What's the music?

Thanking you!

You can't have music played in a library! What a silly genre!

I usually check this site out at work where youtube is completely blocked so this is the first time (at home) where I look at your videos and they are really interesting and well done. Thanks for sharing.

Btw I really liked the video on YSL's houses.

I'm from the UK, I'm heavily into la música latina, although I've never been to the Caribbean or S America (maybe one day).  I dance a bit (not so much merengue, I prefer salsa, mambo and cha cha cha).  I have lots of music from la isla del encanto or made by boricuas in the US; I expect you're familiar with the likes of Willie Rosario, El Gran Combo, La Sonora Ponceña, Héctor Lavoé, TP, Ray Barretto, etc, etc.

^ Interesting.

Re. rumbas: we don't have them here in the UK.  There are not many Cubans here and almost no Boricuas, so although we do have S Americans living here, and a small number of people who know Afro Cuban percussion (I even know a little bit myself), rumbas don't exist.  However I have seen them on youtube and I know (online) of the ones in NY.

Re. dancing: cha cha cha was big in the mambo era then I believe it was less popular in your day (the salsa era), however it suits me fine - personally, I love it.

I don't know if you're aware, but over the last couple of decades an international 'salsa scene' has appeared.  The emphasis has gone from the music to the dance, meaning there are certain instructors who go around the world getting (over)paid to teach their technical styles of dance.  (In this scene, merengue has totally gone out of fashion, but cha cha has come back into vogue.)  This is the typical salsa style of today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E7wxfaoVOIQ

As you can see, the lead is very technical, very skilled, and getting lots of adoration.  (He's also not dressed up at all.) 

Personally, these name dancers do nothing for me whatsoever, with one exception - this gentleman, who is from and based in PR, and whose style I do really admire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qBjjDQZmOM

However there are still a few places where things have not changed much from before the 'scene' appeared i.e. overwhelmingly latinos present, with people into the music as well as dance.  This is Taino Towers in NY, which is the top old school salsa night in NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kB7iw7336t8

I imagine this ^ is similar to what you're used to, in terms of people present and styles of dance.

Re. music in PR now: I presume you're referring to reggaeton, which has become very popular throughout Latin America.  Lots of people can't stand it though (including most salseros - personally, it gives me a headache).

The guy is good and he is having fun but I'd like to see him do an extended period without rollouts with that girl, because she is also very good. That would be a joy for me to watch.
Had never heard of this guy but like I said dancing is a social event for us, not a hobby and we certainly don't make an effort to "get better at it". It seems like guys like me out of the sheer volume of exposure get serviceable with a few steps and then go out and have fun, whereas others like my brother are born with it and just keep doing it out of fun and after a while they are just awesome.
As you know, when you're "on" with a partner it's one of the best feelings in the world and more than once I fell in love on the dance floor.