An Interview with Earl Rush - Washington, DC
JJ: Go-Go Earl, you are one of the funniest, most entertaining individuals that I have ever come across. Where did you get the nick-name Go-Go Earl?
GGE: I started out going to see the legendary Chuck Brown every day at the GoGo and he coined me the name GoGo Earl which back in the day was a honor given to the best dancers at the GoGo and my friends kept continued to call me that the rest of my life.
JJ: Your website StuckonSalsa.com out of DC is huge! How did you and Kelvin get started?
GGE: We were starting a social at a place called Maxim's on Sundays and we wanted to advertise our party, so we decided to create a website to create interest in the parties we were planning to have.
JJ: As a man of many styles of dance, what attributes do you think a salsa dancer should have in order to be considered "great?"
GGE: I think he should be able to break on 1 and on 2 almost as equally as well, be able to dance Cha Cha, be able to size up his partners skills in the 1st minute of the dance, be able to dance with his partner and make sure she leaves the dance floor with a smile on her face.
JJ: StuckonSalsa has some of the best Salsa parties in the world. What's the secret? Please, we need your help in Atlanta :)
GGE: There is no secret. It is a plain and simple plan and here it is: Salsa dancers only want to do one thing and that is dance. So you keep your plan simple. Make your place conducive for dancers, Have plenty of open space, a DJ that plays good dance music and a dance surface that will be comfortable for dancers to dance on for 6 hours, a place with convenient parking and a location that is easy to get to for most people.
JJ: Where would you rate the DC salsa scene in comparison to other the major cities that you have visited?
GGE: I think DC ranks right up there - somewhere in the top three.
JJ: Any additional comments you would like to share?
GGE: I feel honored that you asked me to participate in this forum.
JJ: Stuck on Salsa is approaching its second year. Congratulations!! You guys had a big year this past year. Can you take a moment to reflect on some of the most memorable moments of the year of SOS?
GGE: Johnny there were so many but I will try to be short because I know you are a busy man with all the great work you have been doing with the publication. Coming to Atlanta and back to Washington, DC with Liz Lira and the guys from Hollywood coming to a StuckOnsalsa party to scout dancers for their movie project were experiences I will never forget. The party that we had in November called " The party" where you and people from all over the country came to support SOS was another great time. Choco and Nancy Ortiz’s Party where I got to dance with a lot of A-listers from New York was also hot, along with the PR and New York Congresses.
JJ: You guys have the All-Star Salsa Cruise coming up soon. This is a highly anticipated event within the salsa community. It is also a very unique one as well. What inspired you guys to take on the task?
GGE: Kelvin Harris my buines partner is always thinking big, he wanted to do something that no one else was doing . Albert Torres and David Melendez pretty much run the Salsa Congress circuit in this country. There have been Salsa cruises but none that has had the lineup that we will be having on our Cruise. We looked at the dollars and cents of the situation and figured out it was cheaper to go on a cruise then to to travel to a Congress for an individual. You can spend the same amount of money that you would spend on a Congress and get 4 meals a day on the cruise. We also find out there were a lot of people who had never been on a cruise let alone a Salsa cruise.
JJ: What do you guys have planned during the upcoming year?
GGE:In the next year we will finalize the plans to make the All-Star Salsa cruise an annual event. We are bringing back the Sunday Social twice a month starting May 15, 2005 . We have our 2 year anniversary on Saturday June 25, 2005 . We will be having our annual SOS pool party coming up this summer.We will bringing more instructors from out of town for workshop to keep the salsa scene in DC stimulated and we are putting all our efforts to help Shaka Brown and David Melendez make The DC Salsa Congress an event to remember. Be on the lookout for the Life and Times of a DC Salsero a half reality half fictional online soap opera
JJ: Any Additional Comments
GGE: Thanks Johnny so much for all of your support for StuckOnsala , a lot of people come to our site from the links that you put on your site and it is greatly appreciated. A quick Salsa shout to all of the StuckOnsalsa crew, Kelvin Harris, Sheila McNeil, Maribel Soto, Liz Pilatuna and Tony Nardoliilo, to my man in Atlanta Rick Greenfield who is the SOS correspondent in Atlanta, Jimmy Rumba and Randi Pearson La Style in Atlanta and to all the salseros who came out of town to party with StuckOnsalsa.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Elieen Torres review of The Movie "El Cantante"
Eileen's Review
Thank you Jennifer Lopez! Thank you for putting your power behind this film. Of course it would take a Latina with name, money and Hollywood muscle to bring the name Hector Lavoe to the attention of the public. El Cantante is the story of Hector Lavoe, the legendary salsa singer known as much for his lyrical improvisation as for his habitual tardiness. It is the life of Hector Lavoe as seen through the eyes of his wife, Puchi. The movie is not perfect. There are inaccuracies. However the audience is taken back in time and given information to bring about an understanding of Hector's heart and mind, his journey to stardom and the poor choices that led to his demise. Jennifer's portrayal of Puchi reaffirms her right to be on top in Hollywood. It reminds us once again why she is a star. She brings a range of emotion to the role that gives the audience a glimpse of what it must have been like to be married to a superstar living with equal measures of glory and demons. She looks beautiful and glamorous and is truly believable. It doesn't matter that she is in nearly every scene. It's her movie.
Oprah is on every cover of O Magazine. Marc Anthony is marvelous. He demonstrates that he has what it takes to be on the big screen. He gives a soulful portrayal of a man who went from innocence to underworldly darkness. It was correct to have him sing Hector's songs in his own voice. Marc posses one of the finest voices today. He did justice to Hector's body of work. Salseros that experienced the Fania Era will be delighted to travel down salsa memory lane. The music is fantastic and accurate for the time. It was wonderful to hear the music of that era in the background. Music by the king of Latin Soul, Joe Bataan and Joe Cuba during the Boogaloo days befits the time of Hector's arrival in New York. Music by the Fania All Stars happily seeps in and out of the story. Ismael Miranda, also a singer with the Fania All Stars plays the role of Hector's father-and plays it well. Yes there will be detractors ready to tear this movie apart. Yes it shows a negative portrayal of Latin musicians and drugs. Unfortunately it is accurate for too many but certainly not all musicians. We must play up the positive and minimize the negative. Let's not forget the importance of this movie. There are too few vehicles for Latinos in front and behind the cameras. Jennifer gave scores of Latinos with too few possibilities for finding film opportunities the chance to work and express. Thank you Jennifer. Thank you Marc. Thank you Hector-you are alive in our hearts through your music. We love you and miss you terribly!
Thank you Jennifer Lopez! Thank you for putting your power behind this film. Of course it would take a Latina with name, money and Hollywood muscle to bring the name Hector Lavoe to the attention of the public. El Cantante is the story of Hector Lavoe, the legendary salsa singer known as much for his lyrical improvisation as for his habitual tardiness. It is the life of Hector Lavoe as seen through the eyes of his wife, Puchi. The movie is not perfect. There are inaccuracies. However the audience is taken back in time and given information to bring about an understanding of Hector's heart and mind, his journey to stardom and the poor choices that led to his demise. Jennifer's portrayal of Puchi reaffirms her right to be on top in Hollywood. It reminds us once again why she is a star. She brings a range of emotion to the role that gives the audience a glimpse of what it must have been like to be married to a superstar living with equal measures of glory and demons. She looks beautiful and glamorous and is truly believable. It doesn't matter that she is in nearly every scene. It's her movie.
Oprah is on every cover of O Magazine. Marc Anthony is marvelous. He demonstrates that he has what it takes to be on the big screen. He gives a soulful portrayal of a man who went from innocence to underworldly darkness. It was correct to have him sing Hector's songs in his own voice. Marc posses one of the finest voices today. He did justice to Hector's body of work. Salseros that experienced the Fania Era will be delighted to travel down salsa memory lane. The music is fantastic and accurate for the time. It was wonderful to hear the music of that era in the background. Music by the king of Latin Soul, Joe Bataan and Joe Cuba during the Boogaloo days befits the time of Hector's arrival in New York. Music by the Fania All Stars happily seeps in and out of the story. Ismael Miranda, also a singer with the Fania All Stars plays the role of Hector's father-and plays it well. Yes there will be detractors ready to tear this movie apart. Yes it shows a negative portrayal of Latin musicians and drugs. Unfortunately it is accurate for too many but certainly not all musicians. We must play up the positive and minimize the negative. Let's not forget the importance of this movie. There are too few vehicles for Latinos in front and behind the cameras. Jennifer gave scores of Latinos with too few possibilities for finding film opportunities the chance to work and express. Thank you Jennifer. Thank you Marc. Thank you Hector-you are alive in our hearts through your music. We love you and miss you terribly!
The First Season of the Life and Times of A DC salsero
Welcome to The Life and Time of a DC Salsero Salsa's only On line soap opera .
The Life and Times of a DC Salsero is a half fictional half reality salsa soap opera based out of Washington, DC
Opening Characters
The Hero of the story Juan Carlos Club Owner of Whatever where they dance on1 and On2
Nick Johnson Club Owner of Club LA where they dance only on 1
Helena Nick Johnson's girlfriend who is sleeping with his rival Juan Carlos
Roberta a Mysterious salsera from Chicago
Slim Johnson Nick's cousin a private detective
and all the DC Salseros and Salseras
Episode No 1
His Great grandfather was a hustler his granddfather was a huslter his father was a hustler and Juan Carlos was no different.
He has 2 serious addictions which are making money and salsa. He grew up in DC and knew the city like the back of his hand. .He was the owner of Club Whatever one of the Salsa Hot spots in DC . His rival at the moment was Nick Johnson owner of Club La another DC salsa hot spot. Though he had made money all kinds of ways and had many connections Juan Carlos had left the Hustler life alone and had gone completely legitimate. Ths story is about Juan Carlos ' addictions and other people's addictions and how it affect their lives in Washington. DC, DC
Episode No 2 http://stuckonsalsa.com/life_and_times_of_dc__salsero_episode_2/
Episode No 3 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_3_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 4 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_4_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Eisode No 5 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_5_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 6 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_6_of_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Epsidoe No 7 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_6_of_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 8 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_8f_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 9 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_9_pf_life_and_times_of_dc_salsero
Episode no 10 http://stuckonsalsa.com/epsiode_10_of_the_llife_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode no 11 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_11_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero
Episode No 12 http://stuckonsalsa.com/the_life_and_times_of_a_dcc_salsero_episode_12/
Episode No 13 http://stuckonsalsa.com/lofe_and_times_episode_no_13/
Episode No 14 http://stuckonsalsa.com/life_and_times_of_dc_salsero__no_14/
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
The Life and Times of a DC Salsero is a half fictional half reality salsa soap opera based out of Washington, DC
Opening Characters
The Hero of the story Juan Carlos Club Owner of Whatever where they dance on1 and On2
Nick Johnson Club Owner of Club LA where they dance only on 1
Helena Nick Johnson's girlfriend who is sleeping with his rival Juan Carlos
Roberta a Mysterious salsera from Chicago
Slim Johnson Nick's cousin a private detective
and all the DC Salseros and Salseras
Episode No 1
His Great grandfather was a hustler his granddfather was a huslter his father was a hustler and Juan Carlos was no different.
He has 2 serious addictions which are making money and salsa. He grew up in DC and knew the city like the back of his hand. .He was the owner of Club Whatever one of the Salsa Hot spots in DC . His rival at the moment was Nick Johnson owner of Club La another DC salsa hot spot. Though he had made money all kinds of ways and had many connections Juan Carlos had left the Hustler life alone and had gone completely legitimate. Ths story is about Juan Carlos ' addictions and other people's addictions and how it affect their lives in Washington. DC, DC
Episode No 2 http://stuckonsalsa.com/life_and_times_of_dc__salsero_episode_2/
Episode No 3 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_3_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 4 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_4_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Eisode No 5 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_5_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 6 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_6_of_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Epsidoe No 7 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_6_of_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 8 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_8f_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode No 9 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_9_pf_life_and_times_of_dc_salsero
Episode no 10 http://stuckonsalsa.com/epsiode_10_of_the_llife_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero/
Episode no 11 http://stuckonsalsa.com/episode_no_11_the_life_and_times_of_a_dc_salsero
Episode No 12 http://stuckonsalsa.com/the_life_and_times_of_a_dcc_salsero_episode_12/
Episode No 13 http://stuckonsalsa.com/lofe_and_times_episode_no_13/
Episode No 14 http://stuckonsalsa.com/life_and_times_of_dc_salsero__no_14/
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
I had no idea any one knew about my Blog
Salsa in DC blog up and running again
Posted in dance links, salsa at 10:58 pm by Maria
After a 4-month silence, Earl Rush has started posting to his Salsa in DC blog again. Earl runs StuckOnSalsa, the go-to source for information on the DC salsa scene.
As I’ve said before, I find StuckOnSalsa very hard to keep up with due to its confusing layout and lack of RSS feed (My life is so crazy that if something doesn’t have an RSS feed, it pretty much doesn’t exist to me. Google has succeeded in world domination at least in my corner of the world– pretty much the only things I use online these days are Gmail and Google Reader for all my blog feeds). It also drives me crazy with all the flashing ads, impossible-to-find content buried under a myriad of links, and cringe-inducing quantities of spelling and grammatical errors.
At any rate, the Salsa in DC Blog is worth a look. In my favorite post so far, Earl pledges to stop being so lazy with the spell checker.
Other highlights include a not-so-fictional online salsa soap opera in installments, and some commentary on El Cantante. Keep in mind that Earl is a promoter (and certainly without him the DC scene would not be what it is), but it looks like he’s using his blog as an expressive outlet, and leaving the promotion to StuckOnSalsa. I applaud this separation and look forward to more frequent updates from here on out.
Posted in dance links, salsa at 10:58 pm by Maria
After a 4-month silence, Earl Rush has started posting to his Salsa in DC blog again. Earl runs StuckOnSalsa, the go-to source for information on the DC salsa scene.
As I’ve said before, I find StuckOnSalsa very hard to keep up with due to its confusing layout and lack of RSS feed (My life is so crazy that if something doesn’t have an RSS feed, it pretty much doesn’t exist to me. Google has succeeded in world domination at least in my corner of the world– pretty much the only things I use online these days are Gmail and Google Reader for all my blog feeds). It also drives me crazy with all the flashing ads, impossible-to-find content buried under a myriad of links, and cringe-inducing quantities of spelling and grammatical errors.
At any rate, the Salsa in DC Blog is worth a look. In my favorite post so far, Earl pledges to stop being so lazy with the spell checker.
Other highlights include a not-so-fictional online salsa soap opera in installments, and some commentary on El Cantante. Keep in mind that Earl is a promoter (and certainly without him the DC scene would not be what it is), but it looks like he’s using his blog as an expressive outlet, and leaving the promotion to StuckOnSalsa. I applaud this separation and look forward to more frequent updates from here on out.
Willie Colon Speak out on El Cantante
The Creators of El Cantante missed an opportunity to do something of relevance for our community. The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of a non-supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with his charisma and talent. Instead they did another movie about two Puerto Rican junkies. The impact of drugs in the entertainment industry is nothing new; look at Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Whitney Houston today.
I think Hector deserves the recognition the movie pretended to give him. However, as someone who advised the producers, it's painfully obvious that they didn't understand what made him so important. It was the music. It was his talent. They didn't understand or respect the true importance of our music to people around the world. It's difficult to comprehend how two individuals who are in the music business like Marc and Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
I was disappointed that there wasn't a minimal effort to correct what I felt were serious chronological and factual errors. This tells me that they expeditiously crafted the simplest cliché script in order to just make a film quickly.
After the premier of El Cantante in Puerto Rico there were several statements of protest by people who had supported and participated in the project until they saw it. Their complaints were not about sour grapes or J-lo and Marc bashing but from a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
We are all invested in the world that this movie represents. For many of us the hope of our story finally being told sank into the horizon with the final version of this film.
Willie Colón
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
I think Hector deserves the recognition the movie pretended to give him. However, as someone who advised the producers, it's painfully obvious that they didn't understand what made him so important. It was the music. It was his talent. They didn't understand or respect the true importance of our music to people around the world. It's difficult to comprehend how two individuals who are in the music business like Marc and Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
I was disappointed that there wasn't a minimal effort to correct what I felt were serious chronological and factual errors. This tells me that they expeditiously crafted the simplest cliché script in order to just make a film quickly.
After the premier of El Cantante in Puerto Rico there were several statements of protest by people who had supported and participated in the project until they saw it. Their complaints were not about sour grapes or J-lo and Marc bashing but from a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
We are all invested in the world that this movie represents. For many of us the hope of our story finally being told sank into the horizon with the final version of this film.
Willie Colón
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
Spell check
I get a lot of E mails from people telling me they love www.stuckonsalsa.com they just ask that I stop being so lazy and start using spell check because there are just too many words that are spelled incorrectly. I need to stop being so lazy
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
check out www.stuckonsalsa.com for all the DC salsa news
DC Salsa Scene
As quiet as it is kept DC is the Unofficial number one Social Dancing Scene in the The States. You can get your on1 your on2 and your on clave on here in DC . We have all levels of dancers here from Beginner to the pros like Psyon Mauricio and Shaka Brown . Wow did you see these guys at the DC Salsa Congress.
That's right 2 brothers from DC who represented in 2 of the hottest dance performances so far this year. First at the Flava Invasion 2 which was the best performance without a doubt of the 2 and at the DC Salsa Congress. Damn they made A DC Salsero and Salsera feel good to see DC representing like that.
The bottom line is no matter what beat you break on any time you go out dancing in DC you will be able to find someone to help you get your Salsa Groove on .
Now I will tell you this right now there is no city in the country that can go 8 or 9 deep with thorough salsa DJs like DC can or maybe even more .
It's hard to get a DJ gig here because everyone is so good . Shout out to DJ Bruno, DJ Nancy Alonso, Dj Chris, DJ Andy "EL Mas Bailable", Dj Mike "EL Sonero" ,DJ Neo , Dj Elite Rumbero, DJ Ali "El Oso Negro" DJ Emily Dj Jon"Vino" Trevino all these Guys and Gals can throw down , That's an impressive roster .
That's right 2 brothers from DC who represented in 2 of the hottest dance performances so far this year. First at the Flava Invasion 2 which was the best performance without a doubt of the 2 and at the DC Salsa Congress. Damn they made A DC Salsero and Salsera feel good to see DC representing like that.
The bottom line is no matter what beat you break on any time you go out dancing in DC you will be able to find someone to help you get your Salsa Groove on .
Now I will tell you this right now there is no city in the country that can go 8 or 9 deep with thorough salsa DJs like DC can or maybe even more .
It's hard to get a DJ gig here because everyone is so good . Shout out to DJ Bruno, DJ Nancy Alonso, Dj Chris, DJ Andy "EL Mas Bailable", Dj Mike "EL Sonero" ,DJ Neo , Dj Elite Rumbero, DJ Ali "El Oso Negro" DJ Emily Dj Jon"Vino" Trevino all these Guys and Gals can throw down , That's an impressive roster .
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