Salsa Stil Going Strong Here

Salsa is still doing fine on these Islands but not on the Mainland. Perhaps they just had too many places and diluted the participants.

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance."

We got the latest: We regret to inform our readers that the Latin Dance Palace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is no more. For the last three years they had some of the best Salsa dancers in the North East to rival any from New York. People use to come from miles around. But now after dwindling attendance this year, they did not wish to lose any more money and had to call it quits.

Back in the days when Mambo was king and being slowly surpassed by Salsa, we accepted that the young always rule in things like that. They "must" have something new all the time. The do not like "zapatos viejos" (old shoes.) Back in the fifties, I thought the Mambo beat was the absolute greatest. This was later surpassed by the Cha Cha Cha. Of course the basic step in both was the great drawing for old and young alike.

"Moliendo Cafe" by Azucar Moreno

So that when young people get to pass into their late thirties, they tend to find joy in moving to the music that they have always liked. And find it easier to connect with different partners that are familiar with the same steps and movements. That is the reason for the great popularity of the "Oldies But Goodies" sector.

They shy away from LAGS, (the Latest And Greatest Syndrome.) They are not interested in exhibitions, though occasionally, one movement will get their fancy and they add it just for fun. Hence the social dancer, the biggest group on these Islands, the Cultural dancer. And fortunately more people are accepting this category.

"You don't stop dancing from growing old,
you grow old from stopping to dance."

We are still in process of getting the best men dancers in the island of Oahu. They are there and we are not going to be surprised. However we do not promise instantaneous solutions. We are going to go about this slowly. But we know they are there and ready for line dancing. The same goes for a more island wide readership. Too many think in terms of their own little kuliana. They have been slow about thinking West, but sure as hell, it is moving in a Westerly direction. We lost the Dance Pavilion in Waipio because of the Rail Disaster, but we have to find something else.

"There is nothing certain, except the unforeseen."