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Edie,
The
Salsa
Freak!!
World Class Entertainment |
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“Ismael Otero…” The ‘Million Move Man’ (MMM… Good!)
By Edie, The Salsa FREAK Images compliments of J. Fernando Lamadrid of www.justsalsa.com
I was introduced to Mambo instructor Ismael Otero by my friend Junior from New Jersey. Junior is an excellent dancer, and had acclaimed his creative turn patterns to his original instructor and mentor, Mr. Ismael Otero. “Edie, you have got to meet Ismael, my instructor. He’s fantastic. He knows a ton of moves!” With the library of moves Junior was putting me into, and the amount of respect he was showing for Ismael, I couldn’t wait to meet this man.
When he introduced me to Ismael, I was surprised at how young he looked! All he did was look at me, smile, and extend his hand toward the dancefloor. “I guess this is supposed to mean, ‘would you care to dance?’ I thought to myself, in anticipation. To tell you the truth, I was really expecting someone a tad older… but after dancing with him for four solid songs in a row, without him repeating a SINGLE MOVE, I realized this guy’s got it goin’ on!
He put me into single spin combinations at first, then double spin combos, then multiple turn patterns with triple spins in between within a single measure… the guy knew how to move!
“You have got to know a Million Moves!!” I told him after each song. “I’m going to call you ‘The Man with a Million Moves!’” I fought to catch my breath after each song. I couldn’t talk to him during the songs… it was too much of a whirlwind out there! While dancing with him, I caught myself saying to myself, “MMM! Wow was that a great move!! Whoa! That was cool! Mmm! There he goes with another! Incredible! Not only can he move, but he knows exactly how to move me! Holy Smokes… what was THAT??? Great! Mmm... Wow! MMM! Now THAT was cool!”
Now every time I see him, I always say, “Ismael! The Man with a Million Moves!” We both laugh... but I’m half serious!
Dancing with Ismael keeps you WIDE AWAKE and CONSTANTLY CHALLENGED. You know how it is ladies… you dance with certain guys, and basically get used to the moves they put you in… same repertoire, over and over again… you pretty much know basically what to expect after a while. Each guy has his own flavor, his own style, and after a few dances, is very much predictable.
Not so with Ismael Otero.
This guy will have you on the Salsa Alert for a new turn pattern
every few seconds of every song.
Every time you dance with Ismael,
expect it to be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
than when you previously danced with him.
It’s as if he has the entire Library of Congress of Salsa dance moves in his head. I’ll bet he’s FORGOTTEN more moves than he’s ever taught!
Originally from Lower East Side, Manhattan NY , Ismael now teaches in New Jersey at Caribbean Soul Dance studio in Club Millenum, North Bergen NJ and City Limits, Union City NJ and Club Rhumba, Bronx NY (phone#)201-876-9154 - -201-424-5559
Ismael not only teachers, but has his own Dance Company called the Caribbean Soul Dancers. They did an outstanding performance last year at the International Salsaweb Convention in Washington DC. In the middle of their performance, his sister actually FLIPPED HIM!!! It was a riot! That move tore the house down!
Ismael will be teaching at this year’s Convention as well. His Dance Group “The Caribbean Soul Dancers” will also be performing. We’re all looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us this year!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to introduce to you, Mr. Ismael Otero, the Million Move Man (MMM!).
Where are you originally from? I was born in New York City, then moved to Bushwick Brooklyn and finally settled in Jersey City NJ.
Did you do anything else besides teach dance for a living?
I used to produce House music did extra work in a couple of movies and worked for and Insurance Co. and the Postal Service.
Who were your mentors / instructor(s) at the time?
My first mentor was Luis Zegarra who showed me the basics and made me his assistant and also put me in shows. Nelson Flores would help me with turn patterns or shines that I would try to create. Addie Diaz would also give me a little positive push and would make me feel comfortable when I would ask her opinion. When Eddie Torres talk to me about originality and creativity that really got me rolling.
How old were you when you became interested in dance?
When I got interested in Salsa I would say I was about 22, my mother would always try to make me dance Salsa but I didn't like it until the music just took over.
What got you interested in teaching?
Who encouraged you? Whenever Luis Zegarra would go away on gigs he would leave me in charge and I got the knack for teaching and the students loved me and that made me feel good. So I would say the students encouraged me.
Why did you decide to become an instructor?
After a year of being an assistant I decided to give it a try, I couldn't wait to teach steps that were more my style which was a street style but as I matured in teaching, I decided to teach dancing which would let the student decide which style he wanted to do for example, I like throwing down but one of my students might like to dance elegant, I want my students to know that they have a variety of choices when it comes to the styles of dancing Salsa. I also did a lot of research by buying books and buying 4 Salsa history videos and asking professionals from unknown teachers to Eddie Torres to even the famous Augie and Margo "If you don't know who they are ask Eddie".
What other forms of dance do you know?
Breakdancing, Hip Hop, House, Reggae, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia.
How did you develop your unique dance style?
To be honest I just have fun and I try to do things that other people wont do, although I can dance any style, my preference is dancing sexy or explosive. Growing up I noticed in the Barios the older people would just get down and feel the music so that also influenced my dance style. When I choreograph a routine I try to combine certain things that will be liked by all types of Salseros alike "Its very hard to please everyone", Being technical, putting some throw down street style and 1 or 2 stunts is how I try to make most of my routines. when you try something different it makes you stand out.
Where and how do you come up with all your moves?
Just about anywhere and anytime, I used to watch other dancers and they would sometimes give me ideas even if it didn't look like anything the dancer did. When I dance socially the music tells me what moves to do. When I make up moves to teach I just move my rug and start making up shines like what would happen if I step here turn there, sometimes I just take a bunch of steps and take a piece of this step and mix it with that step. When I would try to create turn pattern I would do them in my head and then wake up my sister and tell her to just stand there while I try this turn pattern. When the turn pattern gets done, even though my sister looked like a zombie in the morning I would try it on my other sister to see if its leadable. A lot of my moves were also created by the music.
Did coming up with new moves become an obsession at one point?
Oh yes, ideas would just flow and I couldn't wait to start. I did not want my students to look like everyone else so that also motivated me. There was also a point when I would go to a plaza on the Hudson River with Danny in the middle of the night to create steps and people would look at us like we were crazy.
Who are some of your favorite dance partners and mentors?
When it comes to being explosive and unexpected I would say my sister Irene Otero and Candy Mena because I have to be on guard with them they like to dominate the man and at the same time still follow him. As far as being sexy I would say my other sister Yesenia Peralta and my ex-dancer Brenda Ramos.
Tell us about your Dance Team, The Caribbean Soul Dancers. When did it form, and who are its members?
Caribbean Soul was born about 3 years ago as a student group in a mambo showdown and just kept progressing. The original group consisted of about 12 couples, then it faded down to 3 couples and now its back up to about 6 couples. We have a saying that" Caribbean Soul Dancers are born not made:" because most of us have the same personality. The funny thing is that we look more like a gang rather than a dance group so we laugh about that.
Where do you practice and how often?
There is a small tavern near my house called Caribbean Nights and it has a small dance floor in the back so we practice 2 a week.
Do you currently perform anywhere now? With who?
We perform anywhere from churches to colleges but lately we have been doing shows out of the country like Italy, London and Paris. I sometimes with one or 2 of my dancers go out of the country with Luis Zegarra. We also performed with almost every Salsa singer in the tri-state-area but more with singers like Frankie Negron, Luis Damon, Jorge Luis, and George Lemond because they are personal friends of mine.
Who does the choreography?
I do most of the choreography but welcome any imput from my dancers.
During your Dance Team’s performance last year at the International Salsaweb Convention in DC, there was one trick that had the audience roaring… that was when your sister actually flipped you… what gave you the fabulous idea to do that?
I was actually flipped by Candy I made that up when I noticed that women are always the ones that get flipped, the girls in the group are very dominating and refuse to let the man do all the work so we decided to let the guy get flip for a change just to be a little different. I noticed that a lot of the L.A. dancers like to do stunts and Eddie Torres also, so I wanted to do something to go with the flow just differently.
What do you think of LA Style vs New York style?
2 words "Differently the same" New York was known for open shines and L.A. for stunts, but lately as a result of the Salsaweb Convention and the Salsa Congress NY and LA learned from each other and took Salsa to a whole new level. In the future NY and LA are going to look very similar with the only difference being breaking on 1 or 2 "Just my opinion". I like NY for their complicated turn patterns and shines and I like L.A. stunts but I love L.A. showmanship. It would be pretty boring if there was only 1 way of dancing Salsa.
Do you ever dance on the One?
All the time I prefer 2 because I'm pretty good at it and used to it but my mother told me that a real dancer dances everything and she dances on 1. I like to dance on 1 but feel a little limited because I don't practice dancing on 1 but I still enjoy myself and lately its getting easier to separate the 2 styles without thinking about it so I just go with the flow and hope that I will be equally good with both styles.
What makes you stay in New Jersey? Why not New York?
Before, the only teacher in NJ was Luis Zegarra, then I started teaching so it was virgin territory. now you have all these teachers popping up from nowhere but I'm known as one of the best in NJ so I stayed Some people that live in West Jersey feel that NY is too far even though my classes are just 10 minutes from NY most people just want to stay local "maybe its the traffic or parking in NY, I don't know". But I started to teach in a Club called Rhumba in the Bronx which is run by Prestige Productions. Although its more like a hip hop club a lot of young hip Salsa singers go as well as some dancers so hopefully my classes will attract more Salseros. I always felt that NY had enough teachers for me to teach there, I mean come on you have Eddie Torres, Nelson Flores, Jimmy Anton, Dellile Tomas, Thomas Gurrero ect. but lately a lot of the dancers have been trying to convince me to start a class there so don't be surprised if I start teaching in Manhattan soon.
How long have you lived in New Jersey?
About 20 years, I live so close to NY that I never really notice a difference but I have the best view of the NY skyline especially on the 4th of July. I like NJ because there is less traffic more parking cheaper rent and I live between the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels so I'm perfect where I live.
What do you find the most satisfying about dancing Salsa?
WOW, I love the way it makes me feel, the passion, the excitement and the elegance. There are so many different types of Salsa songs that I can change styles, one song might be elegant another might be fast, another is a love story so its hard to get bored.
What do you find satisfying about teaching?
Everything, when I see my students smile when they start dancing its the best feeling. When they get confident on the dance floor or when they win competitions or get picked up by a dance group its overwhelming but when I realize that its because of me that they are having fun I cant describe how I feel, I may not show how good they make me feel but they really make me proud.
What are your future plans for dancing and teaching?
I want to travel the country and take Salsa to another level and make it more mainstream without taking away its culture. I'm always around Salsa singers and band members so I'm going to remind them not to forget the dancers
Any words of advice for budding dancers?
Make sure you remember that dancing is supposed to feel good and be open minded and if you want to be really good basically practice. Don't put anyone down and do your thing, and my favorite" Dance with everybody and their mother"
If you had to live your life all over again, would you have done anything differently?
Yes, I would have listened to my mother and done this a lot earlier.
If you got the opportunity to sit yourself down, and have a conversation with your “self”, what type of advice would you give “Ismael Otero”?
You have to be a little more ambitious and start working a little harder you lazy bum.
Comments: Edie, you said some very nice things about me but I have to let you now what makes me such a good dancer, I'm at my best when I dance with people like you, like the saying goes, to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Dancers like yourself bring it out of me, and give the dance life and personality so to all the dancers no matter what level who have danced with me with passion and lots of love and excitement I only deserve half the credit because if you can move me, I'll move you right back.
Ismael can be reached at Mambotero@aol.com
