WanderingSalsero

My Mysterious Macondo Girl

I wonder who this pretty salsera was...

Yes, I had a generally good time up in Seoul this weekend....which included a very brief encounter as I was leaving Macondo.  A couple (or three) girls were coming in just as I was leaving and I noticed one of them had a really pretty looking floral piece in her hair. 

She was pretty anyway but I especially thought the thing she had in her hair was noteworthy because, to me, it seemed to fit in so perfectly with her own natural facial features and also the whole idea of being a 'salsera'. 

I asked her if I could take her picture.  She was 'willing' so here's the original photo plus some treatments of it I did with that little photo tool I like called Fotosketcher.

Actually, I really tend to prefer the black and white ones. 

That probably wouldn't usually be the case but I think in this instance it's because she has very much of that 'old country' look about her.  You know.....Mediterranean, Spaniard, Italian, Latina....and the thing in her hair accentuates it even more.  Thus, black and white (or it could have been sepia) makes the picture even more authentic.

I like them all but, alas, I don't even know this gal's name.  I gave her my 'WanderingSalsero' URL and told her I'd like to give her a copy of the picture.  Time will tell if I ever hear from her.

Ahhhh, but that's the beauty of the Korean ESL adventure, isn't it?  :-)

Which ones do you like?

 

Busan Report

After my visit to Busan  this recent weekend, only the second time I've been there in the three and a half years I've been in Korea, I can definately say that I like it.  Not so much for the salsa scene but for the city itself. 

I remember when I first came to Korea in June '07, the agency who got me my job, ASKnow, threw a party in Busan for all their teachers (i.e. teachers, like me, who'd gotten their jobs through ASKnow).  I'll always remember how in awe I was of the KTX, the Korean 'supertrain', and the Korean countryside I observed through the window of the train, the green mountains, the mist.....it was all very definately 'a foreign adventure'.

I didn't especially enjoy the meeting itself because everybody else seemed to all know each other and I didn't feel like I fit in very well.  None of them were salsa dancers and of course they were all much younger than me.  But I was able to get 'a whiff' of the ambiance of Busan and I found it very intriguing.  I wanted to go back

So this weekend, finally, after three and a half years, I finally did it. 

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.

Ever thought of spending some time in Thailand?

Have you ever thought of either visiting Thailand as a tourist or perhaps working there as an English teacher?

I know I have. 

Back when I was in Vietnam with USO and we were closing down all our clubs and I knew I'd have to find something else to do, I wanted desperately to stay in SE Asia.  And particularly I wanted to go to Thailand.

USO had clubs there but, unfortunately for me, they were all adequately staffed at that time.  So I came back to the US, went to graduate school and..........the rest is history.

But this morning I've been reading more about teaching in Vietnam and Thailand.  I actually know something about both countries (Vietnam more than Thailand) because I worked in Vietnam for 4 years and went to Bangkok several times.

Which brings us to the present day situation with teaching in SE Asia and Thailand in particular.

I've heard, since I've been here in Korea, that the pay isn't generally as good in Thailand.  For the simple reason that (1) they have so many backpackers who'll work for almost nothing, and (2) so many qualified ESL experienced teachers want to work there (or think they do).

I've also heard that the visa requirements have gotten a lot tighter in recent years.

You may recall hearing about the scandals involving foreign English teachers who were discovered involved in pedophilia, et.al.  I know for a fact that that's had a lot to do with regulations tightening.  But the fact remains that they still need English teachers.

So, if the need is still there, then it must still be possible to get the visas and get the jobs, right?

Well, today I found a very informative website, www.Ajarn.com.  I especially liked the page they have about visa requirements.... here.  Yes, it is a complex process but it can be done.  And I think it would be worth it. 

The big difference between Korea and all these other attractive places, like Thailand, is that Korea is one of the few countries where you can actually be recruited for a job and get all the preparations done while you're still in your home country.  That's why Korea is such a good place for somebody to get started in the ESL segment of their life.  And of course the best recruiter and information source that I know for jobs in Korea is my friends over at ASKnow.  They actually got me 3 jobs.

But I still think Vietnam or Thailand, and even Cambodia or possibly Laos would be a fun time.  Thailand has a lot of things you'd need to be careful of but as long as you do your homework before you make any committments, and watch your back once you're there, I think it could still be fun.

Korean kids are very creative.

These little Korean rug rats I teach in this elementary school can be a pain in the rear smetimes because they've got so much energy.  They're always getting into everything.....they gotta pick it up and throw it around.

But they are very creative and most of them have a remarkable eye for color.   I was walking around school yesterday and poked my head into some unoccupied classrooms.  This video is a sample of some of the stuff I found on the walls.

Holloywood celebrities........Hot or not?

They're right there on the front page of my Yahoo News so I can't help but see some of the pictures of what's happening in Hollywood.  The thought hit me just now as I was looking at some of them, both male and female types, "This is glamorous??!!"

I see much better looking women any day of the week just walking around downtown in Seoul or Daegu, S.Korea.  Better looking and better dressed.

Wetoku with Art and Pillhwan

Here's another example of using www.wetoku.com to do online interviews.  This gentleman is Pillhwan.  He's a good friend of mine and the owner of Candela Dance Studio in Seoul.

Pillhwan was very supportive of what I tried to do with Casino Rueda when I lived closer to Seoul.  He's a really nice guy, a great dancer, and he has a lovely wife (Eun Young) and a super-cute little daughter named Min-Ji.

I wanted to talk to Pillhwan on Wetoku because it's a great chance for those of you who've never been to Seoul or Korea to learn a little bit about salsa for a Korean's perspective.  Of course, 10 minutes (the limit on Wetoku) isn't nearly enough to cover very much but....it's a start.

Here's the interview we just did.  Lukily, we had time to get his website into the recording:

Jorjet Alcocer featured on www.salsaseoul.com !!

Hey Jorjet!

I put you on the www.salsaseoul.com blog.  The owners of that blog, and studio, are good friends of mine......Pillhwan and Eun Young. 

Their studio, Candela Dance Studio, is the oldest salsa studio in Seoul.  It sure would be nice if you and Jorjet could make it over here and meet them.  You'd love the dancing in Seoul.

Jorge get's 'the big one'!

Anybody who knows anything about latin dancing in Houston, Texas knows who SSQQ is.  SSQQ ("Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick").  SSQQ has probably introduced and trained more people in the various latin dances (i.e. salsa, bachata, merengue, cha-cha) than any three other studios in Houston.  In fact, that's actually where I first learned to dance.

And anybody who knows anything about bachata very possibly knows who Jorge Elizando is.  Jorge is a personal friend of mine and he's the guy who really opened up my mind to what bachata can be.  He's also the guy who, probably more than any other, has brought bachata 'out of the closet' and made it a joy to thousands of people in the US and Europe.  

No doubt about it.  Two great names in their respective niches of the dance business.  And now, for the first time ever, they're working together to bring two exciting days of bachata master-level training to the good people of Houston, Texas.

SSQQ is without a doubt the most unique dance business entity in Texas.  Probably in the US.  SSQQ is special to thousands of people in Houston, Texas because they've been able to build a totally unique combination of quality dance instruction along with a unique social program that keeps people coming back to SSQQ year upon year upon year.  Many people take SSQQ classes repeatedly not only to improve their skills but also for the diverse social programs provided by SSQQ.  

Jorge Elizando, of course, is a modern day dance teacher success story.  I remember when Jorge was a music teacher in a junior high school there in McAllen, Texas and he was struggling to get started as a professional level bachata instructor.  We used to attend many of the same salsa events there in Houston, Texas although it was only later that I really got to know him.

Jorge always enjoyed and excelled at dancing salsa and bachata.  But in 2004 his professional career got a critical spark when he was exposed to the idea of doing bachata in a rueda format.  The idea originally came from Hips On Fire in Boston, Massechusetts  The following year Jorge and I went to the Miami Casino Rueda Congress in Miami, Florida and that's where I first saw Hips On Fire and bachata rueda.

At that time Hips on Fire, for reasons known only to them, had no interest in producing any instructional DVDs for bachata rueda.  But Jorge saw the light and less than 3 months after returning from that 2005 congress, Jorge had his first instructional DVD on the market........"Bachata Rueda".

At first, if the truth be known, Jorge didn't get much support from his 'home folks' in Texas.  Nobody else thought bachata had much 'box office' appeal.  But Jorge didn't give up and through entrepreneurial zeal, hard work, and going 'out on a limb' in more ways that one........he succeeded. 

I'm happy to say that I helped Jorge get a few of his first bookings in Houston.  And gradually, as studio owners and promoters discovered what a great teacher Jorge was and how satisfied his students always were, they opened up to having him at their events. 

A year later, after producing another DVD or two while still maintaining his full time public school teaching position, Jorge had seen where his full potential lay.  He went full time into the dance business.  It's been a wild and successful ride since then.

Since then Jorge has taught in every  continent of the world except, oddly enough, Latin America.  But he's taught throughout Europe and the US, as well as in Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, China and Japan.  And along the way he met the lovely Sao Mai (perhaps his future life partner too......from what I hear).

And......he's done all this while still building one of the most impressive arrays of instructional DVDs in the dance business.  I'm not even sure how many it is now......easily 10+.

Jorge's unique style of bachata is know as bachata fusion because he's taken the best qualities of bachata, the traditional dance from the Dominican Republic, and added to it steps and stylistic elements from several other popular dances such as rueda, tango, merengue and salsa.

Jorge enjoys what he does and it shows.  Now Jorge, one of the most successful people in bachata, is teaming up with SSQQ, one of the biggest and most successful dance studios in the US, to bring two days of bachata instruction like Houston has never seen before.  No doubt it'll have a major effect on bachata dancing in Houston for years to come.

Jorge is doing a two day workshop, August 22 and 23, there at the SSQQ studios in Bellaire (a part of Houston), Texas.  It's a large and excellent facility and a great place to have a workshop like this.

Am I glad to see it?

You bet I am.

I remember when Jorge was just getting started in his new career and used to sleep on my couch when he came to Houston to do a workshop.  At that time, I lived in Houston and was friends with Sonia Farr, owner of another very successful studiothere in Houston, Sonia's World of Dance.  In fact, Sonia was the first studio owner in Houston to give Jorge any kind of chance to show what he could do in a workshop.

Suffice it to say that Jorge doesn't have any trouble getting bookings now.  But even so, getting 'into' SSQQ as an 'outside' instructor is not something easily done.  I can assure you of that. 

I know it's not easy to get into SSQQ because I spent over 2 years in classes there myself and even taught one crash course (in casino rueda).  I know several of the instructors personally.  SSQQ never brings in outside instructors.  they just don't do it....until now.  It is a de facto recognition that Jorge is a big name in the bachata business.

And I'm glad for him.  I think bachata is a beautiful dance and probably offers the most flexible opportunity for self expression of any of the latin dances.  Yeah, I like salsa too.....especially timba and Cuban style salsa.  And lately I'm also interested in learning more about kizomba.  But right now bachata is 'tops' in my book....and so is Jorge Elizando.  If you're anywhere within reasonable distance of Houston, Texas on August 22 and 23, I'd highly recommend you attend this workshop at SSQQ. 

I'm hopeful that we might be able to get Jorge back to Korea sometime this year to do another series of classes for us.  If we can do it, I know he'll be greatly appreciated here too.  He's already been here once....back in December. 

I think he'd be a perfect choice for our dancers at Candela Dance Studio because he can teach not only bachata, but also bachata rueda and casino rueda.  There's a chance that it could happen because I know that he might be going to Vietnam sometime soon.  Maybe we can get him to come by Korea.  We'll see what happens.