Entangled Mobilities in the Transnational Salsa Circuit
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Entangled Mobilities in the Transnational Salsa Circuit With attention to the transnational dance world of salsa, this book explores the circulation of people, imaginaries, dance movements, conventions and affects from a transnational perspective. Through interviews and ethnographic, multi-sited research in several European cities and Havana, the author draws on the notion of “entangled mobilities” to show how the intimate gendered and ethnicised moves on the dance floor relate to the cross-border mobility of salsa dance professionals and their students. A combination of research on migration and mobility with studies of music and dance, Entangled Mobilities in the Transnational Salsa Circuit contributes to the fields of transnationalism, mobility and dance studies, thus pro- viding a deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of gendered and racialised transnational phenomena. As such it will appeal to scholars across the social sci- ences with interests in migration, cultural studies and gender studies. Joanna Menet is a post-doctoral researcher at the Laboratory for the Study of Social Processes at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The Feminist Imagination – Europe and Beyond Series Editors: Kathy Davis Senior Research Fellow, Vrije University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Mary Evans Visiting Professor, Gender Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK With a specific focus on the notion of “cultural translation” and “travelling theory”, this series operates on the assumption that ideas are shaped by the contexts in which they emerge, as well as by the ways that they “travel” across borders and are received and re-articulated in new contexts. In demon- strating the complexity of the differences (and similarities) in feminist thought throughout Europe and between Europe and other parts of the world, the books in this series highlight the ways in which intellectual and political tradi- tions, often read as homogeneous, are more often heterogeneous. It therefore provides a forum for the latest work that engages with the European experi- ence, illuminating the various exchanges (from the USA as well as Europe) that have informed European feminism. The series thus allows for an inter- national discussion about the history and imaginary of Europe from perspec- tives within and outside Europe, examining not only Europe’s colonial legacy, but also the various forms of “cultural imperialism” that have shaped societies outside Europe. Considering aspects of Europe “abroad” as well as Europe “at home”, this series is committed to publishing work that reveals the central and continued importance of the genealogy of feminist ideas to feminism and all those interested in questions of gender. Published titles in this series: Gendered Wars, Gendered Memories Feminist Conversations on War, Genocide and Political Violence Edited by Ayşe Gül Altınay and Andrea Pető Translation and Travelling Theory Feminist Theory and Praxis in China Dongchao Min Entangled Mobilities in the Transnational Salsa Circuit The Esperanto of the Body, Gender and Ethnicity Joanna Menet For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ The-Feminist-Imagination—Europe-and-Beyond/book-series/ASHSER-1346 Entangled Mobilities in the Transnational Salsa Circuit The Esperanto of the Body, Gender and Ethnicity Joanna Menet First published 2020 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2020 Joanna Menet The right of Joanna Menet to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. The open access version of this publication was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-43366-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-00269-7 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. Contents Figures and tables vi Acknowledgements vii “Bailamos, shall we dance?”: An ethnographic entry to salsa 1 PART I An introduction to the salsa circuit 7 1 Studying salsa 9 2 The salsa circuit 39 PART II Negotiating ethnicity and gender 69 3 Negotiating salsa’s “Latinness” 73 4 Doing, redoing and undoing gender in salsa dancing 96 PART III Transnational careers 121 5 Becoming a salsa dance professional 131 6 Accessing the European salsa circuit 148 7 Building up reputation 167 PART IV Conclusion 189 Bibliography 198 Index 214 Figures and tables Figures 0.1 Dancers at a salsa festival 4 2.1 Warm-up at a salsa workshop 50 2.2 Enjoying a dance at a festival 62 3.1 A couple demonstrating the taught sequence at the end of a workshop 78 3.2 Salsa Cubana men’s styling workshop 88 4.1 Learning the leader and follower roles 100 4.2 Showing the arm moves in a ladies’ styling workshop 115 5.1 Salsa show on the stage of a hotel at the Paris International Salsa Congress 135 5.2 Standing ovations at the end of a show 140 7.1 A salsa couple performing a show 173 7.2 Students film the learned sequence at the end of a ladies’ styling workshop 183 Table 1.1 Interview participants’ position in the salsa circuit 36 Acknowledgements Engaging in the long journey of a dissertation and a book on and off the salsa dance floor would not have been possible without the support of many people. I would first like to express my sincere gratitude to all the research partici- pants who contributed to this study. Muchas gracias for the time spent dis- cussing, for the trust and openness to share personal stories in interviews and of course for the many dances. Salsa photographer Valentin Behringer gener- ously allowed me to use his photographs to add some images to the descrip- tions and analysis in this book. My sincere thanks go to my thesis supervisor Janine Dahinden who trusted me in my choices and supported me throughout the thesis process. This work owes much to her close reading of numerous drafts and her guiding me to push further. I would also like to thank the three members of my thesis committee Kathy Davis, Ellen Hertz and Jonathan Skinner, who carefully read earlier versions of this work. Their detailed comments and questions were extremely helpful in reviewing the thesis for this book. Upon arriving at the Laboratory for the Study of Social Processes, I had the chance to be surrounded by amazing colleagues. This book is not least the result of the fruitful exchange of ideas with them. In particular I would like to thank Matthieu Bolay, Aylin Eriksen, Carolin Fischer, Shpresa Jashari, Faten Khazaei, Anne Kristol, Joëlle Moret, Alain Mueller, Aurélien Petzold, Alice Sala, Martine Schaer, Marion Schulze and Marc Tadorian. A big shout out to the participants of our weekly writing spaces, whose friendship and encouragement at the right moment was central in making it through the thicket of academic writing. I was lucky to present drafts and ideas from this book at several confer- ences, where I got valuable feedback from other salsa-dancing colleagues, notably Ruxandra Ana, Alice Aterianus-Owanga and Brigid McClure. In spring 2016 I had the chance to spend two months as a visiting research stu- dent at King’s College in London. I would like to thank Ananya Kabir and viii Acknowledgements her Modern Moves team for their welcome in an extremely stimulating research environment. I would also like to acknowledge the funding bodies that partly supported this research: the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Donation Funds of the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Neuchâtel, as well as the Graduate School for Gender Studies at the University of Bern. The open access publication of this book was made possible through the Swiss National Science Foundation. I take the opportunity to thank Fiona Shearer, whose attentive copy editing was very precious. I would also like to thank the editorial team at Taylor & Francis for their attention to detail. Finally, I am profoundly grateful to my family and friends for their continuous support in times of doubt just as much as joy related to this book project. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Alessandro, whose encouragement and presence throughout these years was invaluable. Grazie mille. “Bailamos, shall we dance?” An ethnographic entry to salsa It’s a cold Saturday evening in February 2016 I am surrounded by small groups of people all heading towards the convention centre near the lake in the heart of Zurich. As I open the doors, I can immediately hear the rhyth- mic music drifting down the stairs. I pass beneath an arch of multicoloured balloons; this year the Salsafestival Switzerland celebrates its 15th anniver- sary. In the entrance hall, people are queuing for their tickets, but I already wear the wristband I put on the day before, allowing me access during the whole festival: three party nights and the workshops during Saturday and Sunday. Itakeoff my coat and warm boots and change into a pair of dance shoes, made of soft black leather, with heels low enough to make it through the night but high enough for me to be considered a salsa dancer. Around me women and men are doing the same, changing their street shoes for dance shoes and getting ready for “the biggest Salsa party in Europe with 4+3 dance- floors”, as tonight’s party is announced in the festival programme.