Dance Steps Blog

Dance has been an important part of rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of human civilization. In the beginning, before we had written language to record things, the purpose of dance was often to tell stories and to pass them down to future generations.

The story of dancing in Cuba

In Cuba, as in ancient times, dance tells its own story. The passion and energy of Cuban dance reveals the strength and conviction of the Cuban people, determined to enjoy life despite ‘la lucha’ (the struggle) of living in a strictly regulated country where the average monthly wage comes in at around 400 pesos – less than £10.

The richness of Cuban music and dancing also tells the story of Cuba’s melting pot of cultures. From the high-stepping flamenco brought by the Spanish settlers in the 15th century to the frenzied tribal dances of the West African slaves, dancing is in the blood of the Cuban people.

From the teenage girl in denim shorts to the cigar-seller on the street corner, Cubans are given to break into spontaneous dance steps. Furthermore, the people dancing on the streets of Havana are likely to be just as good as the professionals, because in Cuba dancing is simply a way of life.

The variety of Cuban dances

Cuba boasts a huge range of dances including classical ballet, contemporary, flamenco and folk dancing. But it is the partnered routines that appeared in Havana dancehalls between the 1920s and the 1950s – Salsa, rumba, mambo and cha-cha-cha – that can be seen in every Cuban bar, club and street. Of these, Salsa is the most popular dance internationally.

Since the name ‘Salsa’ (it’s Spanish for ‘sauce’) was coined, Salsa dancing has exploded in popularity in Latin America and across the world. Salsa dancing classes are now hugely popular but to really get into the swing of it a Salsa holiday in Cuba itself is a must.

Tips for Cuban Salsa dancing

If you do take yourself on a Cuban holiday, you’ll have the unique experience of watching Cubans Salsa dancing. It sometimes appears that by some genetic aberration they have been born with super flexible joints, defying physics to carry out all the complex manoeuvres they have integrated into the dancing. Their remarkable twisting body movements and natural sense of rhythm will dazzle you.

If you have the right technique, Cuban Salsa is easier to learn than many other forms of dance. The basic footwork is a fairly simple walking motion, pausing every fourth beat, and there are some six basic steps you can follow to make sure you’re on the right tracks.

1 Relax

To dance Cuban Salsa well it is important not to rush, but to relax into the steps. Movements should be precise and deliberate in addition to being flowing and smooth.

2 Walk with purpose

Salsa dancing involves a continual circular motion. Couples walk around each other with an imaginary axis between them. This makes turns look smooth and effortless. Walking gives time to untangle your arms after each turn.

3 Have confidence in your lead

The leader (usually the man) should have constant tension in his arms, while his hands guide his Salsa dancing partner around the floor. There is no need to clamp onto each other’s hands, only to use the right amount of tension to provide a leading signal.

4 Be flexible when following

In order to follow well, ladies should try to match the tension of their partner. The exception to this is when arms need to be relaxed and flexible to complete arm-twisting Salsa moves without injury!

5 Keep balanced when you spin

The key to all the spectacular spins in Salsa is not to lose your balance. One way to do it is by spotting while you spin – focusing on one spot at each turn – an age-old dance technique.

6 Use your body

In Salsa dancing, ladies should make use of their body and be sensual, playful and creative. This can involve some creative arm movements, going with what feels right and basically showing off a bit. Enjoy!

Emma Lelliott
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/a-stepbystep-guide-to-cuban-salsa-285297.html

Today’s home buyer is concerned with a variety of things: good neighborhoods, good schools, employment opportunities, quality recreation – but overriding everything are the questions, “Should I buy now.  Have prices bottomed out?  Will the price be lowered later?  Should I rent?  Watchful waiting is a solution for prostate cancer…maybe it’s the solution here as well?”

As a Realtor we have seen the pendulum swing from the Seller’s side of the table way over to the Buyer’s side.

It wasn’t so many years ago that you’d come to Bellingham, Washington looking to purchase that home of your dreams & we’d drive down any street in Bellingham (or Whatcom County for that matter) & what we’d see were “Sale Pending” signs. We’d write an offer on the perfect Bellingham home that just came on the market only to find that there were 4 offers in front of us & the doggone Seller wasn’t even going to look at the offers until the following week. In order to compete in this arena we’d virtually be forced to write our offer for more than full price, waive the financing & inspection contingencies, give the Seller everything he could possibly want only to get a response back from the Seller telling us that it still wasn’t good enough (more than full price is not good enough?.) We’d be told to re-submit the “Best Offer” we could write & he would make his choice. The problem was that the Buyer was really forced to dance to the Seller’s tune because there was little inventory, his wife & family were living out of a suitcase in the Holiday Inn & his moving truck was 2 days out of town.

Fast forward to today – July, 2008.

The pendulum has swung to the Buyer’s side of the table & then some. We drive down the same streets in Bellingham & Whatcom County & what do we see but “Priced Reduced”, “New Price”, “Re-Visited Price”, “Price Modified” – in fact there was one Realtor that subscribed to the theory if one is good, 2 or more has to be better, so he festooned his sign with multiple “Price Reduced” signs. There are Seller concessions, agent concessions, lender concessions – everybody is willing to give the Buyer something in hopes that he / she will step up & buy. I saw an ad that talked about an attractive Florida divorcee who had her house on the market & couldn’t sell it, so, since she was in the market for a husband anyway, she decided to market herself & the house in a single package – Yankee ingenuity is great but I’m not sure that the general public would find this an acceptable strategy for either buying or selling.

The Buyer still has a dilemma though. Everything that the Buyer hears, reads & sees makes him / her wonder if he buys today will the home be worth less tomorrow. Maybe he should just wait. That philosophy is hard to fault, however a Buyer really needs to analyze the particular market he’s moving to & determine just how speculative this specific area really is. Our oldest son lives in Mountain View, California & tells us there are areas in Stockton, California where home owners are not only leaving their homes by the dark of the moon but leaving their pets as well, often times locked up in the now vacant house. The problem is so widespread that the Humane Society is urging homeowners who are faced with foreclosure to take their animals to an animal shelter rather than leaving them unattended.

Now I’m here to tell you if you are considering a move to one of these areas, the prudent thing for a Buyer may be to wait & see how the market sorts out. Bellingham, Washington & many other areas are something else altogether. While the media paints with a wide brush & you see examples of their embellished articles every day in the morning newspaper, a Buyer certainly needs to be site specific in determining whether to purchase today or to wait

A Buyer today is well advised to step back & look at a community statistically to see what has & is happening regarding inventory, prices & consumer confidence to determine how they as Buyers or Sellers should respond to the market. Analytical tools that Buyers & Sellers both can use to determine the state of the market & then help them decide if it makes sense to buy or sell are available through local MLS’s, real estate offices, city assessors offices & often times through local universities all of which can be used to track sales, inventory & absorption rates. It’s by drilling down & analyzing this data by area, price range & date over a period of time that you’ll be able to get a clearer idea of what is really happening in your community.

One of my all time favorite Country Western songs is “The Gambler” by Kenny Rodgers. In it, there is the lyric “You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away & know when to run”.

So, in terms of The Gambler, I admit there is very little good news coming out of the media today about real estate. However, I firmly believe that if you wait for every light to turn “Green” before you head to town, you’ll never get out of your driveway. So do your homework – there are good buys out there in every market, Sellers are motivated like they have never been before, interest rates are excellent & time is on your side. Depending where you live, if it’s Bellingham Washington or an area like Bellingham Washington, don’t wait for all those lights to turn green before you go into town – get into the game & play your cards.

Meet us on the web at Johnson Team Real Estate

Rich Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/the-gambler-do-i-hold-fold-or-run-680379.html