Salsa
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Table of Contet What is salsa
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Interview with Eddie Toreezs
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Interview with Emily Alabi
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Chrystian Ovideo and Alien Ramizrez competing in in World Latin Dance Cup
What is Salsa? Salsa is a word that inspires an instant reaction in Latin music lovers everywhere. It is the rhythm, the dance, the musical excitement that sends millions of normally sedate non-Latinos to the dance floor where they meet their Latin neighbors, who are too busy enjoying the music to notice.
Birthplace of Salsa:
There’s a lot of debate about the place where salsa was born. One school of thought claims that salsa is just a newer version of older, traditional Afro-Cuban forms and rhythms, so the birthplace must be Cuba. In fact, even today many of the old school Cuban musicians adhere to the belief that there is no such thing as salsa. Tito Puentesummed up their general feeling when asked what he thought of salsa by replying: “I’m a musician, not a cook.”
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But there’s little doubt that if salsa had a passport, the date of birth would be the 1960s and stamped under place of birth would be New York, New York.
Evolution of Salsa: Between 1930 and 1960 there were musicians from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and South America coming to New York to perform. They brought their own native rhythms and musical forms with them, but as they listened to each other and played music together, the musical influences mixed, fused and evolved. This type of musical hybridization gave birth to the 1950s creation of
Franklin Diaz, performing his famous Afro-cuban fusion routine
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the mambo from son, conjunto and jazz traditions. Continuing musical fusion went on to include what we know today as the cha cha cha, rhumba, conga and, in the 1960s, salsa. Of course, this musical hybridization was not a one-way street. The music went back to Cuba, Puerto Rico and South America and continued to evolve there. It evolved a little differently in each place, so that today we have Cuban salsa, Puerto Rican salsa, Colombian salsa, etc. They all have the driving, electric energy that is the hallmark of the salsa form, but they also have the distinctive sounds of their country of origin.
The Name ‘Salsa’: The salsa that is eaten in Latin America is added to spice up the food. Social salsa dancing in LA
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In this vein, without going into the many apocryphal legends about who was first to use the term, DJs, bandleaders and musicians started using (and yelling) Salsa! as they were introducing a particularly energetic musical act or in order to spur the dancers/musicians on to more frenetic activity. So, much in the same way that Celia Cruz would shout Azucar! (sugar) to spur on the music,Salsa! was used to spice up the music and dancing. The term stuck
Salsa Music: Salsa has its origins in the Cuban son. With heavy use of percussion (clave, maracas, conga, bongo, tambora, bato, cowbell – to name a few), the instruments and the singers often mimic the call and response Sergio and Bianca from Alam Latina Tijuana are performin gin competition
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patterns of traditional African songs, and then segue into the chorus. Other salsa instruments include vibraphone, marimba, bass, guitar, violin, piano, accordion, flute and a brass section of trombone, trumpet and saxophone. Of course, lately electronics have been added to the mix. Salsa has a basic 1-2-3, 1-2 rhythm; however, to say that salsa is just one rhythm, or one set of instruments is deceiving. It is more a way of marketing the Latin sound to an urban audience in order to get them onto the dance floor and into the clubs. The tempo is fast and the musical energy exuberant.
Grizzly Dance Company from LA performing in San Francissco Bachata festival
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Interview with Eddie Torres, the mambo king of New York
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Bio Name: Eddie Torres Age: 63 Been dancing for : 40 years Style of dance: Mambo Based in: New York
Me: How long have you been involved in dancing and what was the catalyst? ET. : I started dancing at the age of 16. I now have over 30 years involved in dancing. It all started because I was attracted to this young lady but I didn’t know how to dance and she did. I was somewhat heartbroken because she would not pay that much attention to me but did to this other fellow who happened to know how to dance. So one day I made up my mind to learn how to dance so that this wouldn’t happen to me ever again. I was actually 15 years old but was dancing by the age of 16. In fact, it was my sister who helped me to learn how to dance because she was already a dancer. She didn’t have much patience for me but she helped me get started with the basics. Her nickname was “Shorty” but her real name was Elia Torres. She was the “dancer” of the family. I remember always asking her to take me to the clubs. It’s funny because she would answer me by saying, “You’re crazy!” “I don’t want to be seen in a nightclub with you looking like that”. (Eddie laughs) Then after about 7
years of dancing and becoming better at it, she used to beg me to go dancing with her! Then she would ask me, “Eddie, would you go to clubs with me?” Then I would answer, “No, not with you looking like that”. I turned it around on her and I used to tell her, “Hey, those are old moves, I’ve got new moves!!!” So we used to joke with each other like that. Me: While in your youth, which types of music did you listen to what were your favorites at the time? ET : Right at the top, I’d have to say Tito Puente because you know that’s been the biggest inspiration for me and the work that I’ve done in choreography has been to Tito’s music. I have practically dedicated my whole life to working with his music. I almost feel like my whole life was to come down (from heaven) and work as a choreographer. I used to tell Tito that his music is a choreographer’s dream. The top names when I was growing up was Tito Puente,
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Eddie Palmieri, Ricardo Ray, Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Pacheco, Machito, and Tito Rodriguez (which by the way I managed to see one time and danced in the same venue). There were others as well. Eddie Palmieri was really happening at the time. Me: Was music something that called your attention or were there other hobbies? ET: I started out with the interest in music and I always, always liked to play the piano, Angel. My mother bought me an organ. I would sit there for hours just
playing and making up melodies. The piano was something that I thought one day, well, I would grow up to be a pianist. (THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE!!) A lot of people don’t realize the connection I have with Tito Puente. When you look at it, we’re both born in the same hospital (Harlem Hospital), both raised in Spanish Harlem (El Barrio). My mother said the other day that we were probably born in the same hospital room. I told her that I never really thought about that before. I believe Tito was destined to
be a musician. I believe I was destined to be dancer. But when I was young, I really wanted to pursue the music and become a musician – just like Tito wanted to become a professional dancer!!!! When he was growing up he had an act with his sister. He was fascinated with dancing and I was fascinated with music!!! It so happened that somewhere in his youth, he suffered a fractured ankle. I heard it was pretty bad. That was the turning point for him. Then he committed himself totally to the music. I did the same thing. You see this finger here (Eddie shows me his right hand pinky), I broke this finger playing dodge ball. So I remember trying to play the piano with the damaged pinky and every time I’d had to play with the pinky, it would collapse. My teacher used to tell me that if I wanted to pursue piano playing, I would have to correct the broken finger. So I started to think that maybe piano playing was not something meant for me. These kinds of things happen in life and kind of put you on a track to where you really might belong. I did not want to go through the operation so I got into dancing at a very
young age. So when Tito told me about his bicycle accident and how his ankle got stuck in the spokes and broke his ankle, well, the rest is history. Someone once told me that somehow because of the circumstances, Tito and I were destined to work together. I remember going to the Corso (a club formerly located on E. 86 St. in Manhattan) in the 1970’s and listening to Tito play and then complimenting him on his music. Tito then told me that I really should be doing more with my dancing. He said, “instead of hanging out here at the Corso every Sunday and dancing for fun, you’re talented and should be doing something on a professional level”. That’s how the working relationship with Tito started.
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Interview with Emily Alabi
Bio Name: Emily Alabi Age: 24 Style of Dance: On1 Salsa Based in: Los Angeles
Me: How did you get into salsa? How old were you when you started? Emily: The reason I started dancing and I got into salsa was because my Dad was a dancer with The Latin Symbolics and he wanted my brother and I to get involved. He started taking us to the salsa classes twice a week with dance champion Ava Apple. The funny thing is that at first we didn’t like salsa at all! We were so involved in sports that we never realized how much fun salsa dancing brought to our lives. We always complained that we didn’t want to go to the classes, but now dance is our life! Our eyes were opened to salsa when for the first time we went to the L.A. salsa congress. After seeing all of the amazing dancers, and seeing how much fun it was, we were determined to learn and be great. I was about 9 or 10 when I first started taking classes. Me: How does it feel to have accomplished so much as such an early age? What are some additional goals you plan to accomplish within and outside of Salsa? Emily: It feels really good to realize how much I’ve done with my life, and to do something that I
love with the people that I love. I’m still so young and I want to do A LOT more with my life, and accomplish everything that I possibly can. I always want to be positive at what I do, and really try to do something with my life. I’m really thankful to God, my Dad, my Brother and all the people who always support me no matter what Kind of situation I’m in, especially Ava Apple, without her I wouldn’t be where I am today. They always tell me to keep my head up, and to always be strong. My goals are to achieve dancing as a professional career, to be an inspiration to everyone, to always be positive and to always
help and be there for people, and especially the people that I love, and to always be the best I can be. Johnny: Most of your salsa accomplishments have taken place with your 19 year-old brother/partner Mario “Junior” Alabi. How would you describe this experience? How has your brother contributed to your growth as a salsa dancer? Emily: I would describe this experience as a blessing. I feel that I’m lucky because I’m able to do something that I love with the person that I love. He’s always right there on my side, pushing me, and supporting me.
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