Stop Press : SalsaJay

SalsaJay was in the papers. And not any paper, mind you. It's The Star !

Alright .... by now, some of you out there would have responded by this thought ... "soooo what". Well ... it's true .. so what. But it's quite a big deal for me though. Besides the fact that my awkward posing photos being plastered on the middle page of Metro section (for the 2nd time now), I am pretty proud that SalsaJay made it to the press. After all, SalsaJay has never advertised itself as a professional dance school or whatsoever.

Let's just say .. we're just a bunch of reeeeeaaally good friends who came together to learn a fusion of informal dance styles having roots in the Caribbean (especially Cuba), Latin America and North America (as described in Wikipedia.org).

Did you also know that the name "Salsa" is the Spanish word for sauce, connoting a spicy flavor. The Salsa aesthetic is more flirtatious and sensuous than its ancestor Cuban Son. Salsa also suggests a "mixture" of ingredients, though this meaning is not found in most stories of the term's origin.

SalsaJay is just that.

A good "mixture" of individuals from different ethnic and social background with probably very different personalities ... all coming together to this wild música tropical experience that draws upon or reflects elements of Latin culture, regardless of the specific style. Now .. that's a mouthful, whatever it means.

Anyway ... back to the reason SalsaJay was in the papers. I guess it was case of being at the right place ... at the right time.

Many of you may have heard or read the series of articles on Bavani and Mak from Star, taking up Salsa lessons. Well, I've been following up on their stories and somehow met them at the opening of Salsa night in Red Bar, Kota Damansara. After a brief introduction, Bavani called me asking if SalsaJay would like to perform for a charity dinner. That's how all this began.

For the benefits of those who did not manage to read the newspaper articles on Mak and Bavani, I did a little digging and came up with this chronicle.

25th April - Having fun learning the salsa

2nd May - No choice but to change coach

16th May - The adorable salsa shoes!

23rd May - First public demo a real humbling but happy experience

29th May - Move by the plight of the little ones

30th May - Dressing up for the great dance

6th June - A night not to be missed

So there it was. The story of how 2 individuals who totally can't differentiate between salsa as a dance to a dipping sauce, embarking on the journey to appreciate, to learn and finally to express the Salsa es Ritmo!