'Kings of Salsa' at Stamford's Palace

Jon Lee was honest in his appraisal of his dancing skills, laughing as he recalled the moments he fell short when coming up against the masters.

"One of the unique things about Cuba is that music and dance is integral to their lives," Lee, the London-based producer of the music and dance show, "The Kings of Salsa," said of the country's residents.

"Anywhere you go, everyone can dance," he said, offering such examples as a grandmother in her 80s who danced the salsa and a man in his 60s who had lost none of his moves.

During the past dozen years or so, Lee has made multiple visits to Cuba to get the true flavor of the music and dance of this Caribbean country.

"I was always crazy about salsa music," said Lee, who was a professional trumpeter before he became a producer. "It's such infectious music."

Lee and accomplished choreographer Roclan Gonzalez Chavez took their shared love of the music, as well as classic Cuban dances, such as the mambo, cha-cha-cha and rumba, and other traditional Afro-Caribbean moves to put together a show that brings the energy of the streets of Cuba to stages around the world.

Gonzalez Chavez, who also serves as the show's artistic director and sings, graduated from Cuba's national school for the arts in 1996. Since then, he has become a sought-after choreographer and musician, working on several shows, including "Lady Salsa," also with Lee, which launched before "The Kings of Salsa" was born.

"Roclan is very good at mixing the traditional with the modern," Lee said, noting that audiences can expect to see a fusion of folkloric elements with modern hip hop and salsa.

"We wanted to put together a kind of cool, young modern version of what is happening in Cuba today," said Lee, noting that the show features some of the country's top young dancers and musicians. "But we also wanted to celebrate tradition."

On Friday, Oct. 7, area audiences will get a chance to see and experience that energy when "The Kings of Salsa" is staged at the Palace Theatre in Stamford.

Since its first big run in Germany four years ago, the two-hour show had traveled around the world, but it had yet to arrive in United States.

"We've always wanted to come over there," said Lee, adding that the logistics finally came together this year.

The lineup of dancers and musicians -- the nine-piece band Cuba Ashire -- has remained the same all these years, Lee said, though guest soloists also perform with the group.

"They all genuinely really love this show," he said, adding that it is hard not to become a fan, whether you are on stage or in the audience.

Even if he wasn't the producer, Lee said "The Kings of Salsa" is the kind of show one can watch repeatedly, since every evening reveals a little something different.

"We are always tinkering; it's constantly evolving," he said, adding that several new elements have been added for the U.S. tour.

"It's just a lot of high energy, good fun," he said.

He said he would be surprised if the audience did not feel compelled to rise to their feet and join in the dancing before the night came to a close.

"It's really kind of freeing," he said.

The Stamford Center for the Arts Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford. Friday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. $60, $50, $40, $30, plus fees. 203-325-4466, www.scalive.org.

Source Christina Hennessy

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Posted in cuba , Jon Lee , king of salsa , Roclan Gonzalez Chavez , salsa circuit , salsa dance

Getting to know Cuba

The colors, smells and energy are overwhelming

Arriving in Havana by night is only fair for your five senses. They would be overwhelmed if you arrived in the middle of a clear-blue Caribbean day.

Even still, you'll need all the olfactory, auditory and visual capacity you can muster to process a Havana night.

It's been a lifelong dream of mine to travel to Cuba, a dream that grew more desperate as Cuba's aging revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, became more frail.

I wanted to see the Havana of legend, the '53 Chevys, the mansions of Batista's era faded to a dull, communist gray. I wanted to see the salsa clubs, the poverty and the passion of Castro's Cuba.

Most of all, I wanted to see people of Havana, the thriving masses of islanders stuck in neutral for more than 50 years, a people who prompt more curiosity world-wide than just about any country.
Havana after nightfall

When the sun falls to the west of the city, dips down below the Malecon and slides into the Caribbean Sea like an orange slice into a tropical drink, there sounds an inaudible call for the city's 3 million residents.

The street population swells with the fading light. The barrios that surround and make up La Habana Vieja, or old Havana, become little lighted worlds unto themselves. The old gather under streetlights to smoke cigars and play dominos and the young strut like peacocks in fiery, skin-tight fabrics of pink, orange or lime.

In the hotel district, the tree-lined Prado promenade offers a people-watching paradise. On its mosaic marble tiles tread the feet of Habaneros, the affectionate term for those Cubans who live in Havana. They filter out of the barrios in droves for a look at the bourgeois tourists inclined to wander no further than the verandas of the few restored hotels.

The afternoon siesta has ended by 6 p.m. Dinner is hours away and the Habaneros begin to visit the small bodegas, often just a barred window into which some pesos are passed before a hand extends with a shot of coffee, a bottle of water or beer. For many Cubans, this is the only allowable exchange of goods for money near the tourist centers.

After their first, and usually only, purchase of the night, it will be all window-shopping and American dreams for the hungry Habaneros.

I'm told that heat is always an issue in Havana, where the Centro area is typically several degrees warmer than the rest of the city due to high-density population, lack of green spaces and poor building design.

When you step outside the air-conditioned room in your hotel, the oppressive humidity bears down on you with all the force of a tropical storm. No material will make your clothes comfortable in this combination of heat and moisture, though linen feels better than cotton. No sooner have you dried yourself after a second or third shower of the day than your skin is damp again. The Habaneros would as soon walk around sans clothing, but a communist sense of modesty pervades the culture and prevents complete nudity.
The sound of Havana

Music pulses at all hours, directing the undulating crowds. Just under the riffles of jazz guitar, the scratchy maracas and the tropical pop of the bongo drums is the deeper, more-resonant sound of the African drums. You can't hear it exactly, it's almost as if they were played on that faraway continent in another time and carried here on the same jet stream that carries the big storms from the Sahara.

But you can feel the African drums in the marrow of your bones. The Habaneros feel it too, and they congregate in writhing clumps of torsos and limbs, a gyrating mass of brown, black and light skin in tune with the frenetic energy of the Havana night. There are no boundaries for the music or the dancing. Each could start sporadically inside a night club or on a dirty street corner.

There is electricity in the air. Light shows over Havana harbor stay in the distance, producing an anxiety that can only be soothed by the plop of hot raindrops, the reassurance that a tropical thunderstorm brings.

When the salsa clubs open around 9 p.m., the Habaneros move toward their favorite nightspots. The tourists migrate to the hotels where the salsa shows are practiced and safe, where plastic-fabricated clothing enhances the dance and the dancers are paid to play.

In the barrios, where the Habaneros dance in back-room bars to the beat of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and overdubbed salsa pop, clothing only accentuates the most flamboyant dancers, the good dancers let their skin and their moves produce the show.

Amidst the music and the tightly controlled motions of the most disciplined salsa dancers, there is a release of sorts. Waves of pent up energy are given off with each hip thrust and trumpet blast. And when the music subsides, for it never dies away completely, they wander back out into the streets with wide eyes, eager for the remains of the night.
In the wee hours

It is in the wee hours that you notice the rum bottles passed around. The sweet smell of it wafts over the scent of ficus trees and perfumed women, or chicas as the men call them. Around 2 p.m., the rhythm of the night plays a descending scale and hums along at a lower cadence and with sweeter melodies.

The heat doesn't seem quite so oppressive now and the Habaneros are on concrete benches, arms and legs intertwined, the bottles clinking against statues of Cuban heroes. It is at this moment that you can finally tear your eyes from the sights and sounds, your nose has become somewhat accustomed to the smells, just enough to wake you to the realization that you are tired.

This is the Havana I came to see, smell, touch and to hear. The city and its people were everything I imagined and perhaps even more vivid than the colors and smells conjured in my mind from photographs and descriptive stories.

Source TIMOTHY ALEX AKIMOFF

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Posted in Afro-Cuban All Stars , cuba , Cuban , dance salsa , Habaneros , Havana , Salsa

Good News to US Salsaleras: Obama Opens Gate to Americans to Freely travel in Cuba

Good News to US Salsaleras: Obama Opens Gate to Americans to Freely travel in Cuba.

I guess we should all be thankful that Cuba is the origin of the latest dance craze which is Salsa. For a very long time, the US government followed a strict permission guidelines for Americans to travel to Cuba for security reasons primarily because Cuba is a communist country.

But with Obama’s administration, just recently he announced exciting news that entails a celebration for US and Cuba as he issued new rules that will permits Americans to freely travel to the land of salsa dancing.

Expectedly, hearing upon this great news, the Cuban administration is getting pretty excited that there will be more Americans that will flood the cities of Cuba within months or weeks to shake their bootties and hips in the primary salsa clubs.

"This is travel to Cuba for literally any American," said Tom Popper, director of Insight Cuba, which took thousands of Americans to Cuba before such programs were put into a deep freeze seven years ago.

This program will be a rebirth of the past tourism package that Cuba offered before former President Bush restricted Americans to go to Cuba due to terrorists fear.

Before the announcement of this new US travel policy, many of the approved tours in the land are sponsored by museums and universities and centered only on educational theme, and only those wealthy Americans who are willing to spend thousands of dollars are the privileged ones that can afford the travel packages.

But now, although, tours to Cuba won’t go directly on jazz and salsa sessions and will have some lectures on Cuban’s history to justify the trips which are meant under the new U.S. policy, to bring regular Cubans and Americans together, there are no restrictions on age and education attainment as well as whether you’re wealthy or not, as long as you have the will and capacity to go to Cuba, then you can.  Americans are given the privilege to visit studios, galleries and museums to fully understand the Cuban culture.

"Soon Americans can go salsa dancing in Cuba — legally!" said happily one of the tourists.
According to reports, Cuban officials say privately they expect as many as 500,000 visitors from the United States annually, though most are expected to be Cuban-Americans visiting relatives under rules relaxed in 2009. That makes travelers from the United States the second biggest group visiting Cuba after Canadians, with Italians and Germans next on the list.

Many Cubans are positive that this new US policy is a big step towards democracy. 
"It's more liberal than in 2000-2003 in a lot of senses," said a resident.

Unfortunately, there are still many that are quite hesitant regarding this new policy.
"President Obama and the administration continuously say they don't want more tourism and that's not what they're trying to do. But that's exactly what's happening," said Miami Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who was born in Ft. Lauderdale to a prominent Cuban-exile family. He argued that more travel does nothing to promote democracy on the island.

"The only thing it does is provide hard currency for a totalitarian regime," he said.

Nonetheless, it was indeed exciting news that will surely entice Salsaleras to go down to Cuba and freely Salsa all night long!

By Joanna Rossi, www.salsacircuit.com

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Posted in barack obama , cuba , Cuba 2011 , Cuba salseras 2011 , cuban culture , Freely travel Cuba 2011 , US Salsaleras 2011

Visit the World’s Best Places to Dance

Waltz Vienna. Photo Credited  Lonely Planet

Unwinds the complexity of many traditional and cultural movements around the globe. The Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011 release their new book for the Top Ten  World Best Places to Dance. From Flamengo to Tango to Salsa discover the world’s magnificent places and find out from the professionals in these dwelling towns of high-energy dances. Feel the blistering music and embrace the remarkable  influence of each country of  today's music and dance performance.


FLAMENCO
Andalucia, Spain
Few parts of Europe are as romantic as Andalucia, with its mountains and overwhelmed villages, and the Spanish region is also home to one of the most charming dances. Flamenco conjures up images of olive-skinned beauties swirling to a percussively played guitar, clicking castanets and clapping. In cities such as Seville and Granada, you can learn how to tap your ruffled dress like a proud senorita or stamp your feet like a Cordoban hat-wearing hunk. The schools cater to all levels of interest from flamenco fanatics to travellers who are equally interested in sampling the local jamon (ham).

TANGO  
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina is truly beloved for its mix of Old-World melancholy and Latin passion, and the national dance form is certainly no exception. Tango originated in the working-class neighbourhoods of the Argentine capital, which is a great place to learn some dance steps. With Buenos Aires' porteos (residents) cruising along the city's avenues during the day, most classes take place in the evening. Follow the accordion music to a milonga (tango venue or event) to learn moves including the giro (turn) and ocho (figure eight traced with the feet). There are usually dozens on offer, catering to the throngs of dance-loving milongueros. Buenos Aires' Tango Festival and World Cup takes place in August; the City Dance Championship

BREAKDANCE
New York, US
In the 30-plus years since the Big Apple's b-boys broke out the first hip-hop moves, breakdance has entered the mainstream and courses have started. Many classes are geared towards locals rather than tourists, although the NYC Hip Hop Dance Company welcomes walk-ins at its weekly lessons near Times Square. It takes a lot of practice and press-ups to master the key manoeuvres toprock, downrock, power moves, freezes and suicides but what a city to study the art of breaking. Nightly inspiration is found in the clubs, where you might see legs and arms flying in a breakdance battle. Explore NYC's hip-hop history with a Hush tour or lunch at Queens' Hollis Famous Burgers and Hip Hop Museum.

CAPOEIRA
Bahia, Brazil
Capoeira has broaden around the world from northeast Brazil, where African slaves developed the fusion of dance and martial arts, but Bahia remains its heartland. Workshops run by capoeira mestres (masters) in state capital Salvador da Bahia, are just one way the city is keeping its Afro-Brazilian heritage alive. Capoeira circles form on the plazas at night, and the action intensifies during festivals, when the colonial buildings are a backdrop for frenzied drum circles. If the martial arts feature sounds off-putting, don't worry as the sparring is generally playful and little physical contact is involved. Salvador da Bahia (often shortened to plain old Bahia) is connected to Rio de Janeiro, 1300km southwest, by bus and plane.

HULA
Hawaii, USA
As if anyone needed another reason to go to Hawaii, the home of atolls, coral reefs, beaches and sunworshippers, it's also the birthplace of hula. Popular culture is full of saccharine images of island princesses swaying beneath the palms, but hula began as an accompaniment to chants containing oral history. At a halau hula (school), a kumu hula (teacher) will instruct you in the Polynesian dance form's various moves, which symbolise aspects of Hawaiian life such as ocean voyages and volcanic eruptions. Though many male visitors may be reluctant to wear a loincloth, hula is also performed by men. Hawaiian hula events include the Merrie Monarch Festival in April and the World Invitational Hula Festival in November.

WALTZ
Vienna, Austria
Developed by Austrian and Bavarian peasants and picked up by the Hapsburg royals before spreading to France and beyond, waltz remains important in Vienna during its ball season. If you feel like donning a ballgown or tailcoat and dancing this sensual style of ballroom dance, the season's fixtures include the lavish Opera Ball in the 19th-century Opera House. Fear not, novices don't have to humiliate themselves in front of Austrian society. Schools offer tuition to individuals and couples who want to learn to dance in three-quarter time. The fabulous classrooms include the Pallavicini Palace, where Mozart and Beethoven performed, and a baroque hall. There's a list of dance classes in Vienna at tinyurl.com/yjezwep. The ball season starts on New Year's Eve and runs for three months.

CEILIDH
Edinburgh, Scotland
Many people have a brush with ceilidh dancing at some point in their life; whether the wedding's taking place among the heather in Scotland, or far away in the Celtic culture-loving New World. The partner-swinging dance began at social gatherings in Scotland and Ireland, so what better place for some coaching than the picturesque Scottish capital. There are dance classes and ceilidhs for all levels of experience. In fact, ceilidhs are by definition welcoming, sociable affairs, and even the clumsiest of novices are normally encouraged to try their first reel. Dance Base offers drop-in beginners' classes at the Grassmarket; Visit Scotland has a list of upcoming ceilidhs.

SALSA
Cuba
Salsa, a sizzling mix of Latin and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, perfectly encapsulates sultry, multicultural Cuba. It's a sexy, hip-shaking dance and teachers on the island happily show beginners how to move to the Cuban beat. The internet is awash with two-week, all-inclusive salsa packages, but, if you want some time to cruise in a clapped-out Buick, shorter courses are also available. When it's time to show off your skills, or to pick up some free tips, hit Havana's nightspots with a friend. There are usually half-a-dozen salsa nights happening; ask your hotel concierge or another local. Cuba's alluring spots include Santa Clara, dedicated to all things Che Guevara, Havana's waterfront, and Baracoa, a windswept town on the Atlantic coast.

BELLY DANCE
Istanbul, Turkey
A fun place to learn the shimmying dance is the city where the Middle East meets Europe: Istanbul.
Exuding all the exoticism of the Middle East, belly dance has fascinated the West ever since Turkey was the centre of the Ottoman Empire. Although many performances are touristy, gobek dans (belly dance) goes back centuries in Turkey, where it is more energetic and playful than in countries such as Egypt. Serious instruction is available. There's a list of teachers at www.bellydanceclasses.net/turkey; a recommended company is Les Arts Turcs, which offers private lessons.

MANDINKA DANCE
West Africa
An educational or community centre is a good place to find a teacher who can show you some traditional Mandinka dances, which involve a lot of drama and rituals. Outfits such as Senegal's Jamo Jamo Arts also run dance-focused trips instruments such as the kora (21-stringed harp) and djembe drum, West Africa's griots, the ancestry of court musicians, rightfully sit at the forefront of world music. While visiting the region to see, say, Toumani Diabate play in Bamako, Mali would be remarkable enough, you can also learn to groove like the folk at the clubs and festivals.

Get your LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2011 book  and  discover the cultural dance diversity and the best places  to go and things to do all around the globe.

excerpt from : http://www.news.com.au/travel/holiday-ideas/worlds-best-places-to-bust-a-move/story-e6frfqd9-1225948412125#ixzz17VC4J9pG

         

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Posted in cuba , dance salsa , lonely planet , LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2011