John and Liz of Salsamania By Laureano Ralon Facchina

What does Salsa mean to you and what attracted you to it?

John: Salsa is the music we always heard since we were little. We’re both originally from Colombia and this is the music we grew up with, so in a way, it has always been with us. And when we think of Salsa we think of family, because every time we heard it, it was at family reunion of some sort. Liz and I met back in 1992/93, and one of the things we both love about salsa is the social side of it: meeting different people and having a great time. Salsa is something we associate with family, friends, and love.

Who was your first instructor? And what was the single most important lesson you learned from him/her?

John: As far as instructors, we didn’t really have any. We never took classes to learn the basic; we already had that thing – the X factor that we call Latin flavour – within us. What inspired us to get more technical was watching some amazing dancers at the 1999 LA Congress, people such as Jayson Molina, the Eddie Torres Dancers, Adolfo and Melissa, and Santo Rico…

A lot of influences! But what would say was the single most important lesson that you learned from them – that which you continue to pass on to your students today?

John: I’d say the philosophy that where there’s a will there’s a way.

Social dancing: what is it all about really? Is it about paying attention to your partner? Is it about interpreting the music? Is it about looking good and showing it to the world?

Liz: For me it’s about having fun with the person you’re dancing with and enjoying the experience regadless of whether the person is an absolute beginner or a professional. As long as you’re enjoying the dance and the music, that’s all it matters.

John: I really don’t care who I dance with, whether beginner, intermediate, advanced or professional; if that lady is not having fun then I’m not going to have fun. So I always make sure the lady has a lot of fun and try my best to take care of her on the dance floor. This requires having a feeling for her level of dancing and carrying her through the things she can do.

You guys are like great performers, great social dancers, and great instructors, a combinationwhich is quite rare. Some people are great performers but not the best social dancers, or vice versa, and the same applies to teaching. So what does it take to be a good instructor.

Liz: I think the most important thing is learning how to communicate with your students, having fun when you’re teaching, and having an eye both for the big picture and the subtle details.

John: You have to be very dedicated to the music and your craft. There are a lot of people out there who teach just to teach, but Liz and I took the time to study our craft – and study it very well! Before we put it out there and show it, we’ve spent the past 12 to 14 years studying the craft that we teach today. In addition, as Liz said, you have to know how to pass on the knowledge correctly, and you have to love people and have a passion for what you do.

The craft is sometimes very broad and diverse; it involves both On1 and On2, to name but a few styles…
John: On1 or On2, it doesn’t really matter; what matters is knowing the music. Most importantly, as an instructor, you need to cross-train. You need to understand at least the basics about ballet, jazz, tango, International Latin, flamenco, bomba, plena – it’s huge! You need to understand other dances because there’s a whole bunch of people coming into the salsa scene from other dance backgrounds, some of whom are very educated and highly trained. So how can you be an instructor if you don’t understand the other people’s backgrounds? A good instructor is a well-rounded instructor. So study your craft and study other dances, because salsa is a fusion of many things and all these dances are coming into salsa.

I noticed that you do a lot of fast Colombian-style footwork, but then you dance On2. Is it possible to dance On1 and look good?

John: Absolutely!

Or is there a natural, inherent limitation to the whole On1 thing?

John: Not at all.

Liz: We used to dance On1

So what made you change? Was it curiosity that made you switch to On2?

John: Preference. It’s just really a preference. The funny thing is 90% of the time we teach On1 (laughs) and the other 10% we’re performing On2. It’s just one of those things, I wanted to be good at everything. I started On1 and mastered it, and then I wanted to go on to On2 and continue mastering it. And of course you can look good On1 just like you do On2; it doesn’t matter, it’s just a preference.

So what about your preference – what is it about On2 that makes you feel more comfortable?

John: Everything is about the clave. The clave and the music. For those out there who have studied the music, the clave, the conga, the tumbao, the montuno, you will understand what On2 is about. And if you understand music you will understand why people fall in love with On2. But then again you can dance to the clave On1 as well. At the end of the day, it’s just the aesthetics I think; it’s the way you step, it’s more comfortable to step to the clave beat in a certain way while dancing On2. Again, it’s just a preference. We teach clave when we teach On1 and we teach clave when we teach On2. I think it’s more important to dance on clave and that’s huge for me.

What would you like to achieve with salsa in the next five years?

Liz: Win competitions.

John: Be world champions both in the couples and cabaret divisions. I know it’s ambitious, but if you’re not ambitious in life, if you’re not a go-getter, you’re not really going to achieve anything. We’re very ambitious about being in the world championships, and being able to take first place in two divisions would be amazing. In the last two years we’ve placed in the top three; that’s a great achievement considering that Liz and I participated in two divisions – but why not number one?

That’s more of a personal goal though. As a whole, as a company, because we love our company – Salsa Mania – our goal is to continue to grow and continue to share our passion for Salsa. Our goal is to continue creating a salsa family within the dance company, and to train people from all levels – whether for social dancing, for performance, or for competition.

Did you guys have a good time in Seattle at the Congress?

John: Oh my God yes we did! We made a lot of friends and we truly appreciate the people here. In particular, we greatly appreciate and respect the Bravo family, because you know what? It takes a lot of work and a lot of effort to put on an event like this. Remember: it’s easier to critique than to create. There’s a lot of work behind this.

For more information on John and Liz, and their dance company SalsaMamia, visit their website: salsamania.org