So… me and dance. Oh boy. Well my friend, I find myself on an exciting path of growth, as a student I try to absorb all I can in a class, improving on my weakness and strengthening my ability as a dancer, constantly evolving, changing and adapting, trying new strategies, sequences and combinations. If you did the same steps in the same order every social with the same girls… you would be a damn right boring dancer! I find myself in a constant battle to understand rhythm, beats and musicality in general. As an educator in dance, I strive to instill and impart knowledge along with the syllabus but also the essence of my personal experience as a dancer. Often building up the confidence of dancers who have never been to a salsa social, taking them from the first steps to following complex combinations on a night out. For me it’s very important to put into practise the material from class which I do often on salsa socials.
Dance, music and martial arts is pretty much woven into the fabric of what makes me, these three also intertwine and share deep common concepts for example the core, your centre of mass & weight shifting applies to both dance and martial arts, and rhythm is just as important to music as it is to dance. It would be difficult to envisage a day when I’m not learning a new piece on the piano, playing a new groove on the drum kit or out dancing.
I’m the kinda guy who goes quiet in a group conversation about EastEnders, football or current affairs… one does not waste precious time on such futile pursuits! Outside these interests you can find me at the cinema, outdoors with a camera, wining and dining some vixen and generally hanging with my buddies!
Salsa. I was first introduced to salsa over a decade ago in Leeds within the very dance studios of where I now teach, back then a lovely lady called Ella imparted to me a rudimentary grasp of salsa, over a series of private lessons. I loved it. At that time Salsa was Salsa, I had no concept of the different styles. It so happened that I was also taking private lessons from a gentleman called Bobak in break dancing, it was hard work! Both are well known artists/performers in Leeds dance scene and they are 100% responsible for kindling in me the passion, love and appreciation for dance. I also enjoy music and martial arts. My parents were responsible for this having to study piano, tabla & harmonium from a young age. My father was a boxer, my sister was into her Karate, my niece Taekwondo, my nephew traditional Kung Fu and myself Wing Chun Kung Fu and Muay Thai… only my mum doesn’t fight… our family lounge fight scenes were hilarious and nephew and niece usually won, the nutters.
Anyway, so my new-found dance journey was literally about to become a journey… little did I know that my dancing in Leeds would be short lived as I was about to be introduced to freelance consultancy. After being head hunted by a defence contractor to do work that I can’t talk about in locations that don’t exist… don’t ask its classified. Suffice to say my ass was booted to Scottish land!
Scotland. Arriving in Scotland I took on a broader approach to dancing constantly moving like a nomad (due to work) I visited many dance floors and met many people doing ballroom dancing, waltz, foxtrot, quick step, tango & cha cha cha along with Wing Chun Kung Fu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. I loved it all and found in these regular pastimes immense needed escape from the high pressure, high risk and often controversial day job. I was lucky that I got to travel all over Scotland its Islands for work I took full advantage to explore the regions, local culture, food & drink! I even took part in folk dances like ceilidhs, and Irish line dancing (quite hilariously), and raised money for charities including a skydive. Not to mention falling in love every 10mins with some new Scottish huni who fluttered her eyelashes and enticed me with her alluring accent! It was an adventure to say the least. But ultimately it was in Glasgow where I would finally come across my true passion and now my primary style of dance. Cuban Salsa. It was a bit of an eye opener as I found this to be a way more “Spicer” version of salsa and I had never seen this before, I was hooked!
Cuban Salsa. My first few months of Cuban Salsa were private lessons from a lady called Shona and an excellent teacher she was, bringing me up to speed quickly, after this I joined her public classes and also joined classes at Dance4water and Academia De Salsa, studying Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba and Ballroom dances in Glasgow centre. Little did I know that at the same time Aimi & Ben had been dancing in the same circles/venues but obviously way higher salsa classes than myself! I found a solid grounding in dance and martial arts whilst in Scotland and thoroughly enjoyed my adventurous few years up there.
The return. When I eventually had enough of the Scots & moved back to Yorkshire Aimi & Ben conveniently moved to Yorkshire too albeit a few months ahead of me, of course to ensure the continuity of my Cuban Salsa!! Arriving back in Yorkshire I quickly felt the withdrawal symptoms. I knocked around a few different schools but that crossbody style wasn’t doing it for me… I needed the real deal authentic Cuban stuff! Finally, I came across Tiempo España and I realised immediately how lucky I was to have found them, it’s shocking how small the Cuban Salsa scene is in Yorkshire compared to how massive and taken for granted it is in Glasgow. It is my wish that the scene will grow over the coming years as more people discover this amazing style. Having lost months of practise in my relocation from Scotland I was lucky to attend extended classes in Eggborough (often 4hrs a night), York, Selby, Leeds, with a sprinkling of private lessons to quickly get back up to speed. Ultimately settling into the closest venue to me being Leeds.
So why do I enjoy Cuban Salsa over all the other styles? Well for me I find the freedom of movement on the dance floor is important whereas other styles are sometimes structured and rigid I enjoy the fact that I can experiment taking moves and chopping and changing them keeping my follower guessing. Cuban Salsa is also very versatile in that you can dance open hold, close hold, in a Rueda, two girls one guy, two guys one girl. On occasion, I have a laugh and joke dancing with my friends Ben or Naba doing suelto steps etc. its great fun! Picture this did you ever see two guys doing the Waltz together? Errrm. Naaaa. Now I’m going to get into trouble for saying this… but let’s be honest it wasn’t the music that got me into Cuban salsa lol! I prefer more Latin, Reggaetón and Bachata vibes to be perfectly honest! Now Bollywood music… well let’s just not go there today.
The present. Coming onto almost 2 years I now find myself teaching for the lovely Aimi & Ben (A&B), and what an absolute honour it is. I enjoy welcoming the new students into our school usually on a Wednesday these days at Leeds. It’s great fun showing the juniors their first steps and I thrive of watching them full of beans and all excited about this new dance, yet full of nerves! Seeing that fire in their eyes reminds me of young Eddy taking my first Cuban baby steps many years ago! Oh, I do envy every beginner, and endeavour to make it the best experience possible for them. It’s also satisfying to see my once L1’s now progressing to as high as L4 and often dancing alongside me on a night out. Hats off to you all well done! At Tiempo España I have me many special people and made solid friendships with teachers and students some of which are now an intrinsic part of my life whose friendships I value dearly. Keep up the hard work A&B, we all appreciate it!
Seriously you made it this far down the page?! Wow. Remind me to buy you a drink at the next salsa social! I hope this gives you an insight into my dancing background and what drives me. Currently along with the Cuban Salsa I’m also focusing on the Waltz & Cha Cha Cha with my dance partner Lucy and we are looking forward to revisiting the Tango over the coming weeks. I often only have the one night off a week from dance, music or teaching! So, whether you are a beginner or an established dancer, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best on your own dance & musicality journey, make the most of it mi gente, sólo se vive una vez! If you put in the time and dedication you will reap guaranteed returns.
See you on the dance floor!
Peace & Love
Eddy Khan
