50 . TRINITY
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Welcome to Episode 50 of the Salsa Kings LIVE podcast
Episode 50! A big deal for all of us! After taking some time to respond to some fan mail, Andres goes into this week’s topic: The Trinity.
The Trinity is arguably one of the key elements of understanding what is supposed to happen on the dance floor. The three parts of the trinity, are the music, the lead, and the follow, with music as the top and and the lead and the bottom are beneath, with the music uniting them. Everything in this is connected and it all has a purpose.
Music is the provider. It provides the venue, the opportunity, and the feeling for the dance to happen.
Leads use the music to become inspired and to use it to spur on their creativity. Even though they are leading, they are following the music. A lead that simply does the moves with no thought to how the music feels is an uninspired lead. Use the music to express yourself, rather than just follow the rules of the dance that are given to you. While form is important, just as important is to express the feelings the music gives you. Don’t assume that just because you have mastered the technique that you have figured it all out.
Follows also get their feeling from music, but also receive material from the leads, though they add their own inspiration. They take the material given and perfect it, make it beautiful. They add in the finishing touches. It is them that truly make the dance complete. They are the emotional leader. Are you feeling fun? Sexy? Sad? The feelings need to be taken completely and project them as fully and completely and naturally as can be through the dance. This amplifies the material provided by the lead, as well as the music giving feeling and inspiration.
In this trinity, every part provides something and each part is equally important. Without music there is no feeling or inspiration. Without the lead, there is no one to provide the material Without the follow, there is no one to complete the dance and give it the emotion that it needs. By each part of this trinity giving their all, we can receive a truly moving and emotional dance, rather than something that is just technically proficient but unengaging.
“Again, the music provides the inspiration for both the lead and the follow to be able to offer to each other what they are best at. From a natural, generic standpoint, for the men that will be raw material. For the follows, it is going to be intangible emotional mood.”