| What "Mambo" Dancing in New York is Like...
A New York Perspective from a Salsera's point of view...
- by Edie Lewis It was tough scheduling all these interviews with the Mambo greats, sightseeing, dancing, and updating Salsaweb! I literally danced my shoes off. I had to get my shoes resoled while in New York because they practically fell apart! Since we left Los Angeles we spent hours both in Puerto Rico, and New York, interviewing Artists, Instructors and Dancers. These include New Yorks Latin/Jewish Legend, Larry Harlow, Eddie Torres and his wife Maria., Nelson Flores Jimmy Anton, Stacey Lopez, Iris "La Electrica" Montalvo in N.Y, Jimmy Anton, The Mambo Legend, Eddie Torres, Addie Diaz, and the Director of The Side Street Kids, Carlos Mendoza... Also coming up in the next few weeks will be interviews by Marla Friedler with Tito Nieves, Marc Anthony, La India, Oscar D'Leon, Tito Puente, and many others during the Salsa Festival in N.Y.C. | 
Edie, The Salsa FREAK
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A day in the life in Manhattan...
I haven't gone to bed earlier than 4:30am since Thursday in Puerto Rico, and have been on "Manny Time", getting up early for breakfast and then lunch interviews, trying to keep up with the hectic life of a day in New York, sightseeing, Madison Ave, Park Avenue, 5th Avenue, Madison Square Gardens, Time Square, China town, and of course, Mambo classes and club dancing at the world renowned, Copacabanna... what a RUSH that place is. On a Tuesday night, the Copa was PACKED. 99% of everyone I danced with, danced on the "2" - or what they call here, "New York Style Two". Thank God I practiced with our little "2 Club" group in LA before coming out to the Big Apple.... The weather here is beautiful. I've decided I love Manhattan. The pace and charm of this city is something out of a dream for me (will the FREAK move to New York some day???? HHMMMmmmm....). Horse and buggy carriages trot along Central Park, little fruit and sandwich stands line the streets, small, home-style coffee shops and restaurants are everywhere, and what's terrific is that you can eat and go out day time of the day or night. This is a city that truly never sleeps (kind of like me right now...). I went on my first subway ride yesterday. There was an accordion and trumpet duet serenading the waiting passengers with their beautiful music. I was taken by the beauty of their music, contrasted against the echoing halls of the muggy New York subway system...
(to be continued...)
Where do the best dancers in New York HANG OUT??? The Magic of Side Street, in The Bronx... New York's Best Kept Secret...
Stupid, typical "Edie" question:
Why do they call The Bronx, "THE" Bronx? Why do they put a "The" in front of the city name? Why didn't they do it for Manhattan, "The Manhattan", or "The Queens"....? Why does it sound weird if you just say "I'm from Bronx, New York..." Can you tell I'm a Joe-typical, curious, make me sick, tourist or what???
Interesting Answer from a New York Transfer, Jeff Camilo:
"Dear Edie,
As you can see by the time stamp on this e-mail I've been pondering over this question all night and now I have got. The reason that people say "The Bronx" is because for the longest time people really had no reason to go to "The Bronx." It was sort of a generic place when there was nothing special going on, that is until The Bronx Bombers (now the New York Yankees) move in. For example The Valley, The Beach, The South Bay , The Mountains. Get it. It is particular because it is generic. Manhattan( also known to the locals as "The City") has Wall Street, (you know the place, if anyone ever really wanted to destroy the U.S., should bomb). Brooklyn (The Getto) has the Bridge, I don't even know why anyone would name a place Queens, and Staten Island (known as "The Island" even though Manhattan is an island too) is where all the rich folks (Mafia) that don't want to live in Connecticut live. So When you think about "The Bronx" remember that it is not the same Borough were The Donald lives. I truly believe this is why it has always been called "The Bronx." I am still doing some research and will get back to you if anything else comes up. As an English major I can only say that "The" is used to identify a particular thing or place. I guess the Bronx is a particular Borough different from the others. Talk about rivalries Bronx v. Brooklyn has been happening since the days of the Brooklyn Dodgers v. Bronx Bombers." Don't know if you ever got a real answer to why they call The Bronx, The
Bronx. As a Brooklyn writer who now lives on City Island (in The Bronx)
around the corner from Tito Puente's restaurant, here's my
understanding...
The (whole damn) Bronx was originally a farm owned by the (Dutch) Jacob
Bronck family, and the reasonably accurate story I've heard is that the
current description is short for The Bronck's Farm.
Jeff
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Over the years, I've met many traveling Salseros who have visited New York city. They tell me that they tried finding good Salsa clubs, but either did not see any quality dancers, or they couldn't find any decent salsa clubs that played fast, good "dance-able" music. They complained to me of the overly crowded dance floors, too much "Salsa Romantica", Merengue, House music being played, and a myriad of other disappointments about popular New York salsa clubs. One of Salsaweb Magazine's goals is to get rid of the House and Merengue music played at "SALSA" clubs, and bring back the popularity of salsa/mambo dancing from the 40's and 50's to the 90's and beyond. One of my primary objectives during my stay in New York was to "find" those hard-to-find, hole-in-the-wall, well-hidden salsa/mambo clubs where killer dance music is played - where "the best of the best" dancers in New York hang out. I just knew there had to be placed like that in New York, because there are clubs like that in Los Angeles and virtually every major city in the world. Believe me, as an outsider, if I didn't already know Salseros living in New York to help me, I would have had a very rough time finding those clubs. To find them, believe me, it's "who you know" in New York. So if you're new to New York, or just visiting, Salsaweb Magazine has paved the way to help you get there faster. Thanks to Manny Siverio (Salsaweb's New York correspondent) and Carlos Mendez (Side Street Kids salsa coach) I found one of the most electrifying salsa/mambo clubs in New York. In this article, I'm going to describe in the best way possible my experience there. In Puerto Rico, I had interviewed Carlos Mendez, Director and coach for the New York Side Street Kids. They are a salsa/mambo dance team of young boys and girls who perform throughout New York, and Puerto Rico. When I asked where he trained them, he told me at a nightclub called "Side Street". "Where's that?" I asked. "It's a club in the Bronx. Edie, if you want to see some incredible dancing, go to Side Street on a Sunday night. It's small, and in a tough neighborhood, but the music and the dancing is the best in New York." This sparked my curiosity. A Sunday night. I figured it must be good - especially on an "off night" like a Sunday. I knew he wasn't kidding because some of the best dancing talent in Los Angeles hang out at a small hole-in-the-wall club called Rudolpho's in Los Angeles on off-nights like Mondays and Wednesdays. Well, being that I'm basically a loner, and go alone to all the clubs in the sleaziest parts of Los Angeles, I figured finding this place couldn't be all that new or difficult for me. The way Carlos said "... some incredible New York dancers..." really sparked my curiosity. I had heard about New York mambo dancing on "2", and knew I just HAD to go experience this for myself. I heard that the Bronx was a pretty tough area for a young Salsera to be venturing around and trying to find a salsa club late at night. Not being from New York, I figured it was going to be a challenge getting there. Last year, I tried finding a club late at night in downtown Oakland, CA on my own. There I was, in a little salsa dress, trying to find this stupid club among all the drug pushers, addicts, and homeless people. After about an hour of searching, I found out the club had since closed down. Needless to say, I figured that if I could do THAT by myself and SURVIVE, The Bronx would be a piece of cake. I promised Carlos that I would meet he and his wife there on the only Sunday I'd be in New York. I was bound and determined to get there one way or another. There are many different ways of getting to Side Street from Manhattan. Either by car, the #6 subway, or a cab. Manny didn't want me venturing to or from there on a subway, and the cab fair would have been very expensive from downtown Manhattan, so he had a friend of his named Danny drive me. Marla however, found the place just a week before via subway. She said it wasn't that hard to find. "If you go alone, and it's late at night, you just have to have some fortitude and a little bit of guts to find the place, but you'll get there." She told me. I have a new-found respect for my friend Marla now! We took the bridge over the East River from Manhattan to the Bronx. It took about 25 minutes from 62nd and 1st St. in Manhattan. We got there around 11:00pm. I found myself in a neighborhood that looked very much like east LA. There were a ton of cars parked outside the club. The excitement in my heart started rising when I heard the muffled sounds of salsa music from around the corner. We had to park about a block away because of all the cars lining the streets outside the club. We walked in, just in time for the house/hip-hop music to start. "What a disappointment!" I thought. I was introduced to Abbey, one of the "Mambo Mama's" dancers. She assured me the house music was only going to be played for a few more minutes. Sadly, I guess even in the best of clubs, you can't get away from it. After about 20 minutes, the salsa band started to play again. What a relief! I danced the first song with Danny. Carlos recognized me from the crowd. He waved me over to his table, and introduced me to his wife and others around him. He then showed me a picture album with the Side Street Kids photos from their recent trip to Puerto Rico. I asked his wife if I could dance with him, and we had a terrific song together. I was still trying to get used to dancing the "New York two". I'd only been practicing for a week, and it was STILL hard to master. I managed to survive the song with Carlos still intact. His lead was beautiful, and he compensated for my nervousness and obvious timing mistakes. These guys REALLY count out here! It's REALLY INTIMIDATING if you're just learning!!! I felt like a beginner all over again! He then introduced me to Jason. He obviously thought I could handle it. Before I knew it, Jason had me doing multiple spins, dips, flies, and just about every turn possible on the dance floor. I was hanging on for dear life! I realized that I just needed to let go, get rid of my inhibitions, and TRUST the man would catch me. Jason is a fabulous lead and an AWESOME dancer. He did moves and tricks with me during that first song that would normally take my regular dance partner and I HOURS to master. His lead was perfect, and flawless. He handled me like butter. It was so good, I felt like having a cigarette after the song (and I DON'T smoke....). Then, Carlos introduced me to a gentleman by the name of Jesus. Jesus lead me just as well, but with a completely different style, flair and technique. His own personality had shown through - a raw, fast, and wonderfully paced style to the "two" that I enjoyed just as well. There weren't as many spins this go-around, but the style, fun, and turn patterns were nothing short of absolute perfection. A few Merengue songs came on, which gave me my typical opportunity to rest (most of you know how much I can't stand Merengue). When the salsa music came on, even though I was full of energy, I decided to hold back and just enjoy watching the raw talent on the dance floor for a while. I realized I would not get this kind of a show at home, and could not wait for the songs to begin. The band started playing a relatively slow, smooth song. A few couples started toward the floor. Both the men and women's style was smooth, beautiful, and very, very sexy. The way each couple moved matched the music perfectly. Each couple was in harmony with each other - not unlike dance skaters in an ice rink. I noticed their bodies "feeling" the pace and deep rhythm of the music, and their feet moving to the beat of the clave. EVERYBODY in the place danced on the "New York Two". Their bodies swayed in motion and synchronized with each peak and wave of every beat. It reminded me so much of Rudolpho's in LA - but this time, instead of just a handful of great dancers, the ENTIRE ROOM was filled with unmatched talent. A fast song came on. The energy in the room elevated to a feverish high, like a roller-coaster ride, the couples started dancing up a storm! If each one of them wasn't a professional, they could rival the best I've ever seen. It was like watching a show. BETTER than a show. The quality of the dancing was nothing short of superb. Their timing was excellent, and styling was phenonimal. I took notice in particular to the women's styling techniques - so pure, raw, and natural. It was truly an honor to be among such talent. No man overshadowed the women, no woman overshadowed the man. Each were in tune with each other. Each showed the other off. They danced smoothly together as one body and complimented each other. It was simply marvelous. It was the first time I had the pleasure of just WATCHING the dancing - which is a rarity for me. I'm usually the one out there jamming, and getting a good workout in for myself. This time was different. For the first time, I enjoyed the beauty of New York's mambo dancing from a purely entertainment, spectator point of view. I witnessed the best of the best. I was having a ball just WATCHING and observing. Believe me, there was no price you could pay for the show that I experienced on Sunday at Side Street. Side Street dancers are a MUST SEE if you are in New York on a Sunday night.
Emails and Comments... Subject: Edie in NY & at Side Street
Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 09:47:14 -0400
From: Carlos Mendoza
To: Edie Lewis
Edie it was wonderful meeting you in P.R. and Dancing with You last night at Side Street. I also took the opportunity to watch women gaze at you as you danced the night away. The women were taken aback thinking to themselves who is she and where did she come from? You should be proud of the fact that you not only survived the Side street experience but thrived as well. Side Street the Home of Salsa has been known to chew people up and spit them out. You are a natural. Look forward to talking to you soon.
Lots of Love,
Your good Friend from The Side Street Kids
"Dear Edie,>
Just read your Salsaweb page two about dancing in NY at the Copa. I was there November, 96 and with everyone I danced with, danced on 1. At that time I didn't know about dancing on 2 or 1!!! I danced with a girl named Maria, the most beautiful Puerto Rican girl in the place and THE BEST DANCER there that night, and I danced with at least 10 others. I had a great time! Was everyone I danced with able to adjust to dancing on 1, or is there really such a big difference? I'm from DC and you know me from Puerto Rico at the Salsa Congress. (Hint - "D.D."). My gosh, I thought Stacy Lopez, or maybe it was one of the other instructors, said, "What difference does it make whether you dance on 1 or 2 or 3 or 14? ! ! !" So, is there really such a difference or not? I went to the Copa twice last year and once the year before. I will probably be there late Tuesday night Sept 16. If there is a big difference, will I be able to dance with anyone at all? signed: "2"
- CONFUSED." Dear Confused,
Most in New York will adjust to the two or the one. You just lead them into it. I danced with both as well. Depends on who you hang around with. If you hang with Eddie Torres, Nelson Flores, or Jimmy Anton's students, they are all two dancers, and maintain the tradition. Remember, they count to EIGHT. The man goes forward on "6", and back on "2", while the woman breaks forward on both 1 and 2 to start, then back on "6". Don't forget to count to the number EIGHT!!! . I really suggest you take their classes when there. You'll learn to truly appreciate the two, and dancing to the clave...
- Edie |
