The End of the ON1-versus-ON2 Debate: An insightful exchange with Adolfo Indacochea Velazco By Laureano Ralon Facchina

 

Let me begin by saying that you caused quite a sensation in Vancouver last year. When I personally saw you dance at the Vancouver International Salsa Congress, my idea of N.Y. Style Salsa changed dramatically: yours was a type of on2 salsa unlike anything that I had seen before. I also know that you were an on1 dancer prior to moving to N.Y. and switching to on2. For me, that commands a lot of respect. I’ve visited quite a few different cities around the world, and it seems that, even though the on1 and on2 tribes constantly make fun of each other, the actual number of people that can dance and look good in either style is in fact very small. So, when I was thinking about possible themes for this interview, it took me about a nanosecond to realize that, given your versatility, you’re perhaps the best person to comment on the whole on1-versus-on2 debate. With that in mind, would you tell us first of all how you got into Salsa?

First of all, thank you very much for this opportunity to express myself. Well, I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and as you know, South American people love salsa music. I would say I’ve been dancing salsa since I was a kid; however, the first time I took a lesson was in August of 2001, in Monterrey, Mexico. That was the first time I was introduced to the salsa “en linea”, and I learned to dance on1.

Who was your first instructor and what’s the most valuable advise you received from him?

My first instructor is an excellent dancer that I respect very much. His name is Adrian Arellano, he is Mexican and one year older than me; we were roommates in Monterrey. He is a very good friend. The best advice that I received from him was to dance having fun and feeling the music.

So, at one point in your dancing career did you discover on2 style salsa? What impressed you the most about the style?

Well, what happened was that my friends in Texas (that is where I used to go a lot to dance salsa) introduced me via videotapes to dancers such as Frankie Martinez, Juan Matos, who were and still are the sensation all over, so after seeing them in videos I had an interest to learn how to dance on2. I mean, I could count and dance on2 back then, but it was hard and I didn’t feel comfortable since I was dancing 2-3-4, 6-7-8. I was dancing this way because when I learned on1, I was told 1-2-3, 5-6-7, so I thought dancing on2 would be the same but starting on the 2. Anyway, the thing that impressed me the most is that everything was about the style, cache, and the way everything flowed – and of course, a lot of “sabor”.

Tell us a bit about you relocating to N.Y.C. and training with Eddie Torres.

That is the most exciting part of my dance career. I got to work with and got to know the Mambo King, Mr. Eddie Torres. He is like a father to me. I am very grateful for all the things that he taught me and all the things he keeps teaching me whenever I see him. After two or three lessons with him, he invited me to be part of the Eddie Torres Dancers. I will always remember his words. After I showed him a video of Amanda Estilo and me performing at the 2004 San Francisco Salsa Congress he said: “Adolfo, when I see a Michael Jackson like you I always want them to come and work with me.” That was all he had to say; I was sooooo happy! It was an unforgettable experience.

Let’s back up a bit. How would you define N.Y. style?

I would define it as class, cache, and “sabor”; I would define it as a funky style. It is a blend of many cultures and many dances, but with a tradition. The best exponent of all this is my mentor Eddie Torres.

I can dance on the two but I don’t dance on2 in the sense that I don’t look like an on2 dancer. This makes me wonder: there must be more to N.Y. style than dancing on the second beat of the music. For those wanting to make the switch: what’s the next step after that?

The problem is, like you say, that you can dance on the second beat and for me that is dancing on2, but to have the NY style the only way is to spend “un verano en NY”, like the song says. For me there is no other way to get the NY Style.

Does the opposite tendency also apply? Do people who master on2 ever get curious about learning on1? I’ve noticed that some on2 dancers, when they get on stage, work their choreographies on1. Why is that? What does L.A. have that N.Y. doesn’t?

I don’t really know. I have been always been curious. I like to dance with everybody, on1, on2 , Cuban, you name it. I think everybody should dance everything. I don’t think on1 is better than on2 or vice versa. I think they are just different. I admire a lot of on1 dancers, such as Johnny Vazquez, Francisco Vazquez and Ramon Morales. Their shows are amazing! They are very sharp, energetic and fast. I can’t do half the things they do but I love also the cadence and swing of Eddie, Frankie, Juan and Tito. We are talking about two different worlds. I think one style has what the other doesn’t, that is why there are always going to be people who dance both.

Would you call the step between on1 and on2 “evolutionary”? What I mean to say is: as the on1 dancer continues to improve and grow, will he/she inevitably run into limitations with the L.A. style?

Limitations… hmmm, not necessarily, though they might want to try something different. The only person that can set limitations to a dancer is the dancer himself.

So, if I told you that I’ve been dancing L.A. for about two years and I feel a little bored, what would you recommend?

I would tell you to take lessons in another forms of dancing so you can incorporate them to your salsa dancing. Perhaps, modern, flamenco, jazz… it will give you a lot of ideas and things to play with.

Let’s clarify something: are the terms “L.A. style” and “salsa on1” synonymous? I was told that in London the people that dance on1 do a lot of on2 moves. My question to you is: is it possible to dance on1 but have a style other than L.A.? How would one go about doing that?

Maybe in the beginning… Nowadays, on1 doesn’t mean strictly LA style, and on2 doesn’t mean NY or PR style necessarily. These days – and I have seen this tendency all around the world – there are many, many, many different styles of dancing: from the UK, to Japan, to France, to Spain, to name but a few. I think it makes much more sense to say that there are people that dance on the 1st beat of the music and people that dance on the second 2nd beat of the music.

I always thought that my long cross-body leads were a lot of fun, until I went to N.Y. and a girl told me: “you’re throwing me all over the dance floor!” What are the advantages of dancing closer to your partner?

It's not just about dancing closer to your partner. For us, the man should be the axle and the lady should dance around the man; it’s almost as if the man doesn't move from the same spot. Dancing like this helps you because you have more control and gives more stability to the lady and also if you dance big all the time, it looks plain; but if you dance very small and sometimes you make big steps then you start having dynamics that are very important in the dance.

Let’s talk about you. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Well, God willing, to keep dancing, taking lessons and continue traveling.

What would you like to accomplish with Salsa in the next five years?

I would like to put my country out there. Also, I would like to continue the tradition I inherited from Eddie Torres: even though everybody is different and the dance evolves, we cannot forget the roots. Sometimes salsa/mambo diversifies too much into another forms of dance. We need to keep the Latin roots.