A London Salsero in Miami-Ashraf Moussa

I met Ashraf here in Miami while he was visiting from London. My first encounter with Ashraf was on a Tuesday night when he asked me to dance. We were at the Salsa night held at Tapas and Tintos along Espanola Way, hosted by Melina Almodovar, a local Salsa artist, and Ricky Torres, a local Salsa instructor and dancer. Ashraf and I didn't end up chatting until two nights later when I saw him again at The Well, a Thursday night Salsa party hosted by the Miami Salsa Dream Team. Ashraf and I got to talking, and he told me he dances lots of Salsa back home in London. I was very intrigued to realize that we clearly researched Miami Salsa with similar methods. It was just really cool to run into someone who lives in another part of the world, but essentially experienced Miami Salsa the same way I did. 

If you are ever in London, this interview will give you direction on where to find the Salsa!

SE=Salsera Elena

SA=Salsero Ashraf

SE: How long have you been dancing to Salsa for?

SA: 3 years 

SE: When did you first start dancing?

SA: I remember when, 29/11/2009 J

SE: What made you interested in dancing to Salsa?

SA: Ex-girlfriend forced me to it …. Then I found myself doing ok at it.

SE: When you first started dancing, it was in London?

SA: No, it was in Cairo, Egypt “homeland” then I moved to London to work for the British airways at the base in Heathrow in 2010 then I really got more into it because it was the only way to make new friends there….I was a new immigrant to the UK so it was hard making friendships with British people at first.

SE: Who taught you to dance/where did you learn how to dance?

SA: Like I said my ex forced me to be her partner then I found myself learning faster than her haha … anyway she was a great teacher in Cairo “Khaled Tegana” then after I moved to London I went to “Mario”.

SE: Where have you traveled to dance Salsa? Can you describe your experience dancing Salsa in each place?

SA: Cairo, London, Paris, Berlin, Milano, Tunisia, Dubai and finally Miami “it’s fun working for an airline” J

SE: Did you travel to Miami just to see the Salsa dancing there?

SA: No I had to do something first for work at JFK airport then yea I traveled to Miami for a vacation and dance so I think yes.

SE: Can you compare the different Salsa scenes from the different locations you have danced Salsa in? For example, how does the Salsa dancing in Miami compare to the Salsa dancing in London?

SA: In London bigger community many people from everywhere and dancing here is more Hardcore.

In Miami nicer people very warm and friendly because most of them are Latinos J  and they more like to enjoy and feel the music more than do complicated tricks like here in Europe and North Africa too they like to show off their tricks and what they can do.

 

SE: Where has been your favorite location dancing Salsa, at home in London, or somewhere else?

SA: Berlin the best.

SE: What is the Salsa scene like in London? Can you tell me anything and everything you can about Salsa in London? What styles of dancing are most popular? Who are the top Salseros in London? What are the best places to go to dance Salsa in London?

SA: It's huge here and it’s still growing more and more and there is other dancing getting popular here like the African Kizomba from Angola and the Zook too, mostly they dance on1 still here but the on2 thing  spreading here like crazy so people change to it. The top here I sent you their links “Mario, Sam, Moe, Laith, Rose and Susana Montero, best places are :

Salsa! Mondays and Wednesdays mostly bachata and kizomba …. Tuesdays for on2 only 

SOS the best in week Sundays only

Mambo city Fridays only

The other places are not so important.

SE: Are there places you would like to travel to for Salsa that you haven’t yet visited? Where would you go to visit the Salsa scene? What place is next on your list to visit for Salsa?

SA: NY.

SE: Have you been to any Salsa Congresses? Which ones? Which was your favorite Congress?

SA: Egypt Salsa Congress, Carthago Salsa Congress “Tunisia”, Berlin Salsa Congress and of course every Congress in London they are too many here during the year.

SE: Are there Salsa Congresses in London? When are they held? Are there other big Salsa/Bachata/Latin Dance events in London?

SA: The best are “London Cuban Salsa Congress every summer” and “5 Stars Salsa Congress every winter by Mambo City“

SE: Do you only dance Salsa? Or do you maybe promote, DJ, instruct Salsa as well?

SA: Yes L I wish I can do Bachata and Kizomba but looks like I am stuck at the things I can say I am good at.

SE: How has Salsa changed your life?

SA: I have many friends all over the world now because of it J and believe me it’s hard to make friendship in big busy city full of cold people like London thank God Salsa was there for me J

SE: How many days/nights a week do you dance?

SA: 3

SE: Who are your favorite Salseras to dance with?

SA: Susana Montero 

SE: Who are your favorite Salseros in general?

SA: Leon Rose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hes awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

SE: I mentioned to you that a Salsero friend of mine from Alabama, USA has worked and trained with Super Mario, can you tell me more about your experience with him? What he’s like? His teaching style? What makes him a popular instructor? Why did you decide to learn Salsa from him?

SA: Maybe He’s not a brilliant dancer but he’s defiantly a brilliant teacher he’s making a so many good dancers in short times and he teaches me a lot of thickness and tricks.

SE: Please feel free to add anything else you can or would like to about your overall Salsa experience!

SA: Oh just one thing …. I think the musicality in Latinos and North African people bodies are better than the euros lol People are so alike even in the way they look and behave and dance … many people thought that I am Latino in Miami.

Thanks so much to Ashraf for taking the time to answer my questions about Salsa in London! I really enjoyed what you had to say. I totally agree with your words about the Miami Salseros, how they are warm and friendly, and more into just dancing as opposed to trying to show off all their moves, like in other places. I think my new friendship with this London Salsero is just one example of why the art of Salsa is so beautiful. Like Ashraf said, Salsa connects you to people, it allows you to meet new Salseros, hear about different experiences, and most importantly, share what others are doing to spread the love of Salsa!

Side note: please stay tuned, though it is taking longer than I had anticipated, I am working on a Salsa documentary of my time here in Miami. Many of the people I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this post will be featured in the documentary. Unfortunately, I don't have any footage with Ashraf! That will have to be saved for a London Salsa documentary!

Coento-A Salsa Photographer from the Netherlands

I met Coento via twitter. I don't remember what the conversation was, but I think he responded to one of my tweets. So, naturally, this Salsera asked him if I could interview him. He is a Salsa photographer out of the Netherlands. If you happen to take a trip there, or already live there and need to know where the Salsa is at, this blog post interview should give you some insight! Enjoy!

SE=Salsera Elena
SC=Salsero Cuento

SE: How long have you been dancing to Salsa?  
SC: I started around 2002 currenly not dancing because of health problems.

SE: Was it in the Netherlands where you first started dancing? 
SC: Yes indeed I started to dance in NL.

SE: What made you interested in dancing to Salsa? 
SC: In 1999 I first came in contact with what I didn't know than was Salsa. I saw it in a new club when I was in Spain and immediately feel in love with it and the music.

SE: Who taught you how to dance/where did you learn to dance?  
SC: My first teachers were Joop & Toos from Salsa Para Siempre. Later on I moved to Mi Salsa and got lessons from Rensly. 

SE: Do you photographer only Salsa events? 
SC: Yes indeed Salsa & Bachata events. 

SE: Were you a photographer before you were a Salsa dancer or vice versa? 
SC: I did some photography when I lived in Spain and mainly on Pub Crawls for a bar. 

SE: Tell me about the Salsa scene in the Netherlands. Where are the best places to dance at? What style of Salsa do the Salseros dance there? Tell me everything about the Salsa scene here. What makes the Salsa scene in the Netherlands different than the Salsa scene in other areas of the world? Are there lots of Salseros in the Netherlands?   
SC: The Best places to go and dance are actually the main big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht den haag where big parties are at! The Salsa community is big in Holland and everywhere around you can dance. The main style of dance is On1. At the big parties always are a lot of On2 dancers. Popular at the moment are Bachata parties and Kizomba is also becoming hot. In Holland we have many nationalities living together. Always the parties are multi cultural so that makes a big difference I think. And yes we have a lot of Salseros around. Also I go a lot into Belgium because it's only 1 hour drive for me to go there. 

SE: Have you traveled to any other countries or locations to dance Salsa? What’s your favorite place or location to dance Salsa at?    
SC: Yes I have been to England, Germany, Spain, and Cyprus. My favorite is the Benidorm Salsa Congress, I’m one of the photographers there for the 4th year.

SE: What is your most memorable Salsa moment?
SC: I think that has still to come but last summer I had a blast at the Latin and Salsa Jazz Festival in Barcelona where I was able to take pictures. 

SE: You are a Salsa DJ as well? 
SC: Yes indeed because of love for the music. 

SE: What do you like best when it comes to Salsa, DJing, dancing, or taking pictures? 
SC: Well I think I go for taking pictures I love it. 

SE: Who are some of the top Salseros in the Netherlands? 
SC: That will be Patrick Mussendijk, Brain & Mechteld, Taiti & Christel, Femke & Manoa, and upcoming Salsero Sergio from Estilo dance.

SE: Have you been to Salsa Congresses? Which ones? Can you tell me about each of them? 
SC: Over the ten years I've been to quite a bit of Congresses like in Germany, Spain. and Cyprus. In Germany it was a small Congress in Berlin. Spain the Benidorm Salsa Congress four times and Salsa Jam in Cyprus to times, and Antwerp Diamond Salsa Congress. Haarlem Salsa Congress and Amsterdam Salsa Congress are a few I’ve been to.

SE: What other Salsa projects/events are you working on? What other Salseros do you work with in the Netherlands? Do you work with Salseros in other parts of the world?
SC: I’m not a organiser of events. At the moment I have a regular gig every second Friday of the month. I do a lot for Mi Salsa with music and promotions. I mainly get asked to come over and take pictures or DJ.

SE: What’s your favorite part about being a Salsero? 
SC: Actually more like being a Salsaphotographer I think it opens doors that otherwise would be difficult to open. I think over the years I made a name with my work and lots off people love it.

SE: How has being a Salsero changed your life? 
SC: I met a lot of nice people and am able to travel abroad. 

SE: Do you do any Salsa teaching or instructing? 
SC: No sorry I’m not into that kind of stuff. 

SE: Please tell me anything else about your Salsa experience that you would like to add! 
SC: Due to my blog (yes I blogged as well a couple of years ago) a Latin site from Groningen contacted me to see if I was interested to take care of the province I lived in that is Zeeland. I agreed so now I take care to put the fotos and parties in their agenda.We are one of the biggest Salsa Latin sites in Holland called www.Latinnet.nl.  We also launched an app recently where Salsa peeps can find parties in the area they live in. It’s for Android and Iphone so check it out!!! This year has been marvelous, I have seen a lot of live concerts this year and I loved it. I hope next year will be better for me health wise. This coming week I hope to hear from the doctors what they want try to get my Clave (hart) in better shape. That is my wish for 2013.

SC: Salsaludos from Holland it’s been a pleasure to fill in the questions.
Coento

SE: To SalseroPhotographer Coento, thank you so much for this interview! I will keep you in my thoughts and I hope to see you feeling better after the New Year! I hope to officially meet you one day soon and shall we Salsa the night away! With Salsa Love, Salsera Elena!

Philly Tri State Area Salsero-Luther Lockard

This interview is with a Salsero from the Philadelphia area, Luther Lockard. I met Luther this past September at the Hotlanta Salsa Congress. It was Friday evening and we were waiting in line before the performances started. We started chatting and have been in contact since. Thanks to him, we got a picture with Island Touch's La Alemana and Ataca. It was awesome. So, if you are in the Philly Tri State Area, BE sure to check out these spots Luther talks about, or just hit Luther up to find where the Salsa is!

SE=Salsera Elena

SL=Salsero Lockhard

SE: How long have you been dancing to Salsa for?

SL: I have been dancing Salsa for almost two years. Since January of this year, I have been taking regular lessons at La Luna Dance Studio in Bensalem Pa., a Philly suburban studio. By the way this is the studio that hosts the Philly Salsa Fest each year and is also home of Calle Luna Pro Dance Team and Las Estrella who will be performing at the Resolution Jam this January.

SE: What got you interested in Salsa?

SL: My passion for Salsa begin in 2011 after taking three months of Arthur Murray Ballroom dance lessons when I realized that Latin dancing was what I want to really learn well. It was taking me too long to learn Salsa in a ballroom program so someone turned me on to Barbara Capladi who owns and operates The Atrium Dance Studio in Pennsauken, NJ. I took 12 weeks of basics and 6 weeks of intermediate training when I had to stop because it was a scheduling issue with my business (I am self employed). So it was until January of this year that I found La Luna across the river where they taught all of the Salsa levels on a Sunday. It was perfect for my schedule and I have been there every since.

SE: What is your favorite part about being a Salsero?

SL: Latin dancing allows you the freedom to express your soul with another human being in a creative, fun, and intimate way. It’s like communicating without talking. Also it allows you to choreograph each dance you do which will look different with each dance because the dynamic of each interaction is different.

SE: Where’s your favorite place to dance to Salsa in the Philadelphia area?

SL: I have a bunch of favorites and am learning of new places to go each week. So I have no one favorite spot. The Philly Tri state area is growing its Salsa community with new venues opening on a regular basis.  For my purposes, I consider the Philadelphia area to include the 5 counties around Philadelphia, the northern Delaware counties, all of South Jersey including Atlantic City and the Princeton NJ areas.

SE: Tell me about all the different venues in Philly that you know about to dance to Salsa. Tell me anything, and everything you can about the Philly Salsa scene.

SL: First let me preference my remarks by saying I am relatively new on the Salsa scene and cannot do full justice to this question. There are simply too many people who have been around longer that may be able to give a more complete history and picture of the Philly Scene. So I will answer this by listing the places I frequent and by giving a short description of how I feel when I am there. This is in no order of preference:

Atrium Dance Studio – Barbara Capladi, owner – Pennsauken NJ – Salsa party every Saturday night, with a laid back, friendly crowd, everybody knows each other, lots of laughter and fun. Performances on occasions and Live Latin Bands 3-4 times a year. Barbara also operates out of another nightclub on Sunday nights in which a lot of the same crowd frequents. It’s called “The Coastline” and has been a popular nightspot for generations in the South Jersey area. Free cover, free lesson, great dancers, cant beat it. Barbara dedicates the first Sunday of the month lesson to “newbies” at the Coastline; great or beginners to break into the salsa scene.

La Luna Dance Studio – Sonya Elmore, owner – Bensalem, Pa. This is my home studio and I like it because of the excellent instruction (all of the instructors are excellent). When on the road, at congresses, they often “team teach”, so you can have 4-5 high quality instructors in the same workshop.  They have parties once a month and often partner with their sister studio Estilio, run by Mike Adino who until January of this year was also an instructor at La Luna.  He still covers for the instructors when the pro teams are on the road. There is usually a performance or two at each dance social form in-house or guess dance teams. They are constantly having boot camps and workshops during the year from in-house personnel to guess studio workshops. Almost every month something is being offered.

Estilio, South Philadelphia, Mike Adino, owner. I have not been to Mike’s studio but I have been blessed with his instruction at other venues he teaches from. One of them being a meetup group in Princeton, NJ, called Lets Dance New Jersey CJDS Hot Salsa with Mike Adino 1^st Saturdays of the month. He teaches a 1.5-hour lesson. His following at this venue is Huge and growing. In October there were over 176 people in attendance and I would say 95% of them were there for the lesson. Nice spacious dance hall in Princeton called the Suzanne Patterson Center. It is something to see that many people in a lesson that he handles very well. I was honored last week when he asked me to lead the men in CBL footwork exercises while he took the women to the other side to work with them. Estilo has several dance teams and performs regularly at major area venues such as the Stardust Ballroom and Parx Casino.

Stardust Ballroom in Bellmawr, NJ has the largest dance floor in the area and can host up to 500 people easily. Their Salsa nights are on 2^nd and 4^th Saturdays and draws from the entire Delaware Valley area. This is the first venue where I actually attend a Salsa party. It blew me away seeing all of the fantastic dancers under one roof. It was after this party that I moved away from the ballroom program like I mentioned earlier.

Blurr Night Club, Olde city Philadelphia operated by Team Salsa and Jose Maldonado and Philly boy on II as primary promoters. They hold Salsa Sundays, which the grand opening two weeks ago was a big hit. This is going to be a top spot as most of Philly’s best dancers are here. It's literally a couple blocks away from another hot Philly spot called Brazils, which hosts some of the best dancers in Philly on Wednesday and Fridays. La Luna Dance Studio and Estilo Dance Studio co-sponsors dance here with La Luna operating the Wednesday night dance and Estillo operating the Saturday dance. Also, 1^st Mondays is Estillo night and 1^st Thursday is sponsored by Calle Luna & Estillo Pro Dancers.

There is a new spot opened up at a place called Freestyle Martial Art.  The Salsa group here call themselves freestyle dance and fitness. Martial Arts in Northfield NJ is ten minutes from Atlantic City. Their first night was two Fridays ago and it was good, a small venue but some of the best dancers around were there. I visit less frequently due to time limitations places like Lyrics in Northeast Philadelphia, and Club 360 in Parx Casino just above the city.

I could go on and on there are many places that I have heard great things about but not had the chance to visit like: Salsa in the City @ Studio 1807 Master Jays, The Reef, Philadelphia, Starry Ferrari Salsa social in Pottstown, Pa., Julie Berger, founder and director of Salsa in the Suburbs Dance Studio Media, Pa, Mambodelphia, Pa, Living in Rhythm and Art in Motion all good studios with high quality dancers and reputations and many, many more.

SE: What is the difference between the Philly Salsa scene and Salsa scenes you have experienced in other locations?

SL: Well first there is variety amongst the Philly scene as it not the same everywhere. The closer you get to Princeton and Central jersey, the more “on 2” dancers you see. There is not much “On 2” Dancers in the Philadelphia City region. If I had to pin it down to one thing is that the Philly area dancers like spinning and there is not a lot of “shines” going on. I notice the further south I travel, the more shines and flare you see in the dancers.

SE: What Congresses have you been to? What is most memorable about each Congress? Which has been your favorite Congress?

SL: I have been to two in New Jersey, LA, DC, Atlanta (where I met you lol), and of course Philly Fest. I will have to give that to LA. The organization was excellent, was on time, smooth, very smooth. But, I enjoyed all of them and had great learning experience in all of the congresses. So far, I am set to go to Houston and Denver in 2013.

SE: What is your goal as a Salsero?

SL: To be the Best that I can be in Latin Dancing and to promote it through blogging and organizing dance venues primarily via meetup groups.

SE: Who are some of your favorite instructors from the Philly area? Favorite instructors from other areas? Favorite people to dance with?

SL: Everyone I have mentioned above is my favorite. Philly has some awesome instructor talent, and I am meeting more of them every week. Everybody I take a lesson from has given me something invaluable in my learning experience.

SE: What places do you want to travel to, to dance Salsa that you haven’t already been to?

SL: See above.

SE: How much is Salsa involved in the rest of your life? Has Salsa changed your life at all? How does Salsa influence your decisions?

SL: Well let me just say, it is my life to stay. I have totally transformed my body via Salsa dancing. People who have not seen me in sometime are floored when they see how much weight I have lost. This is good for my mind, body and spirit. I recently took over the leadership of The Philly Salsa meetup Group (1450 + members strong and growing). I have received very positive feedback so far and several promoter have begun to come to me to ask to post on my page for their events.

SE: If you had to choose between staying in Philly to dance Salsa, or go to a different place to dance, where would you choose?

SL: Humm, well keep in mind I consider Philly the “Tri State Area” so if you are literally talking about the city itself versus other places, I would say it would be The Atrium in Pennsauken, NJ which is very appropriate as I finish this interview. That is exactly where I am headed now. So not to be rude…I got to Go!

SE: Do you have any advice for people interested in learning Salsa?

SL: Just Do It, don’t be shy, don’t worry about what other people are doing, everybody had to start at the beginning, but you have to take the first step. Take lessons, take lessons, oh did I say take lessons from many different people. It’s been a pleasure doing this interview. 

Thank you to Luther for allowing me ask questions about his Salsa experience. Slowly but surely I have interviews coming for you Salseros! Please let me know if you would like to be interviewed by me, Salsera Elena.