One of the things I didn't realise when I started running a salsa club was just how many magazine and brochure sales executives there are in the world. I place a small ad in the local paper to promote the club. Before long I was being called by people from all kinds of publications. Their pitch would be that they were running a supplement on subject x, y or z. Often Health & Fitness, sometimes Weddings. They'd using flattering lines like 'we'd love to get you involved with this'.
I have to say in the early days I fell for this flattery once or twice. I soon came to realise, that 'get involved' meant 'pay for an advert'. They exaggerated circulation numbers and the areas that the paper or magazine was in. I even am convinced that one paper didn't even publish.
Over the years, as I got wiser and more savvy, I came up with a way to have fun with these calls. It would apply to pretty much any business and it goes along these lines:
Sales: blah blah blah, get you involved.
Jon: OK, so you want to sell me an advert?
Sales: blah blah blah, waffle, errr, well, yes.
Jon: OK, that's not a problem. Are your adverts successful in generating new business?
Sales: Definitely.
Jon: Great, here's my offer. How about, I pay you for every new customer your advert generates?
Sales: We don't work like that.
Jon: You said it works!
Sales: Yes it does, but we can't do that.
Jon: Why not?
Sales: We just don't.
Jon: But if you say it works, surely you would be happy to be paid on results?
Sales: Err, that's not my decision.
I could go on. You should have got the general idea.
It is amazing how many people when asked to guarantee they deliver what they say they will bottle out. If nothing else, its a great way to get rid of advert sales executives.
In the meantime, over at Horsham Salsa, we guarantee that if you come regularly to our club, we will have you dancing salsa to at least intermediate level or your money back.
Enjoy the next call you get..
Jon
24th May 2012
Horsham Salsa
Thursday 24 May 2012
Monday 14 May 2012
Would you like a dance?
Back in the day when I first started my salsa club, I used to go to great lengths to explain the etiquette of asking for a dance. For a long time I've felt that it didn't need explaining any more as everyone just seems to 'get it'. More recently, I've noticed that people don't just get it any more, so time to put the record straight.
Anyone can (and should) ask anyone else for a dance.
It means - can I have a dance.
It doesn't mean could I have a dance and hope that I can spend the rest of the evening with you.
One dance. A conversation (assuming the track is slow enough to manage it). Thank you for the dance.
I know that for ladies, this is the hardest part of the salsa scene to get to grips with. Ladies, if you aren't getting enough dances, go and ask. Personally, I have only ever said no if I had something I had to do (like DJ) meaning I couldn't head straight off for a dance. Normally, I'd sort the immediate requirement for the club and then go and dance. There really is no reason for ladies not to ask men for dances. Men can be shy too and sometimes just need a nudge.
In my book, it is also ok to ask someone to dance when they are stood at the side of the room chatting. Its a dance club, chatting is good, but dancing takes priority. IMHO.
It can be worrying to ask someone who you think is a much better dancer than yourself. You find yourself thinking 'I can't ask them, they're too good a dancer, they wouldn't want to dance with me'. Well, we were all beginners once. If we never danced with better dancers, we'd never have got better. I don't know any experienced dancer who minds taking dances with less experienced dancers. OK, I know they do exist, but if they are too far up themselves to dance, they're not actually the dancer they'd like to think they are.
Ever noticed how experienced dancers are never shy about asking less experienced dancers?
The final part of the etiquette is to thank your partner at the end of the dance and then to go and find they next partner. It is very poor etiquette to tie one person up for the whole evening. A large part of the joy of dancing is that chance to spend a little quality time with a lot of different people.
So, next time you are watching the dance floor thinking you'd like to be out there. Go and ask someone nearby for a dance.
Jon
14th May 2012
Anyone can (and should) ask anyone else for a dance.
It means - can I have a dance.
It doesn't mean could I have a dance and hope that I can spend the rest of the evening with you.
One dance. A conversation (assuming the track is slow enough to manage it). Thank you for the dance.
I know that for ladies, this is the hardest part of the salsa scene to get to grips with. Ladies, if you aren't getting enough dances, go and ask. Personally, I have only ever said no if I had something I had to do (like DJ) meaning I couldn't head straight off for a dance. Normally, I'd sort the immediate requirement for the club and then go and dance. There really is no reason for ladies not to ask men for dances. Men can be shy too and sometimes just need a nudge.
In my book, it is also ok to ask someone to dance when they are stood at the side of the room chatting. Its a dance club, chatting is good, but dancing takes priority. IMHO.
It can be worrying to ask someone who you think is a much better dancer than yourself. You find yourself thinking 'I can't ask them, they're too good a dancer, they wouldn't want to dance with me'. Well, we were all beginners once. If we never danced with better dancers, we'd never have got better. I don't know any experienced dancer who minds taking dances with less experienced dancers. OK, I know they do exist, but if they are too far up themselves to dance, they're not actually the dancer they'd like to think they are.
Ever noticed how experienced dancers are never shy about asking less experienced dancers?
The final part of the etiquette is to thank your partner at the end of the dance and then to go and find they next partner. It is very poor etiquette to tie one person up for the whole evening. A large part of the joy of dancing is that chance to spend a little quality time with a lot of different people.
So, next time you are watching the dance floor thinking you'd like to be out there. Go and ask someone nearby for a dance.
Jon
14th May 2012
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Connect With The Music
Some evenings, I'm watching dancers out on the floor having a good time. Then something will seem wrong about a pair. They're dancing well, showing movement and a range of moves. Then it hits me. They're not dancing to the music. They're just dancing while the music plays.
There's a scene in Dance With Me, where the hero Rafael watches top Latin & Ballroom dancer Ruby 'practising' her steps. He looks puzzled and asks what she's dancing to, for there is no music playing. She belittles him for not knowing what he's on about. As the unlikely pair progress, he takes her to a Cuban nightclub playing salsa. She, thinking he knows nothing about dancing, proceeds to try and explain some basic steps to him - he just doesn't get it. She goes off to the restroom. Someone else asks him to dance and, well, yes he can dance. Ruby furious at being 'misled' says you just danced this step and that, 'how did you know to do that:?' Easy he replies, 'the music told me what to do'. Slowly but surely she realises, she's been dancing in vacuum devoid of connection to the music.
It saddens me to watch dancers miss such a vital part of the whole pleasure of dancing. Salsa danced properly is a three way connection. The dancers should connect to each other and to the music.
Let the music tell you what to do. In Cuban Timba, the tempo is changed constantly. Its a game. A game between the dancers and the band. The band are looking to show you up for not listening. The dancers follow the changes to show 'oh yes we are'. So the band 'up their game' to try and trap the dancers and so on.
When all three connections come together, it is elevating in a way you would never expect. I still feel connected to dancers I danced with when this happened. It really is special.
Be good Salseros and keep time.
Abrazos
Jon
There's a scene in Dance With Me, where the hero Rafael watches top Latin & Ballroom dancer Ruby 'practising' her steps. He looks puzzled and asks what she's dancing to, for there is no music playing. She belittles him for not knowing what he's on about. As the unlikely pair progress, he takes her to a Cuban nightclub playing salsa. She, thinking he knows nothing about dancing, proceeds to try and explain some basic steps to him - he just doesn't get it. She goes off to the restroom. Someone else asks him to dance and, well, yes he can dance. Ruby furious at being 'misled' says you just danced this step and that, 'how did you know to do that:?' Easy he replies, 'the music told me what to do'. Slowly but surely she realises, she's been dancing in vacuum devoid of connection to the music.
It saddens me to watch dancers miss such a vital part of the whole pleasure of dancing. Salsa danced properly is a three way connection. The dancers should connect to each other and to the music.
Let the music tell you what to do. In Cuban Timba, the tempo is changed constantly. Its a game. A game between the dancers and the band. The band are looking to show you up for not listening. The dancers follow the changes to show 'oh yes we are'. So the band 'up their game' to try and trap the dancers and so on.
When all three connections come together, it is elevating in a way you would never expect. I still feel connected to dancers I danced with when this happened. It really is special.
Be good Salseros and keep time.
Abrazos
Jon
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