r/Salsa Feb 12 '24

Discussion: suppressing valuable discussion vs allowing slander and doxxing

69 Upvotes

This is the sub mod, reaching out for discussion on the influx of posts (and reports) regarding the recent posts about predatory behavior in the salsa scene. TLDR: In this post, I will talk a little on the current sub policy on moderation, discuss a bit of context on what I am required to remove from the sub, and then add my thoughts on path forward. The last will be up for some discussion here, as we try to figure out what we as an online salsa community want to be.

  1. Current mod policy: my current mod policy is to let upvotes and downvotes speak. Things are often reported that don't really break sub rules or are bad text posts by people who are annoying to many of you in the sub. I do not remove these posts. One of the reasons I do not is that, despite being downvoted into the negatives, many of these posts tend to foster a healthy amount of discussion and engagement in the comments that are relevant to the dance scene. Another type of oft-reported post are the ones that link to a site or blog or whatever. The current rule is not to spam them and not to sell anything. The reason is that there are things that you may not be interested in that others may find useful. Again, upvotes/downvotes do a lot of heavy lifting. In the cases that the line crosses from occasional self promotion to spam, I have reached out to those individuals via DM to help clarify the policy, and if required, temp ban them. My point is, generally I do not like using mod powers to shape the subreddit to be what I want, but rather what the community wants to see.

  2. Which brings me to my next point - things I must remove. According to reddit content policy rule 3 (https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) I am supposed to remove anything that reveals personal information or uses such to instigate harassment. The kicker: public figures may be an exception to this rule. And a public figure is "a person who has achieved fame, prominence or notoriety within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own."

As you can see, the whole thing is kind of murky, especially as it applies to the recent discussions on predatory behavior. As someone who takes part in another sport that is rife with these types of scandals (against children on top of that), I have personally seen that shining light into these corners of darkness has a huge effect. So I am not keen to suppress legitimate discussions about this topic in our community.

On the other hand, reddit is full of examples of failed witch hunts and anonymous bullying. And some of the discussions, veiled or otherwise, have been naming individuals who may not even be on this site to defend themselves. I'm not keen to allow mudslinging (especially without proof) in a subreddit that is meant to celebrate dancing. I can imagine a scenario in which a instructor or school uses the current discussions to cast unfounded doubt or outright accusations against an innocent rival.

So how to walk the line between useful discussion and baseless name calling?

  1. Thoughts on path forward - I propose that we continue to allow upvotes and downvotes dictate what goes on the page relative to these discussions, with a couple of tweaks. Naming regions or cities in comments/posts is okay. Talking about your experiences about unnamed people is okay. Opening discussions on predatory behavior, what that behavior looks like from start to finish, and providing support in the wake of aftermath--all okay. What is not okay is accusing people by name in the top level posts or in comments unless you have a link to an objective article/police report/etc. that backs up the claim. Instead, I propose that you leave an invite at the end of your post/comment for any one to DM you if they would like to discuss details/names in private. Those that would benefit from knowing will still have the opportunity to find out what/who they should be careful of, without violating any reddit policies. It would also allow the two users to have a more frank conversation, and at the end of the day it will be for the requester to determine the credibility of the poster.

Is this a perfect solution? Of course not. But I've been a mod here for 12 years and this is the first time something like this has happened, so I'm happy to entertain other suggestions.

Lastly - I consider the Yamulee fight video to be an example the original mod policy. The post is relevant to the salsa community, and it doesn't violate any rules in and of itself. Yes--the juxtaposition of the OP's 2 only posts implies bias/agenda, but the upvotes/downvotes very clearly pushed the post to negative votes and floated context on the altercation to the very first comment.

That said, I am happy to discuss how to treat videos like this in the future. There is a very real argument that it is not relevant to salsa music or dancing and that it should be removed.

Thanks for reading my novel.


r/Salsa 15h ago

Went to my first dedicated salsa social. And it went well!

18 Upvotes

I'm a lead that's been learning Salsa since November. I'm currently learning at an intermediate level and for a long time I wasn't sure if I would be good enough to do a dedicated salsa social that was outside of drop in classes.

I was nervous about going but fortunately many people from my class were there. A few of them I danced with multiple times. I had a pleasant time dancing with those I hadn't seen before, but the biggest surprise were the number of beginners that came which was amazing. I hadn't expected that and it was really fun dancing with them.

Of course I still have a long way to go. My timing was still a occasionally off, sometimes was a little indecisive over my next move but overall I was really happy with how the day went. Most importantly I got to have an after social ice cream and some drinks with some from the social, many of whom I hadn't met before, so was a nice bonding experience too.

So for those that wonder whether you're good enough or not, just go! Honestly most of the people there were super friendly, we laughed at our mistakes instead of being angry and it was good vibes throughout.


r/Salsa 15h ago

Are the salsa club/events in Europe feeling more pretentious or relaxed lately?

6 Upvotes

Just curious about your various regions and general vibe.

I think venues shrink because when the number of people and technicalities rise the base fades out. Then the intermediate people either drop out and do other stuff or become equally hardcore.

I love social science. So yeah I ask these questions lol


r/Salsa 8h ago

Salsa in Hartford, CT?

1 Upvotes

Any classes/socials nearby? Here for a week, wanted to know if there are any places you would recommend!


r/Salsa 14h ago

Queer salsa / Latin dance night in Toronto

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1 Upvotes

r/Salsa 1d ago

Question on inside turn

4 Upvotes

I am an improver level follower and had a lesson somewhere different yesterday. I am used to doing inside turns that end on the 1, by that I mean on beat 7 i am facing away from my partner and don’t turn and face them until 1 when i do basic backwards. However in this class, the inside turn was supposed to be completed on the 7 so you face your partner on the 7. I found to do that you have to turn a lot quicker on the spot and it kind of threw me a bit. I am unsure if you are supposed to be facing your partner on the 7 and I’ve picked up a bad habit or if you are able to do either. Can anyone clear up the proper timing for an inside turn?


r/Salsa 17h ago

Practicing during travel

0 Upvotes

Helllo :) I am a new follow, learning on 2. I’ve been taking a class 1x a week for 3 months. I am currently on Holliday and will go 3 weeks without going to class. I don’t have the option to go out dancing where I am. Does anyone have any suggestions for good online videos for follows to solo practice with?

Thanks so much!


r/Salsa 2d ago

Becoming a better follow

135 Upvotes

Hi everyone !

I am a little discouraged. I’ve only been dancing since February but feel like I should be better at this point. I struggle with balance and smoothness with spins, and just overall want to be a better follow and improve. What can I be doing to become better ? Here are some videos


r/Salsa 2d ago

New Song to dance in contratempo/on2

5 Upvotes

I was on a dance festival lately and I enjoyed this one https://youtu.be/OOlBa4E5R10?feature=shared
the lyrics are also cool and it has a nice change in the middle.


r/Salsa 1d ago

Please help me find this song!

1 Upvotes

I think its salsa, a cuban style maybe, its in spanish , HELP!


r/Salsa 2d ago

Best Salsa Lessons In World

2 Upvotes

I’ve been dancing salsa since January and want to do a three-week, self-guided deep dive somewhere where lessons are cheaper. Where would you go for lots of budget-friendly privates? I live in LA and am considering somewhere in South America.


r/Salsa 2d ago

What do think of this salsa song?

7 Upvotes

It is not too popular, but for me it is very beautiful and different.

https://youtu.be/KEXq9WLq8ho?si=ilUpYW1OhcjlRQSX


r/Salsa 2d ago

El Juego del PODER y del AMOR

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1 Upvotes

🌎🔥 “El Juego del Poder y del Amor” 🔥🌎

No es un álbum… 👉 es tu historia de amor, pérdida y renacimiento.

💃 Salsa con alma.

🔥 Drama con fuego.

💔 Amor con verdad. ¿Te atreves a jugar el juego? 🎶


r/Salsa 2d ago

Sociales de salsa/bachata en Mendoza capital?

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2 Upvotes

r/Salsa 3d ago

Where are the best places in the world to dance salsa?

8 Upvotes

Id love to do a world tour of salsa. My favourite style is LA (I've been dancing it for over 20 years) but I also love bachata, and On2, not good at Cuban at all

Where do you recommend? And how do I don't the places to go?


r/Salsa 2d ago

Salsa Dancing in El Salvador?

1 Upvotes

Anybody know of any good places to salsa dance in San Salvador or any surrounding areas (beach areas)?

Also does anyone know if they dance linear on1 down there?

Thanks!


r/Salsa 3d ago

Uhh what’s going on?

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46 Upvotes

What happen?


r/Salsa 3d ago

Discouraged after my first social

11 Upvotes

Trying to be very realistic on my abilities but would love some encouragement, feedback, and tips.

I’ve taken maybe 10-12 salsa basic classics so I honestly went to my first social with the goal of just trying to dance with a few folks.

I maybe made the mistake of intentionally only trying to dance with beginners but I quickly learned I could tell the difference with followers. In the end of course the two people I danced with shared they’ve dance for several years. I was off tempo often and had a hard time remembering moves learned from classes. The worst part of it was how much I sweat! Now I am a sweater and historically have sweat when nervous but really never experience that anymore. But with the degree of sweat dripping of my forehead it left me nervous to dance at more socials knowing I may need to deal with this. I saw one person with a towel around their shoulder and wonder if this is frown upon. Curious as a beginner how often I should attend socials in the beginning or practice on my own. If I am on my practicing I honestly don’t know if I’m on tempo or not.

Thanks so much for reading!


r/Salsa 3d ago

shrinking toe box?

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1 Upvotes

Hi all, I’ve had my Very Fine Cuban heels for about a year. Initially wore them with socks to preserve them from being gross. Went without socks for a bit. As time has gone on they’ve become stretched out. How can I shrink them? They are these: 16612 Black Mesh


r/Salsa 3d ago

Enjoing dancing as woman

26 Upvotes

Maybe this is a question that’s already been asked: When do you women actually enjoy dancing? Or rather, what does a man need to do to make you enjoy the dance with him? I’ve been dancing Cuban salsa and bachata since January, and I’ve always wondered about this. Because I don’t think it’s just a matter of moves or experience


r/Salsa 3d ago

Where do I keep my gaze?

21 Upvotes

I am learning salsa and when in a class or salsa club dancing with strange dance partners- where do I avert my gaze? I do the initial eye contact and smile and greeting, but Feels awkward continually looking at partner, doesn’t feel right to look at floor- what is the normal? Just look around? Such an introvert question I know…


r/Salsa 3d ago

Salseros at Dragoncon

7 Upvotes

This is likely one of the more unusual posts, do we have any Salseros attending Dragoncon next weekend in Atlanta?

I’d be curious if we could have a Salsero dance breakout in the Marriott Marquis, or others that will be around! What do you enjoy doing there?


r/Salsa 3d ago

Salsa Music in Ukrainian!

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3 Upvotes

I share a list with songs, #salsa, #bachata, in Ukrainian. I hope you like it! Music in Ukrainian


r/Salsa 3d ago

Smooth Salsa UK April 5th 2025 (Quinto Mayor - Por Alguien Que Se Fue)

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0 Upvotes

r/Salsa 3d ago

To the gym goers here

5 Upvotes

How do you manage hitting legs and then doing salsa, especially stuff like rumba. I get doms every time and it impacts my salsa training.


r/Salsa 3d ago

Salsa Caleña classes in Los Angeles

1 Upvotes

I remember seeing an instagram for salsa caleña classes in Los Angeles but I cant seem to find it now. Does anyone have recommendations or know classes / socials for salsa caleña in Los Angeles? Thank you