I thought this article was interesting ; What do you all think about it?
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What to Wear to a Salsa Congress
"Better to Over-Dress than Under-Dress..."
Keep it Classy - Keep it Clean - Keep it Fun!
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This is SALSA. You've GOT to REPRESENT!!!
-- Dress to IMPRESS at Salsa Congresses
-- Gentlemen in Suits
-- LEAVE YOUR FADED, RIPPED UP BLUE JEANS AT HOME!!!
Greetings!
I see jeans on the street... jeans at the store, jeans at work, jeans at the clubs... jeans at dance socials... If I see another pair of ripped up, faded jeans, I think I'm going to PUKE. Some people just don't cut it in jeans.
And ladies, stop fooling yourselves. YOU KNOW when your butt is TOO BIG for jeans!
Dress to IMPRESS at Salsa Congresses
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Friday - Nice suit for the guys, a sexy dress or beautiful pants for the ladies. Sexy High heels is a must!
Saturday - Wear your fanciest, absolute best Salsa-gear. Fancier than Friday... No Jeans!!!
Sunday - A tad more relaxed, but I still would not wear jeans. Save your jeans for the subways, fixing your car, or grooming your dog. You can wear jeans to some socials, and some nightclubs and group classes.
Face it. You look better dressed up. You dance better when you look good. We wait all year to see our friends from all over the world, why not celebrate the occasion? Dressing up at a Congress shows you have class. Gals, a beautiful gown, dress, or beautiful slacks with high heels can create a memory! Guys, Gals love a nice suit, or nightclub shirt and stylish, slick pair of slacks. A Gentlemen in a suit is a gentleman with class.
And "NO", your faded jeans are NOT IMPRESSIVE.
Gentlemen in Suits
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It was last Saturday night. Amidst the crowd of dancers, a very handsome gentleman in a steel-gray three-piece business suit walked by me. I couldn't help but notice. He approached a table, and took off his jacket. His silk-backed vest immediately caught my eyes.
The guy was sharp. "I wonder who he is?" I thought to myself.
I could tell he was ready to dance. He started looking around the room, one direction, then the next. His head was high, and posture, perfect. "What a fit." I kept thinking.
That suit looked fabulous on him. "I wish more Salseros knew how to dress like that!" I thought to myself.
Suddenly our eyes met. Realizing that I had been staring at this man's suit for quite some time now, I immediately looked the other way in embarrassment. The second I did, I had to do a double-take! He looked back at me, and a BIG 'OLE smile came across his face (click below for the full story!)
Read on...
LEAVE YOUR FADED, RIPPED UP BLUE JEANS AT HOME!!!
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People pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to attend Salsa Congresses throughout the world.
Spectators don't want to arrive at a Congress, and see the same thing they see in a New York Subway! They don't want to see their fellow Salseras in AUTO- MECHANIC gear. People get tired of seeing blue jeans and thug-wear ALL THE TIME!!! Reality-check: Some women's butts are way too big to squeeze in jeans anyway! It's embarrassing!!!
When you're at a Salsa Congress, leave your faded raggedy blue jeans at home!!!
Read on...
Contact Information
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email: edie@...
phone: 310-628-6622
web: http://www.dancefreak.com
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Looks awesome but not practical.
It is true, dudes look cool dancing while wearing a full 3 piece tailored suit. If fact it makes everything you do look cool, including grocery shopping, pumping gas, and mowing your lawn. Unfortunately wearing a suit all the time is not very practical or even affordable.
It looks great but the downside is that is that is as hot as hell to dance in. Even if you can bear the heat you still can’t stop from having your expensive suit soaked with sweat at the end of the night. One time I was at a congress and I see Marc-Anthony of Mambo Tribe wearing a full suit. The dude looked sharp and it made his dancing looking even sharper. I asked him how he keeps himself from being drenched in his own sweat while dancing all night in that suit. His answer: “I don’t! I dance one song, sit out for a long while, then dance one more.” The answer struck me as defeating the purpose of the event which is dancing! I guess that is why we don’t see any clothing vendors selling suits in the lobbies of congresses.
Looking impressive in a suit is great and I have nothing against folks who what to do that. Personally I would not want it to get in the way of what I am there to do, and that is dancing all night and feeling good. If my really sharp looking suit starts to get in the way with that then away with the suit! Bring on my easily washable jeans and t-shirt!
Another thing I like about the salsa scene is the diversity. If everyone wore the same style of clothes it would start looking pretty sterile in there. Instead we have people from all walks of life, of every color, and every fashion sense, meeting and dancing happily together. It is very cool to see all that together.
Yeah so Eddie the Salsa Freak prefers her guys in suits. She makes some good points on why guys should opt for suits. One being that it is great for picking up chics as illustrated in her second story. On the other hand I don’t think it is very nice to bash other people for dancing in the clothes they are comfortable with. After all this whole salsa thing is about the music, the dance, and the people it brings together. Not so much about clothing choices.
Just be yourself
I cant agree with you anymore... I attended my first Congress in a shirt and tie attire.... After a few songs I went upstairs and changed into a tshirt and loose slacks and drinking water like crazy. I brought a water bottle and towel on a third trip back upstairs.... As much as I would like a Congress to be classy, the fact is the motive is to dance and feel great doing it and enjoy the geniuness of others. Occasionally I will wear a suit jacket, but hell after two songs It is drenched and Im ready to sport a tshirt.
Also Interesting enough is that I will scour the floor for those I feel are grooving to the music and less interested in their attire, weight, how many turns they can do etc...... just as long as you dont smell (Im sure everyone can agree to that). Maybe I can be wrong in this, but when I see a cat who is suited up at a Congress or a lady dressed to appear on Dancing with the Stars... its usually a sure bet that they arent there to dance but to look good and very shallow on the dancing part.... So ironically enough I shy away from asking them if I want to enjoy a great dance... Just my take....
Tastefully done
Personally, I like to see a well-dressed man where ever I go. However, Edie the Salsa Freak classifies all suits as good and all jeans as bad. An ill-fitting polyester suit can be just as distressing to the eyes as butt-crack gear. Let's face it, some people have fashion sense and can pull-off just about anything while others can spend hundreds of dollars and still look a bit undone. I certainly can appreciate what Edie is trying to convey that dressing with a bit of flair might bestow more confidence on the dance floor and create a classy ambience at a Congress. But I agree with you, suits just seem too uncomfortable and hot. I'm even thinking that dancers should wear athletic gear made from a Coolmax fabric, which wicks away the sweat.
For the ladies, Edie advocates high heel shoes. I love how my 2 1/2 inch heels make me look, but at my age, by the end of the night I'm popping Motrin 800 mg to help alleviate my back pain. I agree with her on the dress issue for ladies, but for a different reason. Jeans get very hot! Dresses are by far cooler (in the literal sense of the word) and more comfortable. I was a bit offended with her mean-spirited comment that most "women's butts are too big for jeans" . What difference does butt size have in one's dancing ability and enjoyment?
My motto is dress how you feel as long as it's tastefully done.
Elizabeth