If you count the number of Bachata dancers there are, thats how many dance styles are out there.

Again, i know your post is about Dublin, but since there are more Bachata dancers outside of Dublin than in it, i thought i would comment on my experience. From going to clubs, it appears the most common or popular style, is what we know as "Italian" style made most famous by Tony Lara. This is most easily recognisable for its up close nature, and a lot of turn patterns. It is not dissimilar to the "US" style of Jorje that you are talking about.

When I trained with Tony Lara I started with a foundation of the Italian Style, and then he introduced elements of Dominican Bachata, and Bachata Tango.

When I trained with Inaki Fernandez, i learned more about the Domincan style, and how to lead it, since the connection here is totally different.

I have found that all of my students prefer to learn a fusion of styles rather than just 1 particular style. Because the more diverse their knowlege, the more people they can dance with. My students would be familiar with a style which fuses elements of Italian/US Bachata, Dominican Bachata, and what is more commonly being known as Urban Bachata. I have also taken some Tango Lessons, and learned how to incorporate some of the Tango connection, and weight transfer exercises into my Bachata. This way, they can adapt to nearly any partner or any music. Jorje makes you feel like a princess? isnt that sweet! Ive seen him dance, yes, his connection with the lady is quite amazing. He has done some great work for spreading bachata around the world. Check out Lee El Gringito, he also dances "US" style, and if I am not mistaken was Bachata teacher of the year at some point.

Also, shout out to my boy Frank Santos, he has got some funky footwork man!

What style did you favor when you were training?

Peace and Love,

Tom

I am still training and always will.. I learned his style .

I dint say he makes me feel like a princess but he makes me feel good seen him the way he dances and feels the music and the Partner. Talking with those girls that have dance with him sad that he makes them feel like a  princess...

I have seen him dance in Galway with one of the students which that student end it up been a teacher in Cork with very respectable Salsa Dance Company. By god he made her look like she was dancing BACHATA for many years but from talking to her that was not the case. After I was talking to the girl her self and I ask her how did it feel ?  she sad my body was doing things that I dint think I could ever do. I just close my eyes and listen to the music I felled every movement was coming from

his hart and he was connecting with my feelings and my hart was beating so fast when the music stop one thing I sad ho my god THAT'S HOW GOOD IT FELLED....

For me Jorge Elizondo is my Idol he was the 1st Bachata dancer I had seen or meet. He talked to me about what is Bachata and the key components you need to be a good Bachata dancer . Feel the Music. Feel the person your dancing with. Lead them from your hart and the Music. Always make them feel in that moment she is the princess no one around you exists.

As a teacher he sad . You teach your students with all the principals that you up hold on the dance and the Music. When you know your student is wright acknowledge and be proud and learn something from it. He believes the best teaching happen with the students not with your self. Be humbled and teach your students the same way.

Their is so much more but i live it with that..

For someone who lambasted other posters over "self-promotion" Tom talks an awful lot about his "students". But anyhow it is a very interesting point that you make Mario. I recently took a class with Inaki and it was a complete eye opener to me. I had previously known Bachata to be up close and personal but not always the case. He spoke a lot about the different styles. Its a pity we dont have that many styles being taught in Dublin/Ireland - at least that I know of.

DK

well DK, firstly, appologies if i offended you or one of your collegues. that was never my intention, all i did was quote the site rules on advertising, not at anyone in particular, i was just concerned people had forgotten, and might get in trouble of be banned from the forum. hardly a "lambasting" but ok, if it struck a nerve, im sorry.

secondly, i am adhering to those rules. i am making no attempt to promote myself or my classes here in the forum. i simply answered the question on styles by posting what i have seen, and what i teach, so mario can find out what styles are out there. after all, that was the purpose of his question right?

anyway... i agree with you about Inaki he puts a different angle on it alright, his style is great, and ive learned a lot from him, and i hope to learn a lot more in the future too. he is a great teacher.

again DK, sorry if my post seemed like a lambasting as you put it, but if you read over it again, im sure you will see all i did was quote the site rules.

Peace and Love,

Tom

Tom, I first posted that I was surprised at Mario's thread so I agree fully that it seemed as Mike described it. However, if you were concerned about Mario being banned you could have used a private message rather than a public post. The fact you used a public post did make it seem to me that you were making a statement.

On the topic of bachata styles: it's not something that can be answered with a definitive style A or style B or even a combination of A and B, C, D etc. Mark's article on leading points to this really and Manuel Mascarell is continuously repeating that it's all about the music and your partner. If you're a guy and she wants to dance on 1, then you dance on 1, if she wants on 2, then that's what she gets, if cuban, then cuban, if she dances on the clave then that's what you do, if she can do a double spin then that's what you do, if it's multiple then that's it, this is his mantra (along with it fitting the music). I'm orienting this at the guys because you have the control in deciding the dance and thus the style. So, the style that's nicest is the one that has the two people saying to their respective friends: "He/she was great to dance with, I loved it, they made me feel...." You can fill in the ellipsis

Peace and Amorous affections.

Thank you so much Tom for all the help it meant allot you showing what ( donkeykong ) sad about ( Naysayers ) some people who where using the forum on my thread ... Next time just do what Jak sad private message ..

Hi Jak,

As i explained on my last reply that Mike delete. Yes I am a club Promoter . My thread was meant for me to understand what other people's feelings are about Bachata classes and Clubs in Dublin. I was going to listen to them and learn some thing from it. Because as we do provide a service we have to understand what other customers like Davey and Tom or your self think about Bachata clubs and classes in Dublin.If some Promoters think  what i did was wrong they are entitled to their opinion. But as a teacher and promoter I believe we mast strive to give the best service to our costumers. I believe in order to do so  we must know what Bachata clubs and classes costumers like. We AS Promoters will learn from this Dance Companies that are providing this service.

As for advertisement I was not the 1st to start advertising my classes and clubs If you look some of Tom's replies then you would start thinking where is the fairness. If othere was thinking that my post was for this indeed they had the power to delete long before all the comments were made..

But I respect  Mike's dasision.

To be honest I am sorely tempted to give you both a time out and send you to the naughty step.

First off if you re-read Tom's posts in the other thread you will see that he never once mentioned where or when he teaches classes. He did mention a number of clubs and classes that are run by other people but there was no self promotion at all that I could see.

In his reply to this thread he was answering the question posed by Mario about styles to say that these are the styles he has learned and who he learned them from. If he strays into blatant advertising\self promotion he will be smacked for it (It has happened before and I have deleted a post that Tom made in error. Despite Marios accusation there are no favourites in my eyes, if anything I know Mario better as I have only ever met Tom once briefly at Salsa School where as one of my best friends (he was actually one of my groomsmen) has worked as part of the Salsa Dublin team) but so far he's behaved himself and I respect him for that.

Mario you said: "As for advertisement I was not the 1st to start advertising my classes and clubs If you look some of Tom's replies then you would start thinking where is the fairness." Can you point out any posts that I missed in a PM so that I can review them and if necessary delete them?

There has been too much sniping, point scoring and arguing on the site recently for my liking and I have heard from a number of people that the comments of a few are putting them off getting involved in the site. This site was setup to be a community area where EVERYONE felt welcome to join in the conversation and discuss their shared love of salsa.

The sad truth is that the only people that are going to end up being hurt as the result of a conversation like this is you guys, the promoters. Your potential customers are reading this forum right now, we get thousands of hits every day most of them repeat visitors who come to read the threads without participating in the conversation and what you post here reflects on your business. Would you rather be known as the salsa promoters that argue with everyone or the promoters who are able to have a friendly conversation with each other and who are respecting the abilities of your piers and learning from each other?

Please let this be the last time I have to post on this topic as an administrator rather than a member of the community.

- Edited by Mike on 02/09/2010 at 17:03

Hi Tom

First of all let me just say that I didnt take offence to your earlier posts so there is no need to apologise, I did think there was an element of fairness missing especially as Mario's posts were deleted and all of the sniping was left in. But thanks anyway I appreciate your reply.

Secondly Mario is not a colleague of mine. In fact I am not a promoter or teacher at all. I am merely an independent observer.

I still think your posting of the site rules was meant to harm Mario rather than look to his interests but lets leave that for now. I also think that several posts (not yours) were tongue in cheek and were from other promoters having a go at the Globe which I personally think is a great place to dance (hence my contribution). That thread in my opinion is now biased against the Globe and should really be deleted all together, but that is a decision for someone else.

DK

Hi DK,

I didn't get that impression at all (biased against the globe) but maybe I missed something, could you send me a private message with details so I can review them?

If you click on my name below there is a "Send a message" link on my profile page.

Thanks,

Mike

Hi Mike,

With great respect to the promoter that tom has promoted. I can a sure you that Tom works with her by teaching with her and performing.

 I and my girlfriend have great respect for you and your partner that you run Salsa School and we are very grateful for you and your partner helping my girlfriend.

Is true that you dont have favourites in your eyes. the reason I respect this type of job is because you have created this site for the salsa community in Ireland for interaction, brainstorming salsa community and is service so that promoter and organizers have an understanding what they think  so that it will lead better quality of dance for the salsa community in ireland. It make it difficult to police when some promoters have bad intentions and some times we can be played in to without even realizing because you and I belive and shear this: :''This site was setup to be a community area where EVERYONE felt welcome to join in the conversation and discuss their shared love of salsa''...

For that I respect your dasision.

I want to make some points  : My threat was never meant for self advertising but promoting the beadiful dance Bachata and for me to have some understanding what customers think about Bachata services that is provided in dublin. As a Promoter of SalsaDublin & BachataDublin and provides a service to over 300 hundred customers every week. I am perfectly in title to have created that threat provident that i didn't break any rules of the sight.

I do feel an element of fairness missing especially as Tom's advertisement was left there. My posts were deleted and all of the sniping was left in.I.. alos do feel what Donkekong sad..quoting him.. I also think that several posts (not yours) were tongue in cheek and were from other promoters having a go at the Globe which I personally think is a great place to dance (hence my contribution). That thread in my opinion is now biased against the Globe and should really be deleted all together, but that is a decision for someone else..

I have to acknowledge that i did break the rules of the sight and i accept the punishment a cording to the rules of the websit by posting about one of my nights location and club.

Thanks

Yeeoch!   Havent had a chance to put an oar in yet but here goes: 

Did the last thread bend the rules a little?  Yes, maybe a little, but not massively, I mean it wasnt like a ton of jpgs and links etc.  It was a "hey there I do this in Dublin if you are interested", a mild n' gentle plug at best, and the topic / thread changed direction after that so I didnt see the harm.   I dont know sexymario directly afaik ( except thru this site ) but I think he would have tidied up the thread himself if asked ( I've yet to meet an unreasonable person on this site - even the ones I dont agree with )    I know the admins rule is law on this one, its his/their site after all, but I thought that this advert thing was y'know, to avoid spammers and really bad breaches of ettiquette?  Not this stuff surely?

Just as an aside, the problem with advertising on the other link is that Salsa.ie is expanding its scope.   Salsa.ie now handles lots of latin stuff thats finding a foothold and there currently is no way of being able to go:  "I'm interested in just Salsa - whats on where?", or "Bachata sounds great", what are the clubs that hold it?"  but everyone, EVERYONE, looks at the main forum when they hit this site, making saying something in conversation there a tempting way of ensuring you get the message out there. 

Salsa instructors passionate about their clubs tend to wax lyrical about their clubs - as a former obsessive type I can deffo understand that

Anywho, just as a suggestion/ improvement, it would be a little cool if something could be added to the other link just for styles?  i.e. a select by type as well as select by day feature?   Maybe it might help?

Long post, but really my two cents on this would be just to urge everyone to avoid making this a 'obey the rules or suffer' site, and just apply a fair usage approach to the rules currently in place.  

Best regards + EA

/H.