Getting LAI'd Consistently

[EVENT REVIEW - LA Influence Monthly Social, Long Beach, CA | August 5, 2011]

After a self-imposed 3-month hiatus from salsa, I decided to make my "comeback" last Friday at the LAI Salsa social. It's been a while since I last attended an LAI event but I already knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed.

What can one expect at this social?

• Packed House --- 280 guests (and counting?) --- although even with the crowd, there was plenty of room to dance.
• Great Lessons --- Peter and his crew delivered a wonderful class...infused not only with clean technique, but also proper etiquette.
• Awesome Music --- DJ Mambo T made it hard to sit still churning out one great song after another.
• Delicious Food --- All that dancing can make a person ravenous and the plate of $1 tacos I had disappeared very quickly. 
• Exceptional Performance --- The LAI team, which doesn't always perform at the social, looked sharp and on-point during their exciting routine. Peter and Ciara did a great job choreographing this piece with touches of rueda, salsa, intricate transitions, and tricks. This team will definitely stand out at future festivals and competitions. 
• Welcoming Atmosphere & Vibe --- When I walked in, I was greeted with smiles and hugs. It felt like I was coming home. The vibe at this social is never pretentious or cliquish. I managed to dance so many times, I lost count...and I was able to get dances in with people I'd never met before. I stayed so long, we closed the place down --- "You don't have to go home, but you gotta get the hell up outta here!!" LOL

All in all, what I found that night (and in the nights I'd attended since February) is that for Peter, Ciara and their team, CONSISTENCY is their key to success. I had an amazing time --- I already knew I would --- and I can hardly wait until next month.

Until then...

HAWAII ON2 - Day 5 | Farewell & Alone Time

Today was Ruth's last morning in Hawaii.
The lonely pangs began last night, but rather than put a damper on our last hours together, I pushed through...until now.

I awoke to find Ruth gone. After talking until 4am that morning, she was sweet enough to let me sleep in while she ran down to McD's to get us breakfast. As luck would have it, she got stuck with the "new girl" on the McD crew and rookie got the order wrong. When Ruth got back to our room, she realized that she was mistakenly given someone else's order. So I threw some clothes on and we ran back over there together to get our correct orders --- Rice, Scrambled Eggs, Spam, and Portuguese Sausage --- ONLY in Hawaii. (((McSeriously???)))

After breakfast, I couldn't let Ruth return to the mainland without visiting our favorite store --- ABC --- one final time. LOL So we stopped in for a quick second and turned in our receipts (which totaled over $100 --- so sad) for a free gift. With my new reusable Hawaii bag in tow, we went back up to the hotel to gather Ruth's things, went down to the front desk to check her out, and officially check me in, and wait for her shuttle to the airport

As I waited with her, I was struck with the realization --- I'm blessed with many friends. And I'm always thankful. Going out...hanging out with friends...is always fun. But it's very rare to find a good friend you get along well enough to travel with — and not want to commit murder or rather, be minus a friend, by the end of the trip. Ruth was the perfect traveling companion. Over the past 4 days, we seemed to laugh non-stop, we bonded...connected...and there was the underlying commitment to take care of one another while we were away from home. I felt very comfortable and completely unfettered on this trip. And with this thought, I let the pangs of loneliness hit me and I was overcome with sadness because she was leaving.

It was quite a different feeling going back up to the room on my own. Housekeeping had come and gone...taking my rollaway bed with them...and I had the place all to myself. I absently flipped through the TV channels and half thought to just hole myself up in the room until evening. But I had promised Ruth that I wouldn't become a hermit on my last day...that I would venture out --- take the bus or a walk --- and have a bit of an adventure of my own. Being from LA, I'm quite "mentally defective" when it comes to public transportation. I'd spent the last few days telling Ruth that getting on a bus freaks me out because knowing me and my horrible sense of direction, I'll get on the wrong bus and end up on North Shore, when all I wanted to do was go to the mall down the street. LOL

But a promise is a promise...So I channeled my sense of adventure and my determination to make the most of my last day on the island, grabbed my backpack, and decided to take the half mile walk to the park/beach where the Salsa Festival Beach Party was going to be. Incidentally, the Festival was being held at the Prince Kuhio Waikiki --- and Waikiki Beach was literally a block or two away from the hotel. But because they needed the space and a permit for an event for over 100 people, they had to hold the beach party at Ala Moana Beach which was closer to my hotel.

The Black Eyed Peas makes for a great walking soundtrack. I got to the park in no time at all...and I proceeded to walk along the entire length of the beach shoreline looking for the party. I got a few strange looks from the families that were gathered for their Sunday picnics. I may have looked a little too long at them, trying to figure out if they were the Salsa festival peeps. I didn't see the party, so I sort of gave up and circled around the other end of the beach up to the park area which was closer to the street and headed back to the hotel.

I love discovering little bits of street art --- on the sidewalk I found a spray-painted word "HAPPINESS" and an arrow pointing towards the direction of my hotel.

At the end of the path, I finally found the Salsa party...I spotted the dancers and followed the bachata music to the picnic. The fare was simple --- fruit punch, water, chips, salsa, and dip, vegetable cru d'etat, and the funkiest hot dogs I'd ever seen --- I dubbed them "Red Dye No. 5 Dogs" --- because I'm almost certain, no matter how many preservatives you put into something, that color wouldn't occur naturally.


I spent a couple of hours mingling, dancing, water-balloon-tossing...and after an afternoon in the sun, I decided to head back to the hotel to rest up before going to the closing social. Rest didn't come very quickly for me though, because a friend asked to come back to the room and sleep off an eye condition and headache. I couldn't say no to someone who needed my help. And while Ive known this person for quite some time...I can't say were were close friends, so while he crashed out for a while, I used the time to pack and run down to ABC on the corner and pick up a few souvenirs to share with friends and family back home --- Okay...I admit, I also wanted to say "goodbye" to the ABC folks. Aside from Ruth, I saw more of the ABC employees than anyone else. I felt like we were friends. LOL

After about 3 hours, my friend finally woke up and I had to send him on his way back to the Festival. I think he was half expecting me to get ready and share a cab ride with him to the social. But I begged off...wanting to take a nap myself and telling him I'd just see him later on at the festival. Once he was gone and I was on my own again, the exhaustion kicked in. I debated on whether I wanted to get all dressed up and take the bus to the social. The "tiredness" won the battle and I ended up finishing up with my packing, showering and settling in for the night. It was nice to just have some "me" time.

At Midnight, once everything was packed and I had my clothes and things ready for the flight the next day, I set the alarm on my phone, and went to sleep.

HAWAII ON2 - Day 4 | Dance, Dance, Dance!!

Saturday was all about dancing.

Ruth 's friend, Clem came by treated me and Ruth to breakfast at a pub on the marina. They had a fantastic Crab Benedict. A larger meal than normal for me, but it seemed justified because I planned to dance it all off.

After breakfast, Ruth and I caught the bus to the Festival. Time for some WORKSHOPS!!!

10am - Partnerwork On2 for Ruth & Rio-style Brazilian Samba for me

11am - Pachanga w/ Mambo Shines

12noon - We were going to take an On2 Partnerwork and Mambo concepts class but we weren't "feeling" the instructor, so we left the hotel to go for a walk and find a snack. We walked down a few blocks to Waikiki Beach to people watch and snap a few photos (proof we were there LOL) and on the way back, we found a shaved ice shop. I had an ice treat with condensed milk and sweet red beans --- similar to the Filipino dessert "halo halo"...and Ruth had a taro smoothie.

1pm - Latin Hip Hop class with ReKreation --- hot routine!!!

After that class, there wasn't anything else on the schedule we were interested in taking, so we hopped a bus back to our hotel to relax for a bit.

For some reason, we didn't get back to the Festival for the social dance until really late. We were on vacation mode and moving kind of slowly, I guess. The place was packed when we got there. This time, I made it a point to dance with more new faces...rather than with people I already knew. I have to say it again --- people here dance REALLY WELL. The teachers here really know what they're doing. :)

Though I danced more this night than on Thursday, I felt like I didn't have "my feet under me." There are times when I get that strange vibe and I can't connect --- my styling was "off" and my turns felt very cautious and unsteady. Ruth had a charlie horse in her calf that she couldn't dance or stretch away. We didn't seem to be doing too well. I think the trip was finally catching up with us... LOL...Guess we can't party like the young ones anymore...We stayed as long as we could, but didn't dance as much as we wanted to. We still managed to stay close to 2am, though. At the end of the night, we took a cab back to the hotel...and Ruth began packing her bags because she was flying out the next day.

There was a nice bonding moment as we were trying to go to sleep...talking in the dark...Ruth in the bed...me in my rollaway cot...girl talk and sharing...It was nice --- Kind of rare to be able to travel with a friend and get along so well that you don't actually want to kill each other by the end of the trip. I couldn't help but feel sad knowing that she wouldn't be there much longer.

Around 4am, we were both fading fast --- falling asleep mid-sentence --- so we ended the conversation and crashed out.

HAWAII ON2 - Day 3 | After the Excursions

I returned to the hotel about an hour before Ruth. Grabbed a quick bite to eat at McD's --- Filet O' Fish meal since it was Friday (LENT) --- Incidentally, I didn't actually remember it was Friday until I was staring up at the board wondering what to order. I had managed up until then to avoid eating meat --- Hawaiian Rolls and Coffee for breakfast and Almonds & Dried Mango for a snack while I was at the Memorial. This was my first real "meal" of the day.

I had a bit of "me" time while I ate my meal and watched a little TV.

Ruth came in about 40 minutes later --- a bit more tan and looking very relaxed and tired. Her kayaking excursion also included a one-hour body massage. LUCKY GIRL!! After rinsing the seawater and massage oil, she settled in for a nap and I followed suit since I wasn't feeling well and didn't sleep much the night before. Our tentative plan for the evening was to wake up in an hour, get ready, and take the bus to the Festival to dance for a few hours and then cab it to 8 Fat Fat 8 for some Karaoke with an old friend of Ruth's.

I opened my eyes after 11pm to find Ruth awake and watching TV.

Me (still groggy): Are we still going out?

Ruth: No, it's late and you needed to rest. We both needed to rest.

Me: I'm sorry to have slept so much. You could have just left me here and gone out on your own.

Ruth: It's okay. I'm tired too. Let's just get some sleep because we have a big day tomorrow.

And that's how we rolled on our Friday night in Honolulu.

Like the Partay Animalz we are..........................We slept in.

***SMH***

HAWAII ON2 - Day 2 | Salsa Festival - First Impressions

Day 2 --- Heading to the Salsa Festival

8:20p - LA could really take some lessons from Honolulu's amazing public transit system. You really don't need a car here.

8:50p - where's the #20?! We've been waiting here almost 30 minutes!

8:57p - Uh Oh... I'm starting to develop a cough. F#%$ing post-nasal drip!!! Bah!!! :(

8:59p - Finally saw "5-oh" drive by. Was just telling Ruth earlier that we haven't seen Hawaii Police anywhere. Weird.

9:04p - The bus we've been waiting for stopped running at 6pm. DUH!!

9:30p - We're finally at the Congress. Time to register, get our shirts, and go in!

This is my very first out-of-state Salsa Festival/Congress. I haven't been to the LA one in quite some, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a little intimidating to walk into a room full of dancers you've never seen before - not knowing who the "big fishes" were, who the instructors were, — all levels and styles of dancers intermingling....but at the same time, it was also refreshing not to know who was who. I simply enjoyed watching all of the dancers...how they moved...gauging how well the guys lead the ladies, etc. There was a whole new mix of personalities to figure out and it was kind of cool to be the "newbie".

Some of the highlights and main points for me:

• The ratio of ON2 dancers to ON1 was probably around 4 to 1. Awesome!!
• Clearly the caliber of instructors in Hawaii is much greater! Everyone dances really well here. Scary. LOL
• The performances were surprisingly great...Most notably, ReKreation from Houston, TX and Serena Cuevas. (Note to self: I need to blog about these performers later.)

Good salsa buddy, David Solivan flew out at the last minute for the Festival. I only danced a few times --- twice with him...dealing with these allergies and congestion the few dances I had nearly did me in --- lungs on fire and everything. It was warm in there and I was sweating, but I think it was more of a cold sweat since I was sick. I felt like I had to really pace myself, otherwise I'd be down for the rest of the week. All in all, I was perfectly happy to sit and watch all the dancers. Ruth and I ended up staying longer than we intended. We almost closed the place down.

Not too shabby for our first night at the Festival.

HAWAII ON2 - Day 2 | Resting, Relaxing, & Ready to Dance

Thank God for my neti pot. I brought one with me because somehow, I knew I'd need it. I'm now testing the claim that regular use of a neti pot shortens the duration of a cold. We'll see. I'm definitely feeling better. Still congested --- but for now, it's a head cold...and I'm doing everything I can to keep it from becoming a chest cold.

Walked to the coffeeshop on the next block for breakfast. Chai Latte & McD's breakfast sandwich for me. Coffee & Belgium waffle for Ruth. Incidentally, only in Hawaii will McD's serve breakfast platters with rice, eggs, Spam, & Portuguese sausage.

After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to hang out at the pool. Our original plan included going out and exploring Waikiki. But we were both tired and the thought of basking in the sunshine and cool breeze was more appealing.

On a side note, there's an ABC General Store on every corner here. I've seen the inside of at least 3 of them and I haven't even been here a full 24 hours.

At the pool, a guy overheard our conversation and asked if we were in town for the Salsa Festival. We all sat in the jacuzzi and talked for about an hour. Abron is a transplant from Portland. He's a regular in the salsa scene in Honolulu. Looks like Ruth and I are guaranteed at least one dance at the Opening Party tonight.

While sunning and pooling, the breakfast wore off, so we went up, showered and changed and went off to try the nearby Chinese buffet. Hey, no way can Filipinos pass up a buffet opportunity. Food was good, but sadly, even being in beautiful Hawaii doesn't disguise the mediocrity of Chinese buffet cuisine.

Back from our late lunch/early dinner...we are stuffed and we ate too much, but that's okay, since we'll be working most of it off on the dancefloor tonight. We're currently back in the hotel room --- ready to take a nap --- and rest up before catching the bus to the Hilton Hawaii Prince Kuhio for the official start of the Festival.

More later...

HAWAII ON2 - Day 1 | Acclimating, Adjusting, and Allergies

As luck would have it, just as my plane was descending yesterday, I started sneezing and wheezing....my body on cue to start breaking down since I was officially on vaycay. CRAP!!

I've been here in Hawaii for a little over 24 hours and I've spend most of my money on medication and kleenex. With my body adjusting to the climate, the allergies are in full force. And I absolutely REFUSE to get SICK. After two hours of sleep the night before, the crazy drama with my car, and the flight in, I was EXHAUSTED - physically and emotionally.

After a little sightseeing and a visit to the local mall—which would be the probable equivalent if "Del Amo Mall" & "Rodeo Drive" had a baby—we grabbed dinner and drinks with one of Ruth's old friends and walked back to our hotel.

The time difference makes it feel like time stands still here. My body was definitely still on LA time. Hiking the mile back from the mall at 9pm was a struggle.

A hot shower and a Benadryl later, I knocked out for the evening. Thank goodness Ruth was exhausted too --- she was able to sleep through my "log sawing"...It's hard to sleep when you can't breathe through your nose.

HAWAII-bound | Day One - Flying out!!!

DAY ONE --- 3/16/2011

6:20a - Traffic this early?? REALLY????

6:40a - Tire blows out/shreds on my way to the office...one exit away (La Tijera). Thankfully Freeway Service Patrol spotted me when I hit my hazards and pulled over. I didn't even have to pick up my phone to call.

7:20a - Stressing the hell out. Still on the fwy. The patrol guy couldn't get the bolts off my rim. Three diff trucks showed up. Three service guys and None of them could get it - my wheel key was cracked. :( that's what I get for getting fancy ass rims.

7:35a - Patrol finally decides to tow my car. Alison meets me at the gas station to take me to the airport.

7:45a - Finally at LAX. (Thank you, Alison - for the ride and for helping me stay calm.) Called Dad en route to LAX to deliver an update. He advised me to enjoy my vacation and he'll take care of my car..."Don't worry," he says. THANK YOU, DAD!!! See? I'll ALWAYS need you!

8:00a - Got my bag checked. Two things: 1) Why did I bother to check in online and print my boarding pass yesterday? It didn't get me through any faster. And 2) I thought you could check one bag for free with Hawaiian Air. I was wrong. :( $25 per checked bag. What?!?!? Oh well.

8:15a - Getting through security took a while. Not sure why people raised such a big stink about the body scanners. They weren't a big deal. I have nothing to hide and if a TSA agent is going to get all hot and bothered over an infrared scan of my wobbly bits? More power to him!

8:40a - On board. Last texts to family and friends before takeoff and this phone's going on "airplane mode."

9:00a - Time for takeoff!

9:15a - "Fasten Seat Belt" sign is off. Outta the way!! I've gotta PEE!!!

9:30a - Kids in row behind me kicking my seat. Should I go off? Or consider it "turbulence"? I don't give a F#%*. I'm on my way to Hawaii!

10:00a - Everything costs MONEY! Can't even watch an episode of GLEE w/o paying! Thank God for my iPhone and iPod --- and for one of the few free features on this plane - USB charging ports!!!

10:40a - Complimentary Breakfast Frittata and Blueberry Muffin. Sustenance!!! Yay! I was starving. No time to stop b/c of my car drama this morning.

Food is actually tasty...or maybe I'm just THAT hungry.

10:50a - Note to self: Fly FIRST CLASS someday just to see what it's like.

10:52a - Just added to my "Wish List": a new iPad. Angry Birds looks so cool on it.

If I had a Mac Air, I'd have brought it with me to watch movies. My MacBook is so bloody heavy! But I'm loving my iPhone right now!! #applegadgetsrock

11:02a - 3rd cup of coffee. Only slept 2 hrs last night. I should be knocked out even w/ all this caffeine.

11:34a - I had a major case of GAS. Was trying to chill out and not get up again. Didn't wanna be known as "Bathroom Lady." But the cramps won. Feeling better. Now I can play Angry Birds w/o interruption.

11:38a - 3 hrs, 15 mins to go. That's a LOT of Angry Birds.

So many iPads and mini laptops around me. Looks like me and my iPhone are out of style.

11:50a - Just spoke w/ girl next to me abt her iPad. Wow!!! I really want one now! :) She told me sales tax is about half in Hawaii. Hmmm.........

11:53a - 3 more hours...maybe I should try to sleep for a while.

12:53p - Closed my eyes for roughly an hour. Couldn't fully fall asleep. So tired. Two more hours in the air - about 1,000 miles to go.

12:58p - Lovey-dovey, cuddle-happy couple across the aisle from me is kinda annoying. Wish I was better at recognizing celebs. The guy looks like Hugh Laurie from HOUSE MD...or, a drunken rockstar from some Indie band. Where is Alan when I need him??

Lots of interracial couples on this flight.

1:45p - To the couple sitting in front of annoying cuddlers. HOW did YOU TWO end up together??? #heartwantswhatitwants

Maybe Rocky and Di were right... Perhaps I have to turn into a helpless female to snag a man. I think I've been going about this the wrong way. I'm too strong and independent?? Really?

But wait. I AM helpless. See post from 7:45a.

1:57p - One hour to go. Captain just asked if there was a doctor or RN aboard. Assistance is needed two rows ahead of me (37E)

Oxygen tank just went by.
Hope they're ok.

2:17p - Agriculture Forms. I forgot. Hawaii thinks they're a whole other country.

37 minutes till we land! Woot!!!!

2:26p - Less than 30 mins to go...I can feel our descent. The recycled air is making me sneeze.

Time to turn off electronics!!!

2:54p / 11:54a Hawaii time - We have landed!!!! Woot!!

Long Beach Gets LAI'd Every First Friday

[EVENT REVIEW - LA Influence Monthly Social, Long Beach, CA | February 4, 2011]

Last month, I made a rare discovery. I attended a salsa social that had every good thing that seems to be lacking in the regular salsa scene. I present to you --- The Get LAI'D Salsa Social.

The name is playful and somewhat misleading for some...but take note, LAI stands for L.A. Influence. Maybe the name isn't misleading at all...isn't a really great dance even better than sex?? Well okay...not really...but I digress...LOL

The Location:

The Long Beach Dance Center is on Ocean Blvd in Long Beach. I'm not sure if there was more to the complex, but the room/studio where the social was being held was HUGE. There was ample, free parking in the lot across the street — not sure if it's free during the week, but it's free on Friday night.

The Lesson:

Since this was my first time attending this social. I showed up a little early. Imagine my surprise to find the place packed with dancers. My first reaction was to look at my cell phone and check the time because I wondered if it was actually later. But no --- I was early, and this was just THE DANCE LESSON!

There were two classes going on. The large class in the main room was bachata and the smaller class in the back room was (I believe) salsa. The size of the class was astounding --- close to 100 (?) students all paired up and forming a large circle around the room. And as LAI co-founder/director Peter Araiza taught the class, several things stood out to me:

1. He kept the class in order - This is NOT an easy feat when dealing with so many students at once. I've been in classes and helped teach classes with a mere fraction of that number and even then, it was chaos.

2. He danced with (almost) every lady in his class. During the rotations, he would not only get the lovely Lyssin to help demonstrate the ladies' moves in the pattern, he grabbed ladies out of the circle to run the patterns during the class.

3. He TAUGHT THE LEADERS ABOUT DANCE ETIQUETTE. This was a beginning class and what most teachers in LA (or anywhere) fail to do is teach basic dance etiquette. It only takes a few minutes to explain how to ask a lady to dance, how to lead her onto the floor, and how to lead her back to her seat (or where you found her). Peter does this in ALL of his classes. There have been times when someone won't even ask me, they'll just grab my hand and start tugging me towards the floor and after the dance, they'll hug me and then just walk away. I was so surprised and pleased to find an instructor out there who injects basic etiquette into his lesson. And not only does he teach it, he SHOWS BY EXAMPLE....which leads me to #4...

4. He took the time to dance with as many ladies during the social as possible. He had his dance team and many friends in the crowd, but instead of sticking to his group, he took the time to ask several different ladies to dance. I watched as he asked them to dance, held out his arm to lead them to the floor, dance with them, and then offer up his arm again to escort them back to their seat. It was so reminiscent of Fred Astaire and quite lovely to witness. If every man in his class took that one etiquette lesson to heart and practiced it, dancefloors all over Southern California would improve by leaps and bounds.

The Social:

To quote DJ Mambo T, "If this is just the size of the class, the social is going to be psychotic!!!"

When the social began immediately after class, people were STILL coming in. It was crowded, but there was still plenty of room to dance. It was quite interesting that, though the place was packed to capacity, there weren't very many familiar faces. Usually, that means I'll be fighting the ladies for the one or two guys that I know are good leads. But at this social, the unfamiliar faces meant more new chances to get that great dance! Gone were the cliques and groups of friends huddled together --- only dancing with each other. It was refreshing to be asked to dance at every turn. Most in the crowd were beginners, but it was easy to get lost in the music and just have fun, despite the usual basic-CBL-basic-right hand turn patterns. It was great to see everyone having a good time.

The Music:

If DJ Mambo T is at the helm, it's safe to assume the music is going to be great. He's one of the rare deejays that actually watches the crowd and plays songs to accommodate the vibe. He pulled out great gems from his vast collection and kept the dancefloor moving without missing a beat. In between sets, there was additional awesome live music by Meneao (?) --- their covers were on point and not overly-long --- giving everyone a chance to get their boogie on and then take a quick breath before the next song lured them back to the floor.

The Floor:

As a dancer, I need to make a comment on the actual dancefloor itself. Most who dance on the regular will know what I mean when I say, "the floor was fast, and there wasn't a bad spot in the place."

The Extras:

Being a dance studio and not a club, there wasn't a bar providing refreshments and cocktails, but in the back room, there were cups and jugs of drinking water (free) and delicious $1.00 tacos. In the side room close to the entrance, there were free* massages (ala The Clave Lab social - every 2nd Saturday of the month).

*Massage therapists work for tips. Please be generous. :)

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC social --- boasting everything that seems lacking at other socials and club scenes. It's definitely something to look forward to every first Friday of the month....who WOULDN'T look forward to getting LAI'd on a friday night?

The next LAI social is THIS FRIDAY. Hope to see you there!