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 City or Cuba on culture. New York City has been the heart to every culture in the world for over the last 100 years, and the impact of the people who live there really cannot be understated. From salsa to disco to rap, New York City has been the heart of America for a long time. I have also grown to really love salsa music now too, I often find myself listening to Celia Cruz or Willie Colon when I am on walks or going to class is very fun. I think from the beginning of this course to now I would say overall my opinion on Salsa is very much more enlightened and interesting. I feel like I can now name a few classic salsa songs, and dance some cha cha cha to them.- What are your 3 key takeaways from learning about Salsa?
My three main takeaways from salsa are, salsa is more expressive than just music, salsa is a blend derived from different Afro-Latin cultures like Cuba, and salsa is still changing and evolving. Salsa music is something that can take many different forms, and can lyrical and musicality change. I think this aspect comes from the culture in which salsa came from, salsa was a way for people to express themselves on their time off. From Cuban people enjoying the mambo to the people during the Palladium Era in which going to salsa clubs and listening to salsa music was the ritualistic thing to do on a Saturday night. I think salsa has always been about expressing who you are, this can be by expressing your love for someone else or your heartbreak. Salsa can incorporate all aspects of humans in dance, and music. I think as well learning about Cuba with mambo, and the South Bronx with Latin hustle and salsa really went to show how this music style evolved and changed by its environment. I think that was really eye-opening and interesting. My last takeaway is due to things like Batcha which came from a different culture but has started being absorbed into salsa and salsa congresses. I think that example really shows how adaptable this style is.- What does it mean to live life with a "salsa" mindset/frame/lens, and what does this "salsa" mindset offer us?
I think what it means to live with a salsa mindset is to express yourself and to have a voice in a sea of troubles. Salsa itself is very loud, and uses very distinct instruments which makes this style of music really stand out which is why I think the salsa mindset is self-expression. Salsa music is bold, it is out there, and that is what I believe true self-expression is. I believe that to truly be oneself you have to live loudly and distinctly because when you are you the voice you have is unique just like salsa. The salsa mindset really offers us a guide to embracing who we are and dancing to our own claves. This mindset is truly powerful since in life there will always be things that can bring you down, but if you know yourself, and you know how to stay true when going through it then salsa is a very powerful tool to do that with.- What worked for you about the course? What would you let go of? What would you add or add more?
What worked best for me about this course was the online structure. I loved the content of this course and honestly, this was such an amazing class. I am just a very busy student, and the online asynchronous aspect helped me out so much. It allowed me to explore the salsa content, and it gave me time to really digest what I was learning. I as well loved the salsa blogs and zoom videos. They were such great ways to learn and demonstrate my learning. It was so fun being in my group, and everyone in my group worked hard and made an effort. The only thing I would let go of is maybe the number of questions that need to be answered in each salsa blog/zoomcast. During the course I felt like sometimes I was doing too much work or too little, I feel like if there was a template provided it would help so much. The main thing is please add/give a template for the salsa zoom casts and blogs. Overall this class was great, I would not really add anything else to this course. I think the course is very well-balanced and provides the students with exactly what they need. Not many classes do this right, so it's awesome this course worked it out so perfectly.
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