Winsome Lee performing with Jimmy Anton in
Hong Kong this past August 1999

Thanks to modern day technologies, global communication is remarkable nowadays. It has definitely made the world a smaller place and information can now flow smooth and fast. With the help of the Internet and more realistic traveling opportunities, Salsa has spread to South America, Europe, and the Far East from the Caribbean and New York’s Spanish Harlem. Five years ago, who would have thought that I could one day come back to my native city to perform and teach Salsa?

Over the last couple of years Salsa has boomed in Hong Kong. Several Cuban bands such as Cubanismo have visited this glamorous city saturated with cellular phones and Mercedes Benz. In August I was invited to come and perform in various events and to conduct Salsa workshops. The biggest event was "Salsa Night" which took place at the beautiful HITEC Grand Rotunda, the first column-free ballroom style rotunda hall in Hong Kong. The lighting and sound systems were superb. More than 400 local Salsa lovers attended the event which took place from 3PM until midnight. The sponsors and organizers treated us royally and professionally. My partner for this trip was Maestro Jimmy Anton and together we conducted 4 "New York Style Salsa" workshops 6 hours straight before our dance performances. Many of the attendees had enough stamina to attend all 4 workshops, with an average of 135 people each. To my pleasant surprise, they were very interested in our "shines" and kept asking for more. At the end of the evening, Jimmy and I performed two routines - Tito Puente’s Picadillo and Fiesta a la King. The one thing that Jimmy and I are not used to was a relatively tame audience Especially coming straight from the Bacardí Congreso de la Salsa in Puerto Rico where the crowds screamed so loud you could hardly hear the music, this felt somewhat foreign to us. For Asians, Salsa is still a shock to their system. Most Asians are not raised to flaunt their bodies, or to express their feelings as openly as Westerners and Latinos. Hugging their parents is not done often, let alone watching them kiss each other on their anniversary. Even though the love of Salsa is established here, the people are not yet expressing their excitement as wildly as the average Latino audience. It took us a few gigs to get used to their "calm, cool, and collected applause". This does not mean, however, a lack of enthusiasm by any means. After our 2 routines the audience were yelling "Otra, otra, otra..." and we did an encore number to El Canario’s "La Paella". Some were even asking for our autographs on our posters and flyers, and many expressed interest to continue learning our style. My phone was ringing off the hook with keen Salsa lovers.

"In August I was invited to come and perform in various events and to conduct Salsa
workshops.....The biggest event was "Salsa Night".......My partner for this trip was
Maestro Jimmy Anton.

After the events, I have decided to stay for a few months to carry on teaching "New York Style Salsa" here. I have since learned that many New York dance instructors have been to various foreign countries to teach workshops, yet in such a limited time frame the people couldn’t absorb fully the information. When I went to Argentina last year for the same purpose and recently to Japan to attend some Salsa events, the biggest comment I have heard is that once these overseas instructors leave after 5 days of workshops, most students tend to forget and fall back to their same old routine. Therefore I hope that with my slightly prolonged stay in Hong Kong, I could assist them digest the information we brought. After all, I am one of them and I want the Salseros here to be able identify with me.

Winsome & Jimmy posing with some of her Hong Kong
workshop Students.

Since Salsa is still at the early stage here, people are very hungry for information. The passion is solid, and more and more venues are catering to Salsa events almost every night of the week. There are Hong Kong born instructors as well as instructors who have moved here from overseas. They each have their own styles and are active in organizing Salsa events such as the Salsa Cruise, Rueda workshops, beach parties etc. Female instructors are scarce and the ladies are yearning for more examples to look up to. In mingling with the local Salseros I have noticed that many have learnt from L.A. instructional videos. The name Salsa Brava seems to be a household name, yet our famous Mambo King Eddie Torres remains unknown to most. Aside from familiarizing the people here with more Mambo celebrities such as the Godfather himself, other things I’m working on are encouraging more direct responses from the crowd. One thing I have already succeeded in is enforcing the first "birthday dance ritual" - posses from England, France, Africa, Australia and Belgium saluted an entranced Japanese Salsera on her birthday.

The most unique thing about the Salsa scene in Hong Kong is that being an international city, there is a wide range of styles. My classes comprise of British, French, Swiss, Australians, Mexicans, Germans, Filipinos, Shanghainese, and Hongkongese. Some have studied in their own respective countries and brought with them their own unique interpretation of dancing Salsa. Most of them have never heard of "dancing on 2" and are semi-fascinated, but also semi-wary of picking up something more "complicated". However, there are also a good number of "die hards" who are determined to meet this new challenge and they come to my classes religiously. Next to the partnering classes, the "Mambo Shines" classes are very well-received. Many think it’s a great alternative to working out at the gym and also love the way the footwork look. I have once gone into a club and found some ladies scratching their heads trying to remember a shine from the class, and when they saw me they grabbed me with such relief and excitement to remind them. Naturally there are discussions about dancing on the "2" versus the "1" - which one is more popular, authentic etc. My answer to them is that it is all about the dancing, one is not "better" than the other. It’s just that coming from New York, my strength is at the "2" school. Plus after this year’s Salsa Congress I have noticed that more countries are adopting this style. I want to be able to give my own people the choice - at least they now know that there is such a sensational thing as "dancing on 2", and that if they want to learn it there is a source. Thanks to the genuine support of the local instructors and my sponsor, I am finally able to do so.

Winsome Leading one her popular Mambo
classes/workshops in Hong Kong.

Back home in New York, my biggest excitement in a Salsa club was to dance up a storm with my favorite dancers. Not that I love that feeling any less, but I have now found a greater joy when I watch the students here begin to dance what I have taught. It has certainly been challenging both for me and for them, and at the beginning everyone was hesitant to try it outside of the classroom. However, the progress is happening gradually and surely. First there was only one couple struggling to dance a Mambo, then there were two couples making an attempt. In a Salsa club last night, four couples were having a blast dancing Mambo at one point. When I left I was beaming all the way home in the cab.

The Winsome Factor - Compiled by Manny Siverio
Winsome has made an impact in the HK Salsa Scene by bringing in the NY style of dancing Salsa/Mambo. She arrived in HK in peace. She has shown that she was not there to start a timing war, but to share and exchange with other Salsa lovers. I'm sure that she has learn just as much about HK dancing as she has been able to show them about NY Style dancing. Here she and Jimmy are being interviewed on a local HK radio show.


Here are some of the things being said about Winsome via the local HK Internet Scene:
Found in: http://www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/hongkongsalsa

Winsome Lee and Jimmy Anton put on some excellent performances whilst here
in Hong Kong. We have the pleasure of having Winsome here to teach some
mambo classes for a short period of time. The first set of workshops, which
we both attended were fun-filled, challenging and had some eye-catching
sequences and steps thrown in..and that was just the beginners class. What
Winsome does is to lure you into a false sense of security by first getting
you to relax in the classes. Then she starts off with some very basic steps
and then gradually challenges you to do these very nice shine, hand and body
moves. For those who practise these moves, the improvement can be
startlingly rapid. If you can, join in these classes if only to see the
alternative way of dancing salsa so you have a more varied repertoir of
moves.

Message 387 lists more classes which Winsome will be conducting. Hope to see
you there.
Regards to you all.

Note: Since the publication of this article Winsome has return to New York.

Ricci/Joseph
Written by Ricci Yasin - HK Salsa instructor
and Salsaweb editor, Joseph Ennin - 1998 European Salsa Champion and HK
Salsa Instructor and DJ.

-------------------------
Dear Fellow Salseros,

'Just like to remind you all about the Salsa Improvers' Lesson (dance on
One) @8:30 TONITE! will be lead by our very own Guest New York Instructress
Winsome Lee. So far, I can say she is the best Instructress I ever had...so
please come along join the fun and learn some new steps with us.

Salsa Chino offers Salsa Lesson for Beginners @ from 7:30pm and Club dance
party from 9:30pm till midnight.

Entrance Fee for Members: HK$120.00/
Non-MemberHK150.00 including Dinner Buffet, One Drink & Club Dance till
Midnight. Buffet starts at 7pm till 10:30pm. Entrance Fee after 10:30pm:
HK$80.00 includes One drink and Club Dance till midnight.

China Tee Club is located at 1/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder St., Central
(Above Shanghai Tang) For Table booking, please call Steve Brown @2521 0233.