Tasleem: You've been around for a long span of changes that have happened in dance. You've seen dance grow and develop. When you compare the dancing from when you first started to what it is today, what differences do you see?

Eddie: The difference I've seen happening in the last twenty years or so is that there have been amazing leaps and bounds in terms of how knowledge today has increased. What might have taken us let's say five or ten years back when I started, you could probably do in one year now.

It's an incredible time because now, with this education, and so many people involved and so many different influences, you can learn so much so quickly. And if you happen to be one of these talented people, in no time, you can probably accomplish what might have taken me let's say half of my career to obtain.

I do try to stick very close to my tradition. But I am a huge admirer of other dance forms. I was one of the first to fuse different forms of dance way back years ago, because I always saw how this dance and the music would lend itself to that. I happen to be a big fan and admirer of flamenco dancing, of jazz dancing, of hip hop. And I love to see all these forms come together.

June Laberta always said to me, "Eddie, keep yourself open, keep an open mind because when the times change, if you're not flexible, and if you don't try to keep up and change with it," she said, "you will be left behind."

Is there an example of something you had to change because of the changing times?

Let's take the word 'salsa'. It was never a word that Tito Puente or I were really too comfortable with as far as describing the music and dance. But today, if you don't use the word 'salsa', people won't even know what you're talking about.

For example, people often call me at home and they ask me if I teach 'salsa'. Today, I say, "Yes, yes, of course I teach salsa." But years ago I'd say, "No, no, I teach mambo." If I say that now, that same person would say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm looking for a teacher who teaches salsa (laughs)."

So now, the way I deal with that is when people ask me if I teach salsa, I say, (smiles) "Well, I still teach the mambo but I put a lot of salsa on it, you know?" (LAUGHS)

Tasleem- (laughs)

So I kind of put a little humour into it (smiles). But the truth is when the times change, one has to be flexible.

But, I'm also a person who thinks history should not be forgotten, not music wise and not dance wise. So even in the choreographies that I've worked on throughout the years, I've tried to maintain and stay in touch with the traditional form and the way we did it, way back even say forty years ago. But like I said, I'm also an admirer of all the youngsters who are coming up with such incredible innovations with all the fusion and all the energy and all the new ideas.

For example, Frankie Martinez was one of the dancers who I saw when he came through my company. And when he moved on, he started to develop his own ideas and style and technique. And I have a true admiration and respect for that. Because I love to encourage dancers to learn from whomever your inspiration and teachers are. But then try to develop what may be your OWN ideas and your own inspiration IN your technique and IN your style. When I see originality in whatever form it takes in dancing, I really respect it and admire that. And even dancers today who say, "Oh, I want to learn your style." I say, "Well, that's flattering, but I would encourage you to learn whatever it is I can teach you that you can benefit from. But then go on and find out your own identity and discover who YOU are."

And I really try to encourage that a LOT, in all the dancers that I come across and who study with me.

People interchange the terms 'On2', 'New York Style', 'Salsa', 'Mambo'… and I'm not sure that they are being used correctly in some cases. I figured that the best person to ask to clarify the terms would be the Mambo King himself (smiles). Could you just give a brief description of each of the terms?

Sure. Right now, this is funny, because this is the era and the time of a lot of science and a lot of terminology in the dance. And years ago we didn't have anything that defined 'the two' or the styles or anything. It was just 'mambo'.

And of course again, the one that SHOULD be accredited for this revolution, and now this new development, is June Laberta. Because she was the one who told me, when I was really fighting against learning timing, that, "You know, one day Eddie, in your career and as a teacher, and choreographer, you're going to realize how important it is to have this knowledge of this timing. And to understand what it is to dance on this or that timing." And so with HER education, I noticed that from 1987, when I formed the company, I started to train people and teach them what it is to dance 'on the 2'.

And actually, Tito Puente, besides being an incredible musician, was also a real fanatic about dancing, and a good dancer himself. And he had no place for anything as far as dancing the mambo, except for dancing 'On2' (smiles). If you didn't dance On2, he couldn't even acknowledge your existence (laughs). He wouldn't qualify you as a real, authentic dancer of the mambo (laughs). So he was a stickler for 'the 2'.

But then again, as times changed, and as the mambo became popular again, I remember movies like Dirty Dancing and Salsa came out. And they were already promoting dancing on what we call 'the 1'. And then 'the 1', being that it was big in California, became the trend that people started to support and learn.

And so now, you have the difference in timings which is a very important thing to know.

But NOW, they're calling 'dancing On2' either 'mambo', or 'New York style'. And 'the 1' which was made very popular in California, they're calling that 'salsa'.

So those terms weren't really used before?

No, but that's the funny thing. Now that I've been around for so long, and have seen where it has all come from, I can honestly say that all those timings, back even in my childhood, always existed.

Now that I KNOW what timing is, I realize that 'the ONE' existed, 'the TWO' existed - not only 'the two' but two different types of 'TWO's'. People danced on FOUR, especially the Cubans. When I now think back, I think, "Wow, the Cubans were breaking on 'the four'." So these timings were all existing, it's just that no one was going around identifying and describing them. No one said, "Oh, you're dancing On1 or On2." All we knew was that we could dance with someone, and with others we couldn't. We just wouldn't click with some partners. But now I realize that it's because of the difference in timing.

And again, there were no teachers. Because what I was learning came from the streets, from the clubs. So the ballroom teachers were teaching 'the ballroom two', as I like to call it. And that was a different world too. Ballroom dancing of the mambo was so different from when you went to a club. You just could not even compare them. So I realized that what June helped me do was to take 'the TWO' out of the jungle (laughs), as I like to call it, or out of the clubs, and bring it into the studio.

Tasleem- (laughs)

And I started to structure it and understand the timing of that street funky stuff that we were doing back in the 70's.

So I would say that today, yes, the dancing On2 - I think you have to accredit it as being New York based. It came from Cuba to here (New York). And from New York, it spread to the world. So I would have to say that New York is probably the MECCA, and what you might call the home, for the dance On2 that is now happening in the world.

I'm very careful, everywhere I go, and in whatever I do, not to ever let my passion slip away or trade that for anything. So passion is very important. And I've had this passion for oh, over forty five years now.

Again, when you put that together with caffeine (smiles), and of course, the energy I get after coming back from these trips, you come back even more inspired. Here you are in some place, and it becomes a fantasy for a weekend. For example, my recent trip to Greece – the experience was so amazing. And I'm still on a high over it. And so when I come back, the students are probably even more intimidated (laughs) because I'm all charged up.

Tasleem- (laughs)

And I DO, I come back in a real fantasy state of mind (laughs) so I bring that to the class (smiles). And it's been a habit of mine to have some coffee right before class.

So like I said, you combine those elements, and you realize it's not really that difficult. And again, I think this is another reason why students keep coming back. I like to challenge them, and take this class at a higher energy level. And students keep saying to me, "We love your energy, we love the excitement, and we love the music." The music is key. I'm very picky about the music. But it really comes down to that simple recipe (smiles): passion, Starbucks, and of course my love for teaching and the music.

It's a sport to me. I'm not a person who runs or jogs or works out, physically. But if you put music on, I would dance all night. The music just keeps me going. And it's not painful because I love it.

And one of the things I tell dancers is that once you start moving, if you want to keep up your condition, you always keep moving. Either keep taking classes, be in a dance scene, go dancing. This is like a sport. So like a lot of sports, you cannot stop doing it. Your body is your instrument.

So here I am, I'm 58 years old, I'm healthy, and I'm very fortunate to be able to still be among the young people (laughs). They still seem to appreciate whatever I bring to the classes. And I think that's what it is - I have never really stopped moving. I've been basically very athletic all my life. I come from a background of swimming. I was very sports orientated when I grew up.

And with dancing, I started from the age of 14 and just never stopped, except for a time when I couldn't dance because I had gone through a back surgery problem that I had. But other than that, I don't remember ever stopping. I remember that I was always dancing. As a matter of fact, there were times when I had a couple of days off, and I felt physically bored because I'm so used to moving (laughs). So for me, being in class is something I look forward to. And that's what creates the energy and the excitement.

Find out more about Eddie Torres at eddietorres.com

	Eddie Torres Teaches Salsa Nightclub Style Originally released on video in 1995 and re-issued on DVD in 2005, this was a milestone in salsa dance instruction. It covers all aspects of Eddie's pioneering style of on2/mambo dancing from the basics up, and is as useful a learning tool for today's dancers as when it was first released. Available from descarga.com