I met Geno in late 2003 at Ringside in Sullivan's Steakhouse when his SSQQ group and Gloria Jones' Club Nights group started dancing together regularly. To be honest, at first I didn't really notice Geno because I was so busy dancing with all the girls I just didn't have time to get to know the guys. That is really the way it goes with our group. Once you start dancing, you don't seem to sit down. So, in order to get to know people very well, you have to keep going out.
Somewhere along the way, probably when we were both taking a break, Geno and I got to talking and we hit it off as friends. He is an easy-going, good-natured guy. He took it in stride when I asked him if his name was Geno or Chino (the music is usually VERY loud in the clubs -- most people don't hold long conversations).
When I moved away from Houston, Geno added me to his mailing list for his occasional blog about the Houston Salsa scene. While not as prolific as Art Williams, Geno does provide some interesting insight into what is happening around town (and the chief reason he writes so little is that Geno works a full-time job and teaches 20 hours a week at a local college).
I ask Geno how he started dancing and he told me he had attended a cousin's wedding in Phoenix, AZ a couple of years ago. "Unable to participate in the social dancing," he replies, "when I returned to Houston, I decided to enroll in one of the ballroom classes at SSQQ, but there was a conflict in my schedule, so I transferred to one of the Salsa classes by default. The rest is history."
Like so many other people, Geno has experimented with several teachers, including Gloria Jones, Salsa Eddy, Jorge Mercado, and
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Rey Rodriguez. He has also attended many workshops, and he credits Rocio Alcorta from Kyuko Dance Company with helping improve his dancing.
"I've focused on Salsa," Geno says, "but I know some Merengue. I've even taken Columbian Salsa. I prefer West Coast (Los Angeles) Salsa style."
Geno has visited many of the clubs around town, including Tropicana, Ringside at Sullivan's, Rumba, and Sky Bar. "Sky Bar is my all-time favorite, hands down," he swears. "You can't beat the atmosphere. Period."
Atmosphere being so important, I ask what he looks for in a club. "I look for a live band," he answers. "[And] good music, and lots of people -- especially women [to dance with]. Although," he admits cautiously, "I do enjoy an occasional night when I'm one of the few people at a certain club."
Visting so many clubs presents Geno with opportunities to meet and learn about many people. He has used his blog to profile dancers and teachers. "I started [the Houston Salsa Press] as a way for me to communicate with some of my friends," he confides. "The project kind of took a life of its own and I'm trying to keep the momentum going, but with work and other outside activities, it's been rather difficult."
Geno's focus is on people who have been involved in the Salsa community but who may not have gotten much attention. With only a couple of Houston Salsa blogs to peruse, his articles provide and interesting contrast to Art Williams' without seeming competitive.
I asked Geno to share an interesting recent experience with us.
"I had real fun particpating in the Jack and Jill salsa dance contest at the Melody Club recently. I was a bit nervous, but I had so much fun. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to dance in front of a large crowd. This is a contest where you get paired up at random. So, your dancing skills are really tested for something like this."
Cool.
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