WanderingSalsero

Free Casino Rueda Lessons at Waegook Cook Pub in Gumi..

Yeah.....as if hardly anybody who reads this blog could be there anyway, right?  :-)  But....it's good for SERPs.

Busan tonight!

Well, since I've opted 'out' of the Daegu Casino Rueda scene for the time being, I've got every other Saturday evening free now.  And I've decided it's finally time for me to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time.....check out the Busan (AKA: Pusan) salsa scene.

I can't say for sure yet but based on my very preliminary research, it looks like it's a healthy community.....salsa-wise, I mean.

I'll be leaving school here in just a few minutes, then going home to get my overnight bag, then heading to the nearest train station (Waegon) to catch the train south to Busan.  I think I'll not take the KTX this time since I've got plenty of time.

On a completely unrelated subject, I think I've discerned an important difference between Kizomba and Zouk:

 The people who seem to be really pushing Zouk now seem, based on the YouTube videos I've seen so far and just now, to be doing the same shit that so many salsa 'pro's' do......i.e. doing stuff that that 99% of social dancers are never going to be able to do and probably even want to do.

I'm referring specifically to that styling stuff where the girl bends her head back and lets her hair sweep around like an actor in a shampoo commercial.....only more extreme.  I think it looks stupid.

That kind of stuff is also totally unfair to the majority of dancers because it sets a goal for them that they're never going to be able to attain and serves only to insure the student's continuation of (paid) classes.

Yeah.......I know some people like it.  I know that.  I even heard that Zouk was all the rage on a salsa cruise a friend of mine went to.  But I'm firm in my opinion.  Hardly anybody but me, it seems, stands up for the simple 'social dancer' who just wants something they can to to 'get into' the music and meet some people.  A large segment of the 'teachers' won't just let dancers be happy and do simple stuff.

I don't think the issue has been decided yet as to which dance, Kizomba or Zouk, is going to be the most popular in the US market.  I'll put my money of Kizomba.  For the simple reason that it's easier to do right and still look pretty.

And I can tell you for a fact that all of the handful of dancers I've taught Kizomba to over these last few weeks have ALL told me how easy Kizomba was to learn and how un-strenuous it was.

Anyway......I'm off to Busan.

Think video marketing doesn't work? Think again.......!

Here's a video I made, with Screenr, that shows something I found surprising but interesting:

What I thought was interesting about it was that this particular video is something I did 8, yeah........Eight! Eight months ago.......back when I was still living near enough to Seoul to go in every weekend and do this particular Casino Rueda class. I don't do it anymore. Mostly because I don't live near enough to Seoul to go in easily. However, I have just recently started a new Casino Rueda class in the town where I presenty work....Gumi. The new class is at Waegook Cook Pub. Waegook Pub is a nice place.....sorta a combination pub and restaurant. It's owned and actively managed by Derrick Smith and his lovely wife Sugi. Every Tuesday night we move some table and chairs back and clear some space where me and the rest of our aspiring casineros and casineras learn and practice all the things that make casino rueda style salsa the absolute best way to learn salsa. Casino Rueda is the best way to learn salsa because not only can you do it with just one partner, like normal salsa, but it also has some steps that enable groups as large as 500 couples to dance together. The leader spontaneously issues 'calls', just like a quarterback in football, which are then executed by the group. When done properly it's really a beautiful choreography to watch unfold before your very eyes. No two ruedas are alike because the combination of the music, the dancers, and the venue is always different. If you know anyone who lives near enough to Gumi, S.Korea to get to these lessons on Tuesday evenings they're very welcome. Beginners are welcome and now would be a perfect time to join our group while everybody is at the same level. You can get in touch with Waegook Cook through their Facebook page. Or call me at 010 5822 2277.

It's time to show our appreciation to local club owners and staff

Si salseros y salseras, it's time to show our appreciation for all the hard work that our local club owners and staff do.  They work long and hard to ensure that we have a good tiime when we patronize their establishments to dance and drink and enjoy being part of the Pepsi Generation.

When we leave in the wee hours of the morning they're left there at the club to clean up after our mess.  How much fun is that?  It's time we started doing something to lessen the environmental impact of our revelry and show our appreciation for the hard work the club staff and owners do.

But wait! 

Don't despair.  It's not as difficult as you think.  This innovative and practical device from the Onion Store will actually allow you to dance (sorta) while keepng the dance floor spotlessly clean and thereby allowing the club staff to go home themselves a lot earlier (and the club owner to make his bank deposit a lot earlier too!)

Click here to get your own pair of "Kleen-Strides" (as not seen on TV!).

P.S.  It's also been discovered that wearing these cool-clods adds a unique twist to your dance style that's even better than 'on2'.

Good reason to go to Palm Springs!!

It looks like you've got a good excuse to visit Palm Springs, California.  On August 13-16, 2009, there's an event that looks like it'll be a winner:

Palm Springs Salsa & Rueda Congress!
Aug 13-16, 2009

Wyndham Resort & Convention Center

I spent some time looking over the schedule and it's for sure something I'd like to go to.  The schedule indicates an exciting and equal mix not only of salsa (lot's of on1) but also casino rueda.  Enough said, eh?

Seriously, it looks like a lot of thought went into making the event something that beginners and intermediate dancers would not feel left out at.  Here's the URL:

http://www.peoplewhodance.net/summer/salsa/

Top Salsa Club and.....protesting

No, there's no relationship between the two subjects.  I just thought I'd save time.  Neither post is long anyway.

First of all, I went to Top Salsa Club in Apgujeong last night.  I'd heard that it has become very popular lately and I discovered that what I'd heard was totally correct.  It was very well attended. 

Top this!

I don't have it uploaded yet but I finally got 'on film' doing kizomba.  Now the rest of the 'followers' in my neck of the woods have something to measure up to.

My point isn't that what I did looks so great, because I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't.  The point is that (1) lots of other people who supposedly are looking out for the best interests of their dancer constituency haven't told them about kizomba and (2) at least I did something about trying to promote kizomba while they've done absolutely nothing (with the exception of Rodney Aquino...as far as I know).

When you see it, you'll see that what I did actually looks kinda silly.  But that just means that it oughta be real easy to 'top', right?  So I wonder who's the next person either here in Korea or in the US who's going to post a video of them doing some kizomba.  Or, are 'we' (fuguratively speaking) gonna just continue to sit on our artistic laurels and do nothing but salsa dancing until Jesus comes while the dancers in Europe are showing real evidence of being progressive and artistically open minded.  Kizomba is becoming very popular over there.

You won't be able to tell when you see the video, but I can tell that there are a few good things I'm learning about the flavor of kizomba.  It sorta reminds me of how silly I used to look when I was learning bachata.  I'll always remember Linda Cook, my original bachata instructor there at SSQQ in Houston, looking at me dancing in the after-class dance socials, and smiling in that special way she does.  Always very supportive of her students but most probably realizing that I still had a lot to learn.  I'm sure that's where I'm 'at' in kizomba right now too.

Kizomba has some very unique 'twists' to it both literaly and figuratively.  There's something kinda 'tango-esqe' in the way that good kizomba dancers move and step.  The angles of movement across the floor are unique from salsa or even bachata.  That's what I'm trying to absorb and discover now.

The incident I'm speaking of was at our Seoul Salsa Latin Dance Meetup, our second one actually, which we had last night at Gachi Salsa Club (one of my favorites in Seoul).  There's a reall nice, and very cute, girl in our group who's sorta a beginning level dancer but she shows great promise and is picking things up very quickly and she has a supurb attitude in being 'game' for new stuff.

I talked the DJ last night, at the club, into playing one of the tracks on my kizomba CD (the one I got from Benjamin Nande).  It was closing time so he did it.  Then I grabbed this gal (sorry I forget her name) and did the dance with her.  She followed very well cnsidering that she'd never heard the music or seen the dance.  NEVER!!

Our group leader, Sara.........yeah, she's a nice gal and an excellent dancer, etc., etc....but she didn't want to try to kizomba with me.  That's why I give all the more kudos to my other little Kizombiera friend.  I really respect ladies with that kind of attitude.  She's going to be a very popular dancer because of it too.....I know it.

Grupo Latin Vibe.....perfect balance

As you know, I comment (no......"bitch") a lot about salsa music.  It's not every day that I find salsa music that I really like.  But I just did.

I get emails from a site called www.theclave.com .  I don't know a lot about it.  I haven't paid a lot of attention to it but I do remember, as prompted by my stimulus today, that they do provide some nice sample MP3s of various music.  Usually salsa of course.

Today, matter of fact right now, I'm listening to a band that TheClave is featuring called "Latin Vibe".  And I gotta say that they have probably the best balance of tempo, style, orchestration and instrumentation that I've heard in a long, long time.

Here's the specific link to that page.

They use vibraphone a lot.  Or at least, it might be a keyboard 'vibraphone' sound.  Regardless, I'm a big fan of vibraphone. 

Another thing I like about their music is that they don't let it get too complicated.  As I've often commented, I think a lot of the salsa music today sound like a shelve falling in a kitchen.......just noise and clatter (impersonating as 'ritmo').

In this album the chorus and vocals and rhythm section work togather and they aren't afraid to let the other sections 'shine'.  I like that...........no, I appreciate that.

There's actually three albums featured on TheClave right now.  In going through the rotation on the site, I really didn't notice any difference in quality from one album to another.  They all sounded equally good to me.

I don't know what the cost of the albums are but I'm considering purchasing one or all of them.  As soon as I can figure out what it is.

It's a really, really nice hunk of music.  And, of course, all very, very dancable (with the possible exception of one or two that were a bit fast for my taste).

Toys........? Not!

Ever heard of "RC"?

It means 'radio controlled' and it's a very diverse and expansive genre of sport for individuals around the world.  I'm not really into it myself but I sorta know what it is and it's my understanding that the biggest activity within it involves racing.

In the 'radio-controlled' field, you'll find miniature models of various kinds of vehicles.  These vehicles have motors....sometimes electrical and sometime actual miniature gasoline engines.  The vehicle models themselves might be cars, boats, airplanes,  monster trucks(?) and........virtually anything that moves on wheels, treads, in the air or on the waves.  Whatever the vehicle is, RC fans really get into it and in fact it is very exciting as you'll see on the following video.

BTW.......can you think of any niches and domain names here that might be good for a 'parked' domain or a quick-flip website?  I can :-)

The race you'll on his video takes place in Thailand.  You may not know it but racing of all kinds is very popular in Thailand.  I remember noticing that when I visited Thailand several times while I was in Vietnam several years back.

RC Racing Series 3 Episode 3 from Nick Daman on Vimeo.

Don't forget that if you have any particular hobby you might be surprised to learn that there's always room for one more well made site any popular niche.  And if you do it right, there's substantial and residual money to be made in internet marketing of this type too.  

You can learn how to market successfully on the internet at several excellent online training sites around the net and here's two that I know of:

• Lead Generation Portals
• Wealthy Affiliate

They're both very good.  I'm a member too.

Another announcement:  I'm soon going to be unveiling a content service for dance related (primarily salsa, casino rueda, and bachata) websites and blogs.  It'll be a monthly service.  Each month you'll have access to several unique, fresh, new, key word rich articles designed to add value, and Google attention, to your website, your blog, your studio, and your services.  And money to your pocket.

Using these articles on your website or blog is guaranteed to

• Increase your search engine position
• Add valuable information and credibility to you and your brand name
• Increase site visitor retention (i.e. make your site 'stickier'), and
• Put much more money in your pocket than the cost of the service.

This new service will be very reasonably priced even at 'full retail' but, heck.....who wants to pay 'full pop', right?  I'm offering a limited number of reduced priced, early bird memberships.  So, if you're interested, shoot me an email(use the 'contact me' link on this site or a Skype call at 'wanderingsalsero' and we can discuss it.

And think of all the time you'll save by outsourcing this kind of work to me.  I'll be busily burning my fingers away at the keyboard into the dead hours of the night while you're either out dancing or at home playing with your RC formula 4 racing car :-)

Beny More......Cuban Cool Cat

I'm  downloading my monthly allotment of songs from eMusic.com and came across several cuts from Beny More that I  liked.  eMusic also has added a new feature to t heir download section which gives you YouTube videos from any particular artist that you happen to be downloading.

Beny More is illustrative of one of my favorite types of music.  Here's a few for you: