Havana Estudio Monthly Social: Earth Hour! [26-3-2011]

In this life, not much is certain. Nevertheless, the one thing we’re quite sure about is the HAVANA ESTUDIO Monthly Social on the last Saturday of every month (subject to availability of course!). This month’s Salsa Social falls on 26th March 2011. Oh, and before I forget, I wanted to send this out for last month's studio party, but it was cancelled unfortunately. Oh well, better late than never...

Sam has always encouraged dancers from all levels to dance socially and as such, it is only natural that he feels a strong sense of nurturing to ensure that his beginner-level dancers in particular are not discouraged by un-danceable songs (too fast, too many time changes at weird times, and generally ridiculous songs). Anyone who has danced to his personal music at the Monthly Socials can attest (notwithstanding personal preference of songs) that the songs of his choice are very, very ‘social’ – meaning that the songs are slow enough to put in practice all the dance technique and; routines taught by Sam and Aisha, and brisk enough for a smooth, enjoyable dance.

So it got me thinking - If I were a salsa DJ, what would I do? I would:

1. Do my research and be familiar with the songs I play. Music appreciation starts from the DJ (this is imperative – if you don’t know what this means here’s a link you may find useful - http://www.thefreedictionary.com/imperative).

2. Try to gauge the crowds reaction to my playlist night in, night out, to ensure that I move my listeners not to cause them to move out, to get down and not to get out, etc. You get the idea.

3. To constantly update my playlist. An immediate beginner may not know the difference, but the longer we dance, the better we get at identifying shit songs. I would like to keep it fresh. Experienced dancers will love the variety, and beginner dancers will appreciate new, cool songs they have never heard before.

I’ll stop here but I must insist that these are essential traits for any DJ passionate about his/her work. There are more points definitely but I find that these 3 are (sadly) the most commonly disregarded of the lot. A friendly DJ who plays shit songs is akin to a cheerful prostitute who gets paid to talk to you about sex - Although the whole process is amicable, there is a severe lack of satisfaction.

Please let me know if anyone begs to differ. Better still, why don’t you tell me, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A SALSA DJ? Leave your comments here, and in the meantime, here are some photos to look at while you think of a suitable response / jibe / criticism / sarcasm / condescending remark / etc.

And by the way, this Saturday is EARTH HOUR (26th March 2011). Do the necessary, but please do remember, all this turning off and turning on of lights contributes to electricity wastage. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Hehe...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for March: 6 posts 239 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 59 posts 2,433 pics

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