The new year has been in full swing, and as we prepare for travels in the upcoming months, naturally we have been reflecting on the past. In today’s post we want to share some of our general takeaways from the last 2 years of traveling to different festivals in different places around the world.
Andrea
Getting more social dancing experience within the casino genre.
While these last 2 years were not the beginning of my dance travels, I finally got to dance with the European crowd. I had been following some of these instructors and dance schools for years, and finally I got to dance with them at festivals like Cuba in Tunisia, Rueda Globetrotters, and Crazy 4 la Timba. But, including the other places I have traveled, I am able to dance with new people. Especially when I am following, I can use that experience when I lead. Sometimes as follow, I experiment with styling, so trying some of these things out in my social dancing has been a nice learning experience. Even watching people has given me ideas on how I want to dance, and made me excited to apply it in my social dancing.
Increased Music Exposure
I don’t get a lot of timba when I’m out, so it was refreshing to just be around that. But, at Cuba in Tunisia and Crazy 4 la Timba, I heard a lot of new music AND was reminded of older songs DJs were playing. A lot of live versions of songs were played at socials which are a totally different vibe for the crowd. Plus, I’ve gotten to see a few bands like Manolito y su Trabuco and Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor. All this goes to say that as I evolve with music I hope to share that when I teach, if I play music for others, when I make requests, etc.
Taking classes for continued education
Classes about dance, music, history…these are all things I believe make us all better dancers, and I am glad I have gotten to participate in these All of these offer me dance knowledge beyond just a sequence. Not everyone can travel to these things, so it is nice to share what I learn with others. These classes also keep things interesting, because they open up new topics for me to explore and further my learning on my own.
Meeting like minded individuals, adding to my dance family
Easily my favorite part about traveling is meeting people. There are so many new people I met while traveling that love music and dance the same way I do, and I am so grateful for these connections. Not everyone was new to me, but I had more time to get to know people I’d met before. A lot of these connections have extended outside of dance, and it just further grows my dance family.
Alexa
Aspiring to be anyone besides yourself while dancing, is doing yourself a disservice.
Look, more notable and popular dancers are great to look at, but it is unrealistic to hold ourselves to that standard. This doesn’t mean you can’t put in the work to get better, or become a professional. But you will never be that person’s carbon copy. There isn’t anything wrong than that. Keep in mind a lot of these people have more experience, training, and practice. I feel like I have been able to grow more by using them as tools rather than trying to be them. Plus, I feel more comfortable as a dancer just trying to be myself.
Dancing to the music is the key to joy.
Like Andrea said, the exposure to music has been great. I am still someone learning a lot about Timba. Traveling though has inspired me to listen to artists I still haven’t listened to. Not only that, but I’ve grown to appreciate and enjoy the music so much more. A big reason I dance Casino is because of how much I love the music, and that has only grown over the years. The more I enjoy a song, the more I enjoy the dance. Also, I now listen to songs and I hear instruments and rhythms more clearly which allows me to play with it while I dance. Think of how much you enjoy a song like “Don’t Stop Believin’” because you know it, that’s how I feel about Timba.
Sometimes you just have to dance.
Look classes are great, and I have learned a lot from them. And, we all take classes for different reasons (socialization, practice, learn something new, observe, etc.), but for me none of that means anything without just dancing. For me the social dance setting is about just enjoying the dance with my partner to the fullest extent. Just letting go, leaning into the gozadera, I feel like that’s what dance is all about.
Casino Dance communities are not just built around size but engagement.
Sometimes we are all guilty of wanting bodies in the room who dance, and yeah we need people coming in the door to stay alive. But it’s all about what we offer those people to keep them coming back. It’s easy to say it’s just dancing, but people are searching for connection and fun. Without these things our communities fall flat. The same follows for events. People like to feel like more than a number of the sheet. An event could have thousand of people, but creating opportunities for people to create relationships is why they come back. How you use people’s time matters. This has helped me in how I participate on the local community with those interested in Casino. If events and classes are not building community OR fun, then people don’t come back. And when people see this, they want to join in.
Also, as someone who is 24 and interested in casino dance, I see now why it is so important to invest in our youth. I am typically amongst the younger few at socials and the communities I see thriving the most are engaging with younger groups of people. So please, invest in us young ones.
We hope that our reflections inspire you to travel or change something this year for the better. What are your reflections from traveling? Do you share some of the same thoughts as us? Please let us know in the comments below. Thank you so much for reading.
Bueno…ya tu sabes.
Ya Tu Sabes 