Brennan Sammis' Bi-Weekly Salsa Blog

 Preface: This is officially the last blog/assignment I will be doing for this class, DCE 306. If you did not read my last blog about Batcha, you probably missed my brief class review. That is okay, my opinion overall is that this was a great class to take. For me, it filled an Upper-Division HU class, and a C credit, and it is not a work-heavy class. This class was a super easy A, and a nice GPA booster! I highly recommend to anyone to take this class, and broaden your knowledge of the Afro-Latin world!  Down below will be my overall take, and the answers to some very basic but important questions about this class. How has your viewpoint/perspective changed from before the course to now about Salsa?     My viewpoint regarding salsa has changed a lot in the fact that I now know so much history behind the dance and the culture that created the dance. My view has also really deepened from the fact that I never realized the importance of certain places like New York Cit...

Week 7: 2/19/2023 - 2/26/2023       Preface:  Hello guys I have some bittersweet news, this week marks the last week of my bi-weekly salsa blog entries, however, this does not mark the end of my now salsa/bachata journey. This course has been a super fun time and an enjoyable experience. If anyone reading this could be or is a prospective DCE 306 student, I would definitely recommend this class! It is not super time-consuming, and the course material was very easy to digest. Super worth it, and I am very grateful to the prof of this class! Material Used, and comments: Reading 1:  Bachata and Dominican Identity : La Bachata y la Identidad Dominicana by Julie A. Sellers     This week I read the introduction, and chapters 1 & 8. The introduction of this book simply paints a picture of the Dominican Republic and the place in which Bachata currently stands within the culture. The introduction as well offers a brief history of the Dominican Republic...

Week 5: 2/5/2023 - 2/11/2023 Preface: This week was a vital learning experience in my salsa journey. I spent my time this week learning about the creation and the history of modern salsa/mambo. I also learned about the key figures who shaped what we call salsa/mambo. I learned about Eddie Torres, Tito Puente, and the impact NYC had on modern salsa. This week my knowledge of specific dances, and the actual style of salsa became clear to me. Overall my knowledge this week has grown a lot, and I'm excited to share the materials that I used. Material Used, and comments: Reading 1: Spinning Mambo into Salsa: Caribbean Dance in Global Commerce by Juliet McMains     This was the beginning of my week, and as a jumping-off point, I think this book was excellent. The part that I read was chapter 3, starting from "Hustle: The Forgotten Link". The section on the Latin hustle that started in the late 1970s was very interesting, and sad since a lot of the Latin influence ended up not ...