Way to go !
I spent multi yrs virtually living in latino clubs in Fla. and some other major areas cities .
Clubs where all announcments are in spanish and barely a " gringo " in sight .
Immersion is the only way that will give you what you seek-- it takes time .The effort is beyond rewarding ! Buena suerte mi amiga,.

Terance. Wouldn't you agree that as the music alters so will the dances. Not the steps, although new steps may be added, For instance in 1986 if the lady lifted the leg high above their head in the Rumba as they do today they would have got disqualified. Look now at the different moves that come from that particular position.
If I can touch on the Argentine Tango. You have heard no doubt of Gotan Project who can fill the Sydney Opera House with an audience. Isn't their music influencing a change from the very traditional Agentine Tango. Personaly I would rather dance to that than some sombre guy singing that his heart lies bleeding in the gutter. I still say if the music changes to a slower more melodious Salsa so will the steps. Have you heard the Rita Coolidge song All Alone played as a Salsa.
I'm not up on the Bolero. Do they have a movement of the hips called a Latin Motion as it is in the International Style of Rumba. I think with those big wide steps that are used the hip movement would get lost.

Lot of Q--
1st-- Bolero is the template for Intern, Rumba and mambo (salsa also ). So yes-- the motion is ever present .

cuban motion , which is still controversial, in as much as the "latinos " prefer to dance on a more relaxed knee , and do not subscribe to the straight leg action,and of course

there are pros and cons to both arguments.

As far as " pop " music to latin dances-- what is the point ?-- surely the whole idea of latin is its musical roots== no ?. The instrumentation is invariably missing, and the whole basis for Latin is Clave .
We often hear the argument-- well, you can dance anything to 2/4 or 4/4 timing-- yes you may-- does it depart from the fundamental reasons and foundational concepts that are tried and true ?-- i happen ( and many many more ) believe that it does .
And yes, i have copies of gotan project-- does it reflect the mood of Tango ?-- music is very subjective at best- so-- does come down to preference ?-- to a point , yes.many of the afficianados say that it leaves the truer essence out-- no bandeleon-- no tango.

But-- here lies the slippery slope-- if we constantly change the music to suit trends-- do we lose the dances identity ? .
To my given understanding , most of the variations that we dance, were designed to fit a specific format .

We do know that some steps are transitional-- but-- can you envisage a Prog. link in Waltz ?-- of course not.
So-- it begs the Q- where do we draw the proverbial line ? ( or even should we ? )i just happen to think that somethings are better left alone .

To your last comment about " slow " salsa " music. This is not by any means a new innovation .
the main reason ( its name is salsa romantica or salsa Monga )it is not played as frequently, is that most people are ill equipped to interpret the slower rhythms .

I am not opposed to change-- but as I have previously stated, it should be backed up by good theory .

As i always ask my classes in Salsa-- " what attracted you to the dance ? "-- 99% say -- the music -- so why would I want to change it ??

Terance. A Progresive Link in the Waltz. What about a Travelling Contra. For those who can't handle the true Travelling Contra do what is a Link. There are two Sequence Dances I know of which have this and call it a Link. One is called the Dream Waltz.
To get back to the Salsa.A musical aranger could turn most tunes into a Salsa if the demand is there. It will depend on the customers. If they want a currant top of the chart tune. That they will get if the demand is there.
It is worth noting in the International Rumba and Cha what recordings straight off the disk are being danced to. Did Jennifer Lopez knew when she recorded Lets get Load that it would be used as a Cha Cha in major competitions. Who has seen Paul Killick dancing a Rumba to The Greatest Performance of My Life sung by Shirley Bassey. Another is My Heart Must Go On from the film Tittanic. One of my favourites straight from the disk as a Rumba is Elton John's Blessed.
On my Salsa Instruction DVD. He says the speed of the music may vary . If it slows we will dance slower. If it speeds up so will we.

Why would a a musical arranger ( other than to promote a pop song ) re arrange something that was already arranged ??

Ya still dont get it do you ?

The songs in Spanish, whether as a Bolero, Salsa, whatever-- tell a story -- they are essentially, the C and W format in spanish . Many of the spanish words, do not have an english equivalent--- so translation destroys the context .
Also, most orchestras , if not all, do not have the instruments, the scores or the musicians that are trained in the usage of same .

And again, why do you keep using intern, latin performers and Pop singers as a reference point ?-- we are all well aware of the music they choose-- but it is STILL incorrect ( maybe for their performance-- but completely straying from its roots ) .

The whole essence of the dance IS the music . One might as well start dancing tango to F/trot music- why not ?, its in 4/4/ time.

Jlo is a PR-- that still does not qualify her as a Sonero .
The classic e.g. of someone who is Cuban and writes most of her music in English ?-- gloria estefan -- but she quite openly admits its for the ENGLISH speaking market .

There have been several " copies " of latin salsas that have been done in English-- guess what -- they never ever get played in latino clubs.

My q is this -- if you were in a disco - would the DJ suddenly play something in Spanish ? -- I doubt it .
I think you totally missed the point about the " speed " at which salsa is played in clubs .

Until you have developed a deeper understanding of the music-- its not going to make an ounce of difference to you , or to the many, that keep on dancing the same moves , no matter what the speed of the music, that is being played .

Terence. You must have danced some time to the song Somewhere in Time. I have it as a Waltz a Foxtrot and a Rumba. Just because the original was a Foxtrot doesn't mean it can't be played as another dance. Who knows we may hear it as a Salsa. That is my point.
This evening New Years should be interesting. I'm going to a Latin Party. The dances listed are Zouk Lambada Salsa Cha Batchata Merangue Forro Samba Bolero Gafieira.
Also listed. All past performances 2007 shown on the big screen. All proceeds go to the Cancer Council Queensland. And at the bottom. " It is our aim to support and promote all Latin Dances in Brisbane and the surrounding areas to enable the Latin Dance scene to grow and prosper for all to discover and enjoy ". Cost $15.
There you go. There is a Father Christmas.

But those songs were originally written in english for an ENGLISH speaking culture .

the number of authentic latin songs written for salsa/ mambo-- bachata and translated into english songs , is negligible .

I watched the world latin finals on ESPN last nite-- for once, they actually used authentic latin music, with vocals by well known singers in the latino world ( didnt care for all the choices )

I see they included Bolero-- wonder who is teaching it ?-- its seldom if ever, danced outside of a chain school comp. or studio ( latinos do not dance it )

Good luck with your fund drive and a happy new yr to you and yours .

Terence . I went to the New Years Latin Party. There were roughly 200 people in this very spacious venue. There were several demonstrations of the different styles including a very acrobatic Sala
This is what I have been saying. There was a demonstration Zouk they called it the Zouk Revolution. What they did was arranged the music on a single disk at different speeds with pauses like the Paso has. And danced acordingly setting up picture lines.. From the table outside in the foyer I picked up 40 different pieces of advertising for classes on the previously mentioned dances.I had no idea of the existence of this other world of dancing out. Of all the people there I didn't see anybody that I recognised. These Latin get togethers are once a month.
On your other thread you said you witnessed the changes, you were there. It would appear that you agree and accept changes. There will be other changes. That is what I been saying. That there will be other changes Have a good New Year everybody.

Zouk is getting kinda popular in the states ( mainly metro areas ) they have Zouk bands popping up every where-- just another fad .

Terence. Is the Salsa supposed to be sung by a vocalist or was it intended to be none vocal. When it is being sung I can't imagine the words being very romantic at the speed the music is usually played. Is there any formular as to what words are being spoken. It's the same with the Argentine Tango when it is being sung. What are they saying
I can picture Romeo standing underneath Juliets balcony singing Moonlight Becomes You. But I can't imagine him rattling off a Salsa... can you.