the cuban salsa blog

A guest post by Reed Colver

As a follow, there are so many things I must be aware of simultaneously, that I can’t ‘think’ about any one of them. I have to let my mind go and sense everything until they really are no longer individual pieces. The moment I think or focus too hard on any one piece – the music, my feet, what the lead is doing – I lose all the pieces. It’s a bit like trying to grab a handful of water. Try it – you’ll see what I mean.

One of the most insightful moments as a follow came – as they usually do – almost as an afterthought. One of those ‘try this’ moments when several things fall ‘click’ ‘click’ click’ into place and end with a quiet – ahhh. I was working on feeling the lead through my arms  – creating that tension at just the right moment, while keeping my arm loose the rest of the time, but yet always keeping it slightly bent and not to let it go beyond my shoulder.

I would find  the tension, but then loose the the looseness. Or remember to keep my arm loose, and then forget about the bend.

Remember grabbing that handful of water? Yeah, it was one of those classes.

Just about the time I started to wonder why I hadn’t taken up knitting instead, we tried something different.

“Stop thinking about your arm. Just focus on the pressure of your fingertips against the lead’s fingertips. Feel the movement through the fingertips.”

‘Click.’

Suddenly I was feeling – feeling – the lead in an entirely new way. And I stopped thinking about my arms and focused on allowing my fingertips communicate with the lead’s fingertips.  And, amazingly, my arm seemed to follow more naturally.

‘Click. Ahhh.’

This requires me to feel, and not think, about the lead. To sense the lead’s movements through my fingertips, and allow the rest of my body to follow. It allows space in my awareness for music, rhythm, and for that to become part of my movement.

I find it creates a direct connection with the lead that, in its subtly is infinitely more powerful than gripping the lead’s hand or thinking about my arm.

I’m not saying it’s the magical answer that suddenly solved all those problems. (I’ll admit, I still have moments when I contemplate the benefits of knitting). But when I lose that connection and start thinking too much, remembering my fingertips brings me back to that place of awareness.

That handful of water? It’s possible. But only by gently scooping it into the palm of your hand. Try it.

“The fundamental failure of most design is its insistence on serving
the God of Looking-Good rather than the God of Being-Good
-R. S. Wurman

For the most part, when something works well, it usually looks good. Unfortunately, something that looks good doesn’t always work well.

It seems like Salsa, especially nowadays, tends to focus on making leads and follows look good without really focusing on how the dance feels, or genuinely connecting with music.

Good body movement is movement that stirs the emotions. Martha Graham called these movements “significant”.

Even musicians fall victim to this, writing arrangements that “sound cool”, and forgetting that music doesn’t need to sound cool, it needs to be emotionally stirring. It needs to push, pull, prod and provoke the body and soul into becoming an engaging piece of moving art.

A good lead doesn’t aim to look good. He focuses on feeling great and his lead works. He doesn’t need to share a script with his follow and he could lead a rock through movements.

A good follow doesn’t look sexy. She becomes sexy because her body is intertwined and connected through physical communication with her lead. She doesn’t memorize crap and regurgitate it all over the lead, she molds, adapts…and engages him with playful submission.

An amazing musician doesn’t write to please the ears. She aims to please the soul to reach out and GRAB you with her sound. This is what music was designed to do.

At the most basic level, Salsa music and dance both should engage the emotions PRIMARILY.

Don’t look, be.

All else is vanity.