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Sizzle with Salsa
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The city plays host to its first Salsa Festival. SHONALI MUTHALALY reports
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PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
TWO GOOD! Lourd Vijay with a student
Twelve flamboyant instructors. Ten forms of dance. Five days of parties. And hundreds of sizzling moves. An animated pre-party at cheerful Distil, at the Taj Connemara, kicked off Chennai’s first Salsa Festival, presented by Ergo, on Tuesday.
(Ergo is a colourful tabloid, published by The Hindu group, that will be launched shortly. Distributed free of cost, the publication targets the city’s youth, particularly those in the IT sector.)
“Whenever I wanted to learn, I had to go out of the country,” said festival director Lourd Vijay of the LVDS dance school in Bangalore, adding that not many well-known International salsa instructors travel through India taking classes. And since the dance is constantly evolving in vastly different ways all over the world, from New York to Puerto Rico, the best way to really understand salsa is to soak in different techniques and movements from a variety of instructors.
“It’s an open dance form,” says Lourd, explaining why salseras can, like magpies, pick and choose the most attractive features from so many different kinds of dance and movement. “While there are specific features you learn – spins, following, leading techniques…” he adds that exposure can also add a lot to your repertoire. “Afro Cuban movements, hip hop… Salsa has no boundaries,” he says, adding with a flourish, “Even if I introduce Bharatanatyam and Kathak to my dance routine, you can’t question me.”
Fusion of techniques
The reason is the dance form never did have a pure distilled version to begin with, which is precisely what makes it so interesting to experiment with. “It’s a fusion of techniques and rhythms… from Columbia, Africa, Cuba, the Dominican Republic. The vocals are Spanish. There’s a flamenco guitar,” he says, holding out his hand in a dramatic Flamenco-style pose. “The ladies’ hand gestures are strongly influenced by flamenco.” And Kathak? “The Indian gypsies!” says Lourd, “They emigrated to Spain. Flamenco comes from Kathak. (Flamenco, like Salsa is an amalgamation of dance forms, originating from the many tribes that lived in Spain, including the Romanian gypsies, the Moroccans and the Arabs.) Both Flamenco and Salsa, he adds, have a lot in common with belly dancing, which is great for dancers who want to learn ‘isolation techniques,’ which in two-left-feet speak is the Shakira shimmy.
Since the dance is so free-flowing, people learn salsa at parties, Salsa congresses (consisting of classes, shows, parties and workshops) or just by trying out moves in packed, pulsating salsa bars. “Salsa bars are some of the friendliest places in the world,” says Lourd, adding that this is one reason why the dance form is becoming so popular. “It stems from the warm Latin culture… there’s no colour, caste or creed in salsa.”
It’s also an effective workout, mood lifter and social activity. “You never know who you will meet in a class. I have CEOs and college students. It’s a great place to network,” says Lourd. “It’s an excellent stress buster… Very few people come to class to actually learn,” he adds thoughtfully. “It’s usually in the aftermath of some tragedy, work hassles, family problems – dancing is a way to let go.”
While the Chennai dance scene is still nascent, thanks to local instructors, there are enthusiastic groups of dancers who have been making Salsa increasingly popular over the last couple of years. “We’re hoping to up it at least 10 times,” says Lourd. “The festival is aimed at people who have never danced salsa, as well as at advanced dancers. There are also classes in different dance forms, some by International instructors, which will improve movements and overall dancing, but more importantly provide dancers with glimpses into fascinating new genres. Richard Tholoor and Sneha Kapoor, winners of the European Open Salsa Masters this year, will also be performing the world premiere of their routine for the World Salsa Championships (to be held in Orlando this December) at the festival.
(The workshops will be held at Rhapsody at the Marriot on December 7 and 8. Classes are priced at Rs. 150 each. A full festival pass, which includes the workshops and parties, is priced at Rs. 950. Call 99401 74123 for more details.)
AT A GLANCE
December 7: (3 p.m. onwards) Jive, Rueda (beginners), Salsa, Hip Hop, Flamenco
December 8: (9 a.m. onwards) Cuban Style Salsa, Hip Hop, Styling and Shines, Salsa, Argentinian Tango, Bachata, Belly dance, Merengue.
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