Dancing With Local Senoritas On The North Coast.

[DominicanScotty]

Hola Scotty.

Obviously I am not into the kind of scene you describe.
I have never had any problems in these places but I have had numerous great times.
One can encounter idiots anywhere but it is usually somewhat isolated rather than typical.

2 more days to go for me.

Adios amigos and amigas.

Of course you are 100% right. It was just one of those nights when we wer threre. A large group happened to be in there and well....you know the rest of the story. It really didn't bother me because this is to be expected with a large group of strangers attempting to have a good time together. My Dominican friends didn't understand or appreciate the "boob grabbing and butt grabbing" though.

 

[planner]

I'm not sure I would say it that way Scotty, they don't start on the wrong foot, they go forward on the opposite foot and everything then is backwards. For a woman it means we spin the opposite.....

I"m sure your friends didn't appreciate the boob and butt grabbing, I never appreciate that. It is amazing to me what people on vacation do. Many of them would never ever behave that way at home......

 

[sweetdbt]

sorry, brain cramp!

Directions are great. The small town is called Gaspar Hernandez, not Garcia Hernandez though.

Boy, you can't get away with anything around here!

 

[mike775103]

December dancing

MOre of my opinion....

Hemingways and Crazy Moon are tourist traps - over prices, over rated and full of Sankies and Sankiettes! And they play really crappy tourist music which I hate.

I'm going to have to try some of the other places listed - anyone else want to go???

Jackson I sent you a PM and will gladly go out dancing. That offer stands for anyone else as well!!!

Salsa : Mexx78 you are asking about salsa. Well here it is truly Dominican style!!! First of all the footwork is totally opposite of what I have danced everywhere else I have been in the world! The men everywhere else go forward on their left foot on a basic salsa step! Right... Here they do not, they go forward on their right foot. So, to proactice in anticipation of coming here to dance - do the opposite of what you are used to. OR, for the men only, just dance salsa with me!!! LOL

I've had to learn to dance both ways.

Also, here salsa dancing is all about the men! They love to show off. And, most men here do not actually dance a salsa they dance a mambo. They dance a 6 beat pattern instead of an 8. Easy to accomodate. They love to dance it really really fast but not necessarily well.

The women here in Puerto Plata (I can't speak for Santiago or Santo Domingo) are basically just there...not much style or florish of their own.

Are their dance lessons? NOt that I have found. There are in Santiago though......

Mexx78, I can give you some lessons if you like......LOL

I will be arriving in Sosua on the 5th of December. My two goasls are to scuba dive and to dance, in that order. I appreciate the heads up on the reverse order of the salsa step. That may be a problem. I have the US style pretty ingrained. Of course, anyone can marengue. I also have been listening for Bachata music here in Minnesota. Locally the confusion factor for me is that they dance a cabrilleta (spelling highly questionable) to the barchata music. I would have to pick up that step as I hear that it is the current hot thing in DR. It is also growing in popularity here.

Do free dance lessons come with the tour?

 

[planner]

Of course....

Of course dance lessons go with it!!! If you can salsa you can learn bachatta!!! No problemo...... Don't worry about the salsa, I'll dance with you and and I am pretty sure I can find others if I look.... I'll have to practice my regular salsa first.... I am so used to dancing backwards now, I'll have to readust.

Actually I have found several people who cannot merengue and one was dominican male! I got my feet stepped on big time...... literally.....LOL

 

[sweetdbt]

"Actually I have found several people who cannot merengue and one was dominican male! I got my feet stepped on big time...... literally.....LOL"

Planner,

It's comforting to hear that I am not the only one to observe that not every Dominican man is a whiz on the dance floor. From all the sankie posts here, you would think that, and certainly swiveling hips and smoothe moves are a prerequisite of that genre, but there are a lot of "regular" Dominican guys with 2 left feet.

Not that I'm a skilled dancer. (far from it) I've never learned salsa (it looks like fun but too much work to learn). Merengue is easy, but boring. I've settled on bachata as my comfort level, and do well enough to not embarass myself. It does a rhythmically-impaired gringo's self-esteem good now and then to see one of the local guys struggling while with the right partner I can do the bachata basics smoothly and occasionally add a bit of flair.

 

[Malibook]

Hola everybody.

I will try to add dance lessons to my list of things to do this trip.

I am a horrible dancer but I don't really care and I don't recall too many weird looks.
It would be nice to learn a few moves though.

I will be arriving on Saturday Nov. 30 around 8PM.

I'll probably just check out the Villas Dorada for a bite and a couple of drinks.
I will likely stick around Playa Dorada that night.
Play some black jack and check out those sankie infested tourist traps Hemingway's and Crazy Moon.
I just hope I don't run into any jilted chicas from the past.

Planner and anybody else who wants to say hola and have a few cocktails next week let me know.
I'll check here and malibook@yahoo.com.

Planner please let me know of any live bands that are playing next week.
I'll be heading back home on Nov. 7.

Una mas daes travaho et manana vamose.
Yeah, my Spanish is even worse than my dancing.

Salut amigos and amigas.

 

[N.C.]

Sure

Well, no disrespect to Scotty, but as long as you stay in the tourist traps (POP included) you will get the same thing. If you are willing to drive a bit to Nagua, there are two great cubs there, Virus, and the other one I will have to get my sweet Naeroby to post because I can't for the life of me remember how to spell the name. They are located around the town square park there.Both clubs are always packed so tight after 10 pm that you better be there early. I think they are open Thursday through Sunday and will be open mostly all night ususally. They are full of REAL local girls (so you should know some Spanish),they all LOVE to dance, Thursday is Karaoke night at one of them, and the added bonus is that you won't pay twice the price for a beer like you do on the tourist areas. No American music played there either, just Salsa, Merengue, and other music popular in the DR. Both are super air conditioned even when there is no power. I have also stayed in the Aparta Central Hotel which is above our favorite bar there, for 600 pesos per night.

Sweetie, if you are reading this, can you post the name of that club for the people here? Maybe we can get some DR1 people to try Nagua for a change.

-Tim

All that my husband said its true, the foreigner that want to be in a place where's not the sankies can try to come down to Nagua, The bar that is with the Aparta-Hotel Central its called Iwmy, there are such nice persons, they are more nice with the music,they put all kind of stuff there, thursday and friday they have Karaoke nigth there, They sells the drinks at the same price that they sell to everybody, they dont care if you are a blanquito or not :chinese:, and there's not sankies, this Bar its considered a place for normal people , I mean that they dont let enter people that are not with formal dress or look like Tigueres or prostitute, I recommend this place to all the persons here that will like to try in others places. I dont like too much the Virus bar, well when its too much people there I hate that and also I dont like the music that the guy play there, but everybody have them own option. :smoke:

Naeroby

 

[duhtree]

dancing...

Hola !! this is terrific. I always want to dance but never seem to get to it.
Have great rhythm but don't know the steps. And d'classico and similiar places aren't conducive to it
coming down on the 18th of nov for 4 days. But will probably stay for 7 or 10 days, as usual. ( just can't leave ).
Staying at the hotel voramar in sosua. would love to meet, drink, eat, with any of you dancing peoples.
Let me know either here, pm, or contact at voramar under "mcdougall".
thanks much,john

 

[DominicanScotty]

I'm not sure I would say it that way Scotty, they don't start on the wrong foot, they go forward on the opposite foot and everything then is backwards. For a woman it means we spin the opposite.....

I"m sure your friends didn't appreciate the boob and butt grabbing, I never appreciate that. It is amazing to me what people on vacation do. Many of them would never ever behave that way at home......

Ahhh... I really hate to do this...However I am being corrected and I shouldn't be. I wrote "Opposite" foot not "wrong" foot. Opposite means the other foot not the wrong foot. Then you wrote "they go forward on the OPPOSITE foot". Didn't I write the same thing? Re-read what I wrote please.

I then agree with you 100% about what humans will do when they are far away from their "world" and in another with total strangers. I have been on cruises where men and women simply attack each other sexually and then when you see them unboarding the ship after the cruise they walk away from each other as if they never knew that person that they had the tongue in their throat and !@#$%^ somewhere else the night before??? Sigh!

Thanks

 

[DominicanScotty]

Boy, you can't get away with anything around here!

I wasn't trying to be hard on you and if you thought that I was I sincerely apologize. I promise that I am not like some of the people on this thing. BUT....to give directions to unknowing people that are traveling in a foreign 3rd world country and the directions are incorrect you could unintentionally get someone lost or hurt. I keep my fingers off the keyboard when people are asking about places and things that I do not know anything about. When it comes to subjects regarding Santo Domingo and the South end of the island for example I do not have any knowledge about I remain quiet and keep my eyes open. Although I have been living on the North Coast since 1994 I know very little about many things on this large island. As you have noticed you and I or anyone else for that matter will be corrected very quickly when we offer up incorrect information. LOL.... some of these guys take this message board very seriously. Smile and enjoy it!

Scotty

 

[sweetdbt]

smiley face inserted

I wasn't trying to be hard on you and if you thought that I was I sincerely apologize. I promise that I am not like some of the people on this thing. BUT....to give directions to unknowing people that are traveling in a foreign 3rd world country and the directions are incorrect you could unintentionally get someone lost or hurt. I keep my fingers off the keyboard when people are asking about places and things that I do not know anything about. When it comes to subjects regarding Santo Domingo and the South end of the island for example I do not have any knowledge about I remain quiet and keep my eyes open. Although I have been living on the North Coast since 1994 I know very little about many things on this large island. As you have noticed you and I or anyone else for that matter will be corrected very quickly when we offer up incorrect information. LOL.... some of these guys take this message board very seriously. Smile and enjoy it!

Scotty

Scotty,

I haven't been active on this board long, but I've learned pretty quickly that you've gotta have thick skin. Actually, you complimented me on the directions I gave from PP to Nagua, (thanks) but correctly pointed out that I referred to the little town of Gaspar Hernandez by the wrong name. I don't know why I have so much trouble remembering that name.

As a newbie by dr1 standards, I usually try to only give info on things with with I'm familiar (I think we all sometimes get cought up in discussions and give our opinions "out of school") I've made that trip many times, so I went ahead. The desire to be accurate is a strength of dr1, and I have absolutely no problem with that!

 

[chuckuindy]

Horizontal Mombo

Why all of this talk about, salsa, bachatta, and meringue, when everyone knows that the national dance of the Dominican Republic is the, Horizontal Mombo? It is so much easier and you never need to worry about getting you toes stepped on.

Charlie

 

[planner]

Too funny...

But of course you know that those who can move on the dance floor are muchhhhhhhhhhhhh better at the horizontal mambo.....

LOL

 

[DominicanScotty]

Scotty,

I haven't been active on this board long, but I've learned pretty quickly that you've gotta have thick skin. Actually, you complimented me on the directions I gave from PP to Nagua, (thanks) but correctly pointed out that I referred to the little town of Gaspar Hernandez by the wrong name. I don't know why I have so much trouble remembering that name.

As a newbie by dr1 standards, I usually try to only give info on things with with I'm familiar (I think we all sometimes get cought up in discussions and give our opinions "out of school") I've made that trip many times, so I went ahead. The desire to be accurate is a strength of dr1, and I have absolutely no problem with that!

You're a good sport! Gaspar Hernandez is just a small little town that we can't wait to get through. It's always congested and pretty filthy. I know a few Dominican familes that live there and they too are quite disgusted with the laziness of the people that live there.

Scotty

 

[Bartolomeo67]

Salsa style in DR

What salsastyle do the dominicans dance? Are there any danceschools in the nort, where it would be possible to learn it?

Hi salsa lovers,
everything Planner and Scotty explained about the DR style being opposite to the rest of the world is correct but as male dancer you don't really have to respect that.
When in the DR, I always dance salsa with dominicanas the way I learnt it, which is going forward on the left foot. If your dance partner is used to dancing salsa (which a lot of dominicans are not), she will adapt pretty easily if you don't make the moves too difficult for her. That is much easier than trying to reinvent your personal salsa style just for the couple of weeks you are there.
For the visiting salseras off course, they will have to adapt to dominican style.
Saludos,
Bartolomeo

 

[chuckuindy]

More information please

I have been on cruises where men and women simply attack each other sexually!

Thanks

Would you please give me the name of the cruise line and departure dates? I may be interested. Any departing form the Dominican Republic, I seem to spend a lot of time there?
Charlie

 

[DominicanScotty]

Hi salsa lovers,
everything Planner and Scotty explained about the DR style being opposite to the rest of the world is correct but as male dancer you don't really have to respect that.
When in the DR, I always dance salsa with dominicanas the way I learnt it, which is going forward on the left foot. If your dance partner is used to dancing salsa (which a lot of dominicans are not), she will adapt pretty easily if you don't make the moves too difficult for her. That is much easier than trying to reinvent your personal salsa style just for the couple of weeks you are there.
For the visiting salseras off course, they will have to adapt to dominican style.
Saludos,
Bartolomeo

Bart,

Right on!

Scotty

 

[DominicanScotty]

Would you please give me the name of the cruise line and departure dates? I may be interested. Any departing form the Dominican Republic, I seem to spend a lot of time there?
Charlie

LOL...you got your hands full right where you are Charlie!

 

[AZB]

What are you folks talking about, mountian view, barica etc? Then some genious mentions nagua (2 plus hrs away)? Hahahahaha
First of all, there is no dominican culture in POP, sosua and cabarete. These are tourist town with resident foreigners who go out with cheap hookers or poor girls from slums, they only know bachata music or listen to merengue which is only suitable for carwash type listening crowd.
Mountian view is a whore house, if you don't believe me, try talking to one of the girls there by the pool. Just look at the architecture of the place, typical whore house syle fixtures all over.
Now if you are going to go all the way to nagua then why is it that not one genious mentioned coming to santiago? only 1hr and 15 mins away through some of the most scenic route of this island. Santiago is full of interesting places ex: jazz bars, open air sports bars/ restaurant, theater, discos, jevito bars and private secret bars where private folks meet. Santiago is the cultural capital of DR where you will find anything and everything in small scale. You want to dance with senoritas then make sure you know how to dance and dress appropriatly and talk a bit of spanish. You will not find cheap poor whores falling all over you like they do in sosua and POP. People in santiago are classy and you will feel right at home of you are looking for this type of social activity. Some of the most beautiful women in DR are from santiago area.
Good luck.
AZB