now Salsa Soho AKA Bar Salsa! (the original one) has always offered an eclectic mix of Latin music on a Saturday night and the track that came on was a modern tango that I think was by the Gotan Project.

The salsa dancer's dilemma! Do we try and squeeze salsa into the wrong musical genre? Would it even work? What does that say about my values of musical interpretation etc. etc? 

Solution: Mambalsa

One minute later and I'd shown my partner the: tap-step, tap-step, tap, step, step, step sequence of Mambalsa and off we went. The bar was a little quiet due to the time and the sunshine, but we were the only ones dancing. Even the Latino couple who'd danced bachata at the bar when I'd introduced it to my salsa newbies remained still. Tango looks sensational and I really like the music but I can't dance it, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to show someone else how to dance it within a couple of minutes. Mambalsa meant we were able to dance and look good in minutes.

Then three more of my group raced onto the dance floor. There was only one thing for it and that was a snowball! As you roll a snowball it gathers more snow getting bigger and bigger. This is how snow men and women make babies! On the dance floor a snowball is where one couple breaks apart and dances with two more who break apart and dance with four more etc. I've used it many times at weddings and corporate events to fill the dance floor.

I invited my partner to show a young man mambalsa and I danced with another lady. Were it not for the track ending, I'm sure it would have continued to grow until the dance floor was full.

Conclusion:

Did we look like tango dancers? No, nor salsa dancers for that matter, but we did look like dancers and dancers with style and connection who were having a good time. Mambalsa's ability to mould itself to any 4:4 genre of music is uncanny. It'll never usurp dancing tango to tango music as the two have evolved together. I believe Mambalsa's roll in the universe is to act as a common denominator of dance where dancers of any kind can dance together.

Mambalsa's ability to be easily picked up makes it the perfect bridge from non-dancer to social dancer, and that's 95% of the UK population! 

Dance makes you feel good in so many ways and Mambalsa's well-being ethos taps into this idea and rewards us with confidence through looking good and the connectedness of a typical Latin partner  dance :)

Last Monday night was brilliant!

Last Monday night was brilliant!

 I thought I'd do a write up of last Monday's Mambalsa at Kings Cross.

This is now a Free weekly event so check it out! mambalsa.com

After a short intro to salsa we switched to Mambalsa. It offered a level playing field as the small but beautifully formed group spanned beginners to advanced in salsa levels. This made it virtually impossible to run an effective salsa class but we did a few warm up exercises and explored the clave rhythm.

My theme for the evening was Mambalsa Grids.
A grid is where combos of footwork patterns (fwp)are danced in a line or multiple lines that form a grid of dancers. It's like a stroll in line dancing or a shuffle in R’nB. 

I originally wanted to call it a waffle but when I first suggested it everyone though it referred to how much I talk in the class! Ouch!

Unlike shines in salsa, in Mambalsa the footwork sequence (fws) is always maintained.

As I worked on the fws with our talented beginner, I invited the others to create a grid combo, and they did. (I won't name anyone as I don't have permission)

First up was the 'Side 'n Hook' a vampy little combo that, after the tap phrase, used the step phrase to first travel sideways twice and then to hook 180deg on S1. Later head flicks in the direction of the side steps and forward waves in contra movement to the tap-steps was added.

What I like about the 180deg hook is that it changes the orientation of the group. Those of us at the back were now at the front which dialled up the pier pressure.

I played the hissyfit card a number of times! A hissyfit is a faux angry moment when things have gone wrong. It’s encouraged as it releases tension and resets the mind. It’s also fun and unpretentious which de-shames errors.

Next was a casual swing of a move called, I think, the ‘Swing n Sway’. It certainly lent it self to swing as it really connected with Mambalsa's funk n grove. It reminded me of clips I've seen of shiny suited backing singers from Motown tracks, clicking fingers and finding the swing.

This combo had a casualness that created space for individual interpretation.

Finally was ‘Bob’ that for some unknown reason I kept calling zig zag. It was similar to the Side n hook but had the grounded stance of a boxer. Each travelling steps dug into the floor but remained minimised. The step phrase used three side steps to zigzag forwards or backwards.

The grounded stance was solid and powerful. It could be used as an expression of anger which so many dances have but few acknowledge.

For good measure I offered the ‘Three ‘n spin’ which is an easy spin on S1.

After we learnt the four footwork patterns, we put them together in a grid. For me it was a challenge to remember them but we got there.

To me it felt as if the leadership of the group shifted to the person who’d created the combo that we were currently dancing. This effect combined with the orientation of the grid and the shift from peer pressure to group success, made the experience very satisfying and joyful.

Reflections:

The group dynamic was as level as it could be, meaning that the traditional hierarchy of teacher at the top and beginner at the bottom was flattened to become a workshop experience.

I can hear my friend Sam saying ‘Alastair, you think too much!’ but these small groups offer clues as to how the Mambalsa class experience can reflect the ethos of confidence, empathy and respect. Peer to peer learning offers all three as well as practising personal expression, confidence through leadership, support of the group and creativity. All `healthy stuff that makes a pleasant environment to be in.

It was great to be a student learning from the others. For me it was my first opportunity to experience this in Mambalsa. I noted some old insecurities coming out e.g. the fear of falling behind the group. As I type I’m having flashbacks to A level maths classes where I’d struggle to scribble down a mathematical proof before the roller blackboard scrolled the text up and over into oblivion. (btw that’s what blackboards were called back then, even the green ones!)

There’s something about joy that I’m uncomfortable with. I feel it’s a bit happy-clappy to mention it. It’s just an emotion that we all experience and like experiencing any strong emotion, there’s often an after effect that ripples out.

Resolve:
By the end of the class it was clear that my passion for Mambalsa has not dimmed since 2014 and I want to teach dance. As a project it's new and exciting with amazing potential. I love salsa which has been apart of my life since 1992 (O.M.G. that's thirty years!!!) but Mambalsa is a chance for me to continue to grow and develop as a teacher. I feel I've come to a point where it's time to trust the universe and share Mambalsa with as many people as possible, and that means stepping up and shouting about it. It's time to set up shop and let the world in.

For the time being Mondays in Kings Cross will be Free and focussed on Mambalsa.

Details at mambalsa.com

If you use meetup.com there's a Mambalsa meetup group at https://www.meetup.com/mambalsa/

FREE Mambalsa every Monday in Kings Cross!

 

Mambalsa for FREE every Monday in Kings Cross!

Starting mid May '22
On Mondays in Kings Cross I’m running classes in Salsa and Mambalsa and I’d like to invite you to come to this fun, friendly and supportive space where you can try and improve both your salsa and Mambalsa dance.

Mambalsa:
You may not have heard of Mambalsa but it’s a new stylish partner dance similar to salsa but designed to work with any music from anywhere at any speed! It’s easy to learn and in no time you’ll be creating the nuance and complexity to express your personal style.

Salsa:
The salsa classes are presented using the Salsa Rapido method which is fast and fun.
The style is integrated spanning linear (CBL), static (Colombian) and rotational (Cuban Casino / Rueda)

As I mentioned the cost of the classes is FREE, although contributions are welcome at the end of the class if you wish. There'll be no arm twisting unless it’s done gently and is part of a move :) At the moment it’s more important to me to grow and establish the classes so please spread the word.

If you’re interested please take a moment to join the contact list to let me know you're coming at Join the contact list

Times:
6:00 to 6:45 Introduction to salsa (Absolute beginners most welcome)
7:00 - 9:00 Improver Salsa and Mambalsa (‘Blend’ format) about Blend Format

Location:
Upstairs at the The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, London N1 0AX The Star of Kings location

I hope to see you there,
Alastair - The Streetbeat Salsa Co.

More info at salsakingscross.co.uk  and of course mambalsa.com