‘Contra-Tiempo’ against a ‘de-politicized, hyper-sexual exaggeration of the Latino body’ in Salsa (part 1)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- CONTRA-TIEMPO, a non-profit activist dance company with its base in Los Angeles (U.S.A.), brings three of their works to the Dance Place stage. On Saturday April 10 (starting at 8:00 p.m.), and on Sunday April 11, 2010 (starting at 7:00 p.m.) Dance Place, located in Washington D.C. (U.S.A.), will then lend its stage to CONTRA-TIEMPO in order for them to express their radical interpretations and commentaries on Black and Latino communities, the ‘over sexualized’ representations of women in modern Salsa dancing, and on the ‘Plastic’ façade of Salsa.

Contra-Tiempo literally means ‘against (the) times’. In dancing this means ‘dancing against the normal timing’ (= not breaking on the first beat). This is the ‘correct’ way to dance the Cuban Son (Montuno), which is the cradle of Salsa. Figuratively the word can also mean ‘going against the normal tendencies of modern times’. This last interpretation can surely be applied when looking at the program Contra-Tiempo has prepared for its guests. The 3 works are:

I Dream America

A quote from the program on the Dance Place website: “I Dream America seeks to engage the tensions, commonalities, strains and histories between the Black and Latino communities. Traversing the political landscape of immigration and Hurricane Katrina, I Dream America investigates compassion and peace, and paints a disarming and thought-provoking critique of contemporary life and injustice.” 

It will be interesting to also see and experience the thoughts of CONTRA-TIEMPO on the influence of the Anglo Americans during this whole process. History has many sides to it. And it is also very often colored by the personal experiences and the selective point of views of the ones writing it.

Against The Times

Dance Place says about this work: “Against the Times explores Salsa, an improvisational form born from the fusion of African and Spanish musical influences. Salsa was originally created as a cultural voice and form of expression for working class people, yet laden with social and political contradictions. In more recent times, the over sexualized representations of women have become more extreme, especially in styles that have been popularized by ballroom dancing and Hollywood films. The cast of CONTRA-TIEMPO will flip the script on who leads who. Together they will move resistance from being adversarial to being the fundamental key for communication and empowerment between partners and for a people.” 

It would be also very educating for the audience if CONTRA-TIEMPO also explores the role Latino’s themselves have (had) in the spreading of their alleged  “over sexualized representations of women”. For example: when looking at the development of modern Salsa dancing there is a constant trend of Latinos and Latinas commercializing the Salsa and Mambo dances by willingly adding Sexy dance elements from the “styles that have been popularized by ballroom dancing and Hollywood films”  to their own dance syllabi's, by giving (Western) women a more independent role while dancing with a male partner, and by creating special ‘Ladies Styling’ dance courses for women who pay to emulate the sexy dance moves of their (female) idols. Plus: what modern Western society have done with the Latino cultural heritage bleak in comparison to developments such as the Reggaeton ‘Perreo’ Dance in the Latino culture.