Established 1998.
Copyright © 2012 Steve Shaw.  All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT SALSA - DANCING - THE STORY OF THIS WEB SITE - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

by Steve Shaw
Email -   Salsa@nyc.rr.com
Copyright © 2000 Steve Shaw.  All Rights Reserved.

  Founder and Co-Host of SalsaNewYork.com  -  On 2 Mambo Nut  -  Social Dancer  -  Salsa DJ

There we all were in Eddie Torres' classes, learning New York mambo On 2 from the Mambo King.  But when it came time to take it outside of the studio and into the clubs and socials, no one knew where to go dancing.  And no one knew where all the other On 2 dancers from elsewhere were going either, the club dancers or the students learning mambo from other instructors.  The students from each studio or clique would just party with their own little group.  So when we did go out, there were only a few other On 2 salseros there to dance with.  I decided there needed to be some way for all the On 2 dancers to know where the good salsa events were, so that enough of them would go and we'd all have plenty of partners to dance with.  After all, we loved this way of dancing so much, and we spent so much time and money learning and practicing it, what could be better than having lots of partners to share it with?

I started out xeroxing information on where to go salsa dancing "On 2", and handing it out to dancers in classes and clubs.  But whenever I heard about new events, I would have to revise the information, re-xerox it , and pass it out all over again.  It was pretty clumsy and very labor-intensive.  But dancers seemed to appreciate the info, and more of them began showing up at events.  I decided a web site with a calendar that I could update frequently was the perfect solution to providing everyone with up-to-date information on an ever-changing salsa-mambo dance scene;  I would keep the calendar current, and the dancers would each go to the web site for information on their own.  And that's how this web site came to be.  It's main purpose was to answer the earth-shaking and timeless question:  "where can I go dancing mambo, and where will some of the other On 2 dancers be, so I'll have plenty of partners?"   I get my reward when I'm in a room full of On 2 salseros having a ball, and I know they found out about that event because it was listed on this web site. 

From the very beginning, there have always been a few negative people who have misunderstood and criticized the idea of a web site which focuses on just one way of dancing to salsa.  They have stated that it was in some way exclusionary, arrogant, or suggesting that other ways of dancing to salsa were less legitimate or less enjoyable.  This is totally not true.  And I have never understood their criticism.  Why is it OK to have a "NY Yankee fan club" which does not include Mets fans, or a "Ford Mustang fan club" which does not include Chevy owners, or a "Jennifer Lopez fan club" that doesn't deal with Puffy (anymore), or a merengue web site which doesn't cover salsa, or a salsa web site which doesn't include bachata and bomba-plena, but it's not OK to have an On 2 web site which doesn't cover other ways of dancing salsa?  This On 2 web site offers people with a similar interest and passion the opportunity to share it with others, and to expand and deepen their involvement in this dance, and to widen their circle of friends....even internationally.  That sounds pretty good to me!  I am very gratified to see the numbers of people who enjoy dancing On 2 growing every year, and I consider expanding that growth to be one of the goals of this web site.  We openly promote dancing On 2.

As time went along, and since I'm an information freak, I have continually added more and more stuff about being a salsa dancer here in New York, including info on dance shoes, Latin music, Latin radio programs, how to find salsa anywhere in the world, links to other salsa web sites, how to learn to dance mambo On 2, salsa costumes and accessories, a listing of almost every Latin club I can discover in the New York metropolitan area, and tons more.  It's all listed in the Menus on the home page.  I invite you to take some time to explore the whole web site and become familiar with its layout, so it will be quick & easy to locate information you want in the future.  If you have some particular salsa subject in mind, look for it in the Alphabetical Index .  And see our Site Description for more on the goals, objectives and editorial policies of www.SalsaNewYork.com .

During this whole process of deciding to have a web site, then learning how to create the site and fill it with information, and to continue to maintain it, many of my friends have been very encouraging.  I especially want to thank Lamberto Dominici, Earl Forte, Al Pomerantz and Manny Siverio for their support, ideas, discussions, feedback, and pushing me to give this project a try.   Manny, who was formerly the pioneering host of SalsaWeb.com/NY, the first serious New York mambo dancer's web site during the time of his editorship, very graciously  put  an announcement on his Home Page at that time linking viewers to this web site for direct access to events information.  He and I both have always shared the same desire to bring the rich world of salsa to as many mambo dancers as possible. 

Since that time, I've had the honor of Manny's joining me here at www.SalsaNewYork.com as co-host, where he now provides a wealth of his very special information in our web site's Dancer's Magazine :  salsa news, celebrity interviews, directory of NY/NJ mambo instructors, articles and features, resources for New Yorkers and visitors to the City, and much more.   Though we share a common philosophy and dedication to the On 2 mambo dance community, we each handle our sections of this web site independently, and are personally responsible for only our own section's content.  Manny is an experienced dancer, instructor and international performer, and has been with the Eddie Torres Dancers, Jimmy Anton Dancers, and the Addie-Tude Dance Company , so he brings to this web site a broad mambo perspective, a lengthy history, experience hosting a dancer's web site, and a dedication to our New York way of dancing On 2.   For your convenience, Manny and I have provided many links between our two sections, his Dancer's Magazine and my Dancer's Guide, so that you can navigate easily and get as much information as possible on your visit to our web site.  And our Main Menus & Alphabetical Index on the home page list everything that's available on this entire web site. 

Also, and very importantly, I want to thank Eddie Torres, one of the true pioneers of "On 2" salsa dancing here in New York City.   This "On 2 dancers' web site" grows out of  the many hours I spent in Eddie's classes over a two year period, and has been inspired by his undying enthusiasm and commitment to teaching this one particular method of dancing mambo to thousands of club dancers and performers over the years.   His influence on the New York mambo scene was already tremendous, and now includes the creation of www.SalsaNewYork.com , a "pure On 2 dancers' web site".

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Among salsa-mambo dancers, I have discovered that about 25% don't have access to the internet.  This is a big flaw in the salsa web site grand master plan.  We need your help.  If you have dancer friends who do not have internet access, encourage them to try it.  Tell them there's finally a good reason to buy that computer and get online, that salsa and computers really do mix.  There's such a rich world of salsa for dancers to enjoy, and so much information about it is right here.  So, bug your friends to hurry up and get online before they miss another great salsa event.  And in the meantime, keep them posted on where to go dancing, and even print out some of this information for them.   Thanks.

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As the old saying goes:  "There are two kinds of people in this world".  In the case of salsa, there are the natural dancers, and the ones who have to learn it by being taught.  I am this second kind of dancer.  And like a lot of others like me, we learn mambo slowly, sometimes really slowly, step-by-step, breaking it down into its parts, drilling steps and shines and turn patterns for hours, learning to hear and feel the clave, the "2", the rhythm, el sabor de la salsa.  It takes months and years.   And our results are directly related to how hard we work at it: how often we go to classes, drill, practice, and go out dancing socially.   Along the way, some people say to you:  "You practice salsa all those hours, every week?   Are you crazy?  For God's sake, Get a Life!" 

Down the road, they still can't do their "basic step", or keep the count all the way through a song, especially a slow song, or do a double right turn.  Or they've stopped dancing salsa altogether.  On the other hand, more and more, we have those times when it all comes together:  the music, our dancing, the feeling of that addictive salsa rhythm, that excitement with our partners, the friendships with other dancers from all walks of life, the thrill and fascination of being in a club or studio and being surrounded by great salseros...and we're dancing with them.  Looking pretty good, too.  We've definitely "Got A Life!"   Whether salsa is our whole life, or an exciting part of our life, there is so much more to our lives because of the richness of this music and dance.  !WEPA!   This web site is our contribution to that richness.

There are a lot of awesome salseros out there.   But only a few of them have the talent to teach us how to dance.  We often don't appreciate our teachers enough.   Several people have helped me tremendously to learn the technique, pleasure and excitement of dancing the "Eddie Torres New York style" mambo On 2, some as teachers and others as practice partners.  With their knowledge and skill of salsa, their inspired teaching or sharing the secrets of mambo, their enthusiasm and passion for the dance, their support and encouragement of my efforts, their amazing patience for my slow pace of improvement, their confronting and pushing me on what I needed to work on, they have helped me get to this point in my dancing.   I want to say a special thanks to Madeline Cruz, Marilyn Curet, Addie Diaz , Glenda Heffer , Sammy Irizarry , Frankie Martinez , Rocio Paz , and of course the "Mambo King" himself, Eddie Torres . 

Steve Shaw
Email -  Salsa@nyc.rr.com
Copyright © 2000 Steve Shaw

Other Articles By Steve Shaw "Doc Salsa":

How To Get More Partners - Overcoming Fear Of Dancing - Tough Talk

Definition of Dancing On 2 - Technique - How To Learn - The Music

Guidelines For Mambo DJs - List Of Good Mambo & Cha Cha Songs

How To Put On A Successful Salsa Dance Event

Cyber Interview Of Doc Salsa

Fellas, You Are Supposed To Make The Lady Look Good

DJ Steve Shaw "Doc Salsa" - Resume & Contact Information

How To Make & Care For A CD For Performing