The World Salsa Fraud - Buyer Beware
Fraude en el mundo salsero -
Comprador, Ten Cuidado
Some
in English......
algunos en español.....
02/01/03
Thank you for keeping the salsa/mambo community informed. I will spread
the word in the Kansas City Area.
Gracias,
Josue and Katia
www.kcsalsa.com
" The Voice of Salsa in Kansas City"
01/09/03
It seems as though Mr. Altman Is scared of faceing Henry Herrera in
a dance contest. He is afraid it might discredit his so called authority
on the salsa world. I was dedicated every friday to dancing at Starfish
night club where I also taught rueda at, And in many instances seen
Henry Herrera dancing there. There is no doubt in my mind that Henry
by far is the best salsa dancer in miami. So to have actually limit
Henry from anything less than a shot for a world salsa title is injustice.
I propose a chance to for altman to credit himself in a contest against
Henry Herrera.
Rey
12/22/02
i am no expert or teacher,just one of those "no matter how much
i know,i can always learn more"types who also has a passion for
salsa.salomon and sandra are 1)very good dancers and 2)very nice people.however,i
was shocked when i read jacira's editorial(-horror story?) re the wsf...is
this kind of stuff due to lack of venues? greed? egoes?...what can the
concerned "salsa citizen" do to keep this kind of nonsense
from happening and keep our salsa community healthy and growing?
Francisco
Sánchez
12/11/02
Dear Jacira:
I have read Angel Ortiz' "brief
review" of the World Salsa Federation event
held in November. It appears that he made that review
through rose-colored glasses. I will call his review
the "Alice in Wonderland review" because he
is truly dreaming. I was present on Friday, Nov. 1st
at Goldcoast. Without going into detail, I would like
to just say the following: My personal opinion is that
for an event to be successful there has to be other ingredients
other than a "C" for effort.
A competent organizer of any event needs to have integrity,
credibility, decency and ethics. No BS, period. If you
have even a few of the many necessary basic human elements,
chances are you won't piss off so many people all at
once.
All I can say is that a person who has $ $ signs for
eyes, lacks humility, compassion and scruples, deceives
and shows disrespect and disregard for people, builds
a bad reputation for his or herself. A good reputation
is an important asset. With a bad reputation, failure
is imminent.
P.S. I want to take this opportunity to wish all of the
hard working dancers out there Christmas blessings and
the best of luck in your performances and competitions.
Viva la Salsa.
Mary Rodriguez
11/15/02
Dear Jacira:
Bravo
to you!!! for your article!!! It's about time someone
refrains this jerk. I am one of the mothers that was
present at the Friday night November 1st "so called
competition" at Goldcoast. My daughter danced in
the opening number. Please contact me if you need details.
Mary
Rodriguez
11/15/02
I don't know Mr. Aultman or his associates (judges,sponsors
etc...) but I do know Henry, In my opinion not many people
can dance next to him and Ive never met anyone who has
reached his level or surpass it. I think a competitions
goal is to determine the best dancer, am I right or wrong?
Now that we know who this is all about why aren't competitions
held with our standards and judges we can count on. The
WSF is going to of course support its style or else they
are acknowledging their inferiority, Instead of putting
up with this lets have our own events ( done the right
way.) Those are my thoughts, in any case good luck Jacira
and Julian.
11/15/02
My name is Jose and I would like to state that Mr. Aultmans
response is absurd. First of all it sounds to me like
he believes he is a lawyer. The Sherman Antitrust act
was implemented to topple the monopolies and keep them
at bay.. How is he going to go as far as bring that into
an E-mail
"que bobo"
11/14/02
Hola Jacira,
Toda esta historia del señor Altman me pilla un
poco lejos, pero sinceramente parece todo muy claro.
Este año he asistido en Europa a dos eventos que
anunciaban una competición de salsa como atractivo
(con muy buenos premios...). La primera tuvo que cancelarse
y fue sustituida por un concurso "jack and jill",
que por cierto, tuvo un gran éxito. La segunda
tuvo 3 parejas inscritas, y una cuarta pareja (que no
se conocían entre sí) fue presionada por
un profesor para que participara.
LA SALSA NO ES UNA COMPETICIÓN. En Europa
ya nadie baila para competir. Los "saloneros"
que quieran unirse al mundo salsero serán bienvenidos,
pero dudo mucho que logren imponer sus amanerados y forzados
gestos y sus estrictas reglas de competición a
un grupo de gente que lo único que quiere es divertirse
de la manera más natural posible. Nuestro único
juez es la chica o chico con quien bailamos en un momento
dado.
En Europa, el señor Altman es un perfecto desconocido.
Por aquí han pasado varios profesores de EEUU,
algunos con más éxito que otros. Los que
mejor recuerdo han dejado han sido aquellos que han mostrado
una mayor naturalidad, modestia y simplicidad, cualidades
de las que Mr. Altman no parece gozar. La megalomanía
de este señor parece manifiesta. Los salseros
jamás hemos necesitado ningún título
ni para dar clases ni para bailar en ningún club.
Nuestros alumnos nos juzgan día a día,
y nos apoyan o no con su asistencia a las clases.
Un buen bailador lo demuestra en la pista de baile y
no necesita proclamarse campeón de nada por internet.
En cualquier caso, ya sabemos que "Dios los cria
y ellos se juntan" (Birds of a feather flock together).
Dejemos que el señor Altman acoja en su asociación
a todos los bailadores ansiosos de títulos y de
competiciones, y de ese modo nuestro mundo salsero siga
siendo independiente, libre y continuemos disfrutando
del baile simplemente "pa'gozar".
Un besote, y enhorabuena por tu éxito en la web!
César de Diego.
11/14/02
I read the weak rebuttal by "you know who"
and I think it buried his body just a bit deeper. Should
I ever encounter a crowd of salsa enthusiasts who are
interested in competing in and/or in observing a dance
competition hosted by "The White Eddie Murphy",
I'll recommend Altman for the job. He's eminently qualified
and would obviously be willing to work for up to
$10,000.00.
Jack
11/13/02
Subject: Thank You from Salsa Racing!
Jacira
we would like to thank you for the great job that you
are doing. You are the only person who is letting the
world know what is happening in the Salsa Community here
in Miami. We want to keep dancing and competing, and
we want to make sure that we are in good hands when it
comes to the judges, who should know at least something
about salsa without making mistakes and fraud. Keep up
the good work and we hope that all the "SALSEROS"
get together on this one, because we should not let things
like that happen. QUE VIVA LA SALSA!
Thank
You,
Henry
Herrera and Zumel Michel
from Salsa Racing Dance Studios.
Note
from the Editor: Read Henry Herrera's Statement as
to why they did not compete HERE.
11/13/02
Keep up the good fight! :)
Benjamin
11/13/02
Dear Jacira...
I will send your article to everyone I know. Isaac really
has no idea what a WSF should be and knew he would eventually
run his business into the ground. And I even warned him
a couple of years ago that he can't make WSF about himself
which he has. So sad. So this is just a note to say that
I support you and should you need anything please feel
free to ask.
Sincerely, Jami Josephson
11/13/02
I'm happy to read everything negative about that jerk.
I went to Goldcoast on Friday, Nov. 1 and just couldn't
believe what an a**hole he is. He never shut up once
he had the mike. We went to dance and see competitions
but instead most of the night we were forced to sit and
listen to his mouth. I think he thinks he's funny and
a comedian (maybe he thinks he's another Don Rickles
or Rodney Dangerfield) but I've never been more irritated
by anyone before. Everything that came out of his mouth
was offensive and embarrassing to the couples competing
and he's also a racist. How did this joker get to pull
off such an event? That night was awful, the DJ he hired
was the worst, the shines were a joke and when I went
home I was afraid that I was going to have a nightmare
about him that night. Seriously, that's how much he offended
me. When he wouldn't get off the mike I actually shouted
out to the audience of couple of times for him to get
off the mike already and I'm pretty sure he heard. He's
the most self-absorbed man I've ever heard. I complained
to the owner of Goldcoast and he apologized and said
that everyone was complaining about him. That was my
experience of him!
Linda
Editor's
note: Actually, it appears he thinks he's Richard
Prior or Eddie Murphy. See his last response
to us HERE
11/13/02
Sorry to write, but I have to agree with you
on this one. Great Job.
Erik
Mantequilla
(Director, Salsa Fever Dance Studios)
11/12/02
I enjoyed reading you article on the WSF. I was there
and agree w/ almost everything you wrote. Thanks for
getting the word out. You are a true spokesperson for
the salsa community and we all appreciate it. Keep up
the great work.
Thanks,
Mike Barbieri
Salsa Heat - Orlando
11/12/02
Hello,
I was part of the unheard "Team USA." I have
never been so humiliated in my entire life. This was
a set up and we were definately unprepared for a competion
against an opponent who had been rehearsing for months
compared to our 20 minutes in the parking lot. I have
definately learned my lesson to never deal with this
guy. great article.
George
11/11/02
I was present at the Paladium for two Saturday evenings
during which salsa competitions occurred. Never having
seen the Altmans anywhere before, I did wonder who they
were and I also wondered about the status of this organization
called the "World Salsa Federation".
When Mr. Altman conducted the competitions on each of
the two nights in question, he did use foul language
in both English and in Spanish and he made several sexual
references. As a former New Yorker who is very infrequently
shocked by such things, I do remember thinking that this
man sees himself more as an entertainer rather than as
a promoter of salsa competitions. As a former English
teacher, I always told my students that the first thing
to know prior to writing is to know one's audience. The
same is obviously true for salsa promoters. As a supposed
professional dancer and promoter, Mr. Altman should have
known that many of those who attend a dance competition
are there solely for that purpose and may be offended
by his attempts to turn the event into an opportunity
to do a stand up comedy routine of questionable taste.
At
the very least, he is guilty of very poor judgment. However,
more than likely, he is exactly who you and the majority
of your "salsa friends" have identified him
as being.
Sincerely,
Jack Valerio
11/10/02
hi jacira te habla un salsero de verdad yo trabajo con
henrry tu me conoces : yo fui a una competencia en palladium
para clasificar para la conpetencicia famosa de los altman
fui por embullo de mis amistades, y los senores altman
que se autotitulan salseros y no bailan nada me quitaron
el primer puesto y se lo dieron a un tal ricki que trabaja
con elque no baila mal pero no tiene mi calidad y no
me llega ni a las chancletas asi dicen la gente despues
que se entero que yo soy el partner de henrry llamo el
domingo ofreciendo disculpas y diciendo que el no fue
el jurado aprte de eso el jurado que tenia sabe menos
salsa que un recien nacido te lo digo aqui y si se lo
tengo que decir en su cara puedes contar conmigo chao
juanito (johnny la bala)
11/09/02
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I AM A LITTLE SHOCKED OF THIS
WHOLE SITUATION THAT TOOK PLACE. I HAPPEN TO BE SELECTED
BY MR. ALTMAN TWICE AT THE PALLADIUM AS A JUDGE FOR THE
WEEKLY CONTESTS THAT WERE HELD FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
I WAS SOMEWHAT DISTURBED BY THE WAY HE TOLD US WE HAD
TO JUDGE BUT OF COURSE I JUDGED MY OWN WAY. I ALSO FELT
THAT IT WAS NOT RIGHT THAT HIS WIFE WAS A JUDGE EVERY
WEEK. HE DID INDEED CURSE A LITTLE TOO MUCH AND TALKED
A LOT OF GARBAGE TO IMPRESS THE CROWD HOWEVER SOME FOUND
IT DISTURBING TO THE POINT THAT THEY WOULD YELL "LETS
GET ON WITH THE CONTEST" I FEEL BAD FOR THE WINNERS
THAT THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING $10.000.00.
AS
WE ARE A BIG GROUP THAT GOES OUT DANCING ALOT, PLEASE
LET US KNOW IF MR. ALTMAN HAD A RESPONSE TO HIS FRAUDULENT
ACTIONS.
Note
from the editor: Yes, he responded, and you can read
it HERE
11/09/02
I am sorry to say that my boyfriend and I did NOT attend
as I feel like the event was NOT worth the cost.
It is a real shame that Mr. Altman is giving Salsa in
South Florida such a bad reputation!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What happened to the pure love of the dance? I had no
idea that he housed out of town guests in a bad area
of Pompano.......That is a shame.
I think he should go back to his little corner of Miami
and LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is
too bad that reputable businesses like GOldCOast Ballroom
and Paladium got involved with him.
The whole thing makes me sick.
Karie
11/09/02
Hi Jacira,
Many
thanks for the congrats re-Salsa Maf. Yes, I've been
following your war against tackiness with much interest.
You go girl! In the spirit of geek-baiting surrounding
the whole Altman/WSF conflagration, I feel that it is
now time to release the transcripts of the case I filed
against my first salsa teacher Rodo, and his lanky protégé
Sedsy. IN DA DOCK it's called, and the whole sorry affair
can be viewed on Salsa
Mafia. Altman should read this perhaps to give him
an insight into what a canny prosecutor can do with an
individual who lives by the law of kitsch.
Now I better go and do some work...those legal fees are
piling up...
Later,
Steve
11/08/02
It's about time somebody expose this idiot to the rest
of the Salsa world.
When I heard about it last year, I told Rose of ToSalsa.com
that this is another one of those 'Ballroom' people sticking
their nose where they don't belong. Don't get me wrong,
these studio should stick to what they do best, teach
foxtrot, tango, waltz, etc...but please for frig sake
leave Salsa (and even street cha cha) alone.
When i heard that this idiot wanted a 'syllabus', I quickly
scoffed at the idea, Bronze, Silver, Gold, pullllllease!
That's what Salsa is so well loved because it's more
of an art and you can create your own moves and patterns
unlike the very stiff structured ballroom syllabus.
Anyhow, I couldn't write it up on my newslist as i have
nothing to go on by, but now that this happened....what
a relief.
Even here, Ballroom studio are trying to put their business
where it shouldn't be, these teachers will teach Salsa
in a 'ballroom' stiff way because it's growing activity,
which may be fine as everybody is free to do whatever,
to me, what i look for in a teacher is a person who is
involved in the salsa community, who regularly tries
to go outside the city to update his skills, who occasionally
goes to the Salsa clubs. Ballroom studios capitalizes
on this growing dance, and they tell their students that
they are experts at it, yet, we never see this teachers
go to the clubs at least once a month. so yes....buyer
beware.
Look for a teacher that is involved and at least dances
every few weeks at a local Salsa clubs.
Salsa Fanatics
Promoting Salsa in Ottawa
www.salsafanatics.com
11/08/02
Hola,
Antes que todo, te quiero mandar todo mi soporte en esta
historia con el señor ese. En francia, lo hemos
llamado el Cekoidon lo que se podria traducir
por el "QueEsEso". El tipo tiene
muy mala fama por aquí. Ojala nunca llegue organisar
algo en Paris, donde también se encuentran payasos
de su tamaño.
Pierre
11/08/02
We have seen several videos of Laura and Isaac dancing.
Their standard & technique is terrible.
We will not review their videos for this reason.
I do not think they even know what Salsa is.
They certainly do not dance Salsa but a bad ballroom
Mambo.
I am frankly tired of failed ballroom dancers saying
they are teaching Salsa when they have no idea of what
Salsa dance is or how to dance it.
I
would like to thank Jacira for the article. It covers
the same points about the WSF that I have been hearing
for the last couple of years.
Neal
http://salsavideoreviews.org
We
have a web site but we are dancers not webmasters.
So please forgive our many mistakes.
11/07/02
Great Article Jacira! May I post the link to your article
from my site?
- Edie, The Salsa FREAK
*BY
ALL MEANS! Everyone can post links to this article,
be my guest! --Jacira
11/07/02
Go Jacira!!
Jon
11/07/02
DESDE MI PUNTO DE VISTA PUEDO DECIR QUE PARTICULARMENTE
NO TENGO MUCHA CONFIANZA EN LOS CONCURSOS Y MUCHO MENOS
SI SE TRATA CON PERSONAS DE ESTA INDOLE. ME GUSTARIA
LLEVAR A ESTOS SEÑORES QUE DICEN SER LOS REYES
DE LA SALSA A UN SOLAR EN LA HABANA VIEJA A VER QUE TAN
REYES SON. POR SUPUESTO NO ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON ESTAS
INJUSTICIAS Y CREO QUE CUALQUIER PERSONA QUE SE RESPETE
Y SE QUIERA UN POCO A SI MISMO TAMPOCO.
JOEL
11/07/02
Muchas gracias por la información sobre los Altman.
De toda la gente que citas, sólo conozco a Salomon
Rivera, quien estuvo en Barcelona este verano. Se anunciaron
como campeones del mundo de cha-cha-chá y la verdad
es que estaban omnipresentes; se veía claramente
que querían promocionarse.
Quiero decirte que te apoyo en tu denuncia y protesta.
Tenemos que protegernos de esta gentuza que se erigen
a sí mismo jueces y amos del mundo salsero. Nadie
necesita certificados pues el público y los alumnos
son los que deciden quién es un buen profesor
o un buen salsero y quién es un inútil.
César
11/07/02
FYI:
Laura and Isaac won a mambo competition at the Grand
National Ballroom Competition in Miami a few years back
I believe, which is where they apparently claim their
"title" from as far as I can tell. That particular
ballroom competition was not even a major competition
in the world of ballroom. (I also do ballroom.)
Also,
I am sure you have heard by now, that Laura and Isaac
lost the $1000 first prize at the salsa contest a couple
years ago (that Jamie and Miriam organized). They lost
to a young, energetic, refreshing and creative couple
from New York, I think (I was there and saw the contest).
Basically, Laura and Isaac danced "ballroom"
style, and unfortunately for the Altmans, this was not
a ballroom competition. In fact, I was surprised to see
them in the contest at all. Anyway, to make a long story
short, I believe there was a big deal made out of this.....meaning
the judging, etc...and it seems like from that point
on I started seeing the self-proclamations, promotions,
wsf. Anyway, check with Miriam or Jamie for all the facts......they
are forwarding your comments out to their own email list.
Mimi
11/07/02
I must agree with you in regard to the so called WSF,
as I would say he has big you know what. I first thought
he was the most arrogant obnoxious person I have ever
met. My boyfriend teaches mambo he kept sending him free
workshop tickets so called worth $25 a piece. He offered
him 25, of course I told my boyfriend he's a scammer
he just tries to lure people who are unaware that this
crook made up his own fantasy WSF rules and reg. When
I seen him at Palladium for the big 10,000 rigged contest
whatever? He was making these vulgar comments about women
that I was about to curse him out myself. He feels as
if he's the king of Salsa.(In his dreams) I found what
you had to say has so much truth to it. Who is the Guy?
I will definitely spread the word he's not good news
people beware. He needs to be banned from Salsa for thinking
he can run his mouth in the matter he does. Where is
his professionalism for the WSF. (Yeah Right!!!) I can't
imagine how much money he was able to lure from innocent
victims thinking this federation is recognized. Thank
you for your information I will defiantly spread the
word. Keep up your good work.
Sincerely,
Gina
11/06/02
I am one of the Salsa Rica members from Canada and I
would like to say that everything in mentioned in the
article is true.
The
judging was also interesting in that Isaac claimed that
the "Salsa Classic" competition had 'rules'
such as dancing on ONE. I am not a professional nor am
I a judge but I personally watched every single competitor
to see if they stayed on the one (it is something that
almost every dancer in our group has been focusing on)
and other than the couple from Monterrey and David and
Kelly, NONE of the competitors stayed on ONE. The second
place couple danced on ONE, THREE, FOUR and FIVE all
in the same choreography! How could the judges not notice
this?!?!?!
Also, there were significant Mayan clones... One couple
used the same theme, parts of the same music and the
same moves from the 'old man' routine by Rudy Zalez.
The Male dancer in the Argentinian couple smacked of
Johnny Vazquez and even used the same music and entry
into the move where the man plays the girls posterior
like a drum (this was just one of many reproduced sequences).
The Mayan competition, as I am lead to believe, is HUGE
in the salsa community and any serious salsa dancer should
at least be familiar with the routines posted on the
Internet from this competition. How can someone place
well in a "World Class Competition" when they
simply re-hash someone elses work? I understand that
most moves are redone and re-used by hundreds of dancers,
but the same sequence of moves, to the same music, with
similar costumes?... I think such a choreography is no
longer the expression of one's own skill and creativity
as a dancer which is why this competition was even more
disappointing for me.
Just
some extra thoughts,
Dissapointed Salsero
11/06/02
Strange Bedfellows
Jacira....you and I have had our differences for
years...no question there..but you will be pleasantly
surprised that this is one of the few areas that we have
agreement with...we were not happy how the WSF handled
its competitions, emceeing or the junior comps at IHSC....after
the smoke cleared we distanced ourselves from any involvement
with the WSF....we will be administering our own comps
next year, and Maria Torres and Angel Figueroa will be
in charge of making sure everything runs on time and
is Kosher... regards.
Randy Atlas co-chair IHSC*
*International Hustle & Salsa
Competition
11/06/02
FYI...Isaac and Laura Altman did not make the 1st cut
at the 2001 IDO World Mambo Championships. Also, they
refused to defend their 2000 title at the 2001 IDO World
Salsa Championships due to a 9-11 protest, stating in
a public email that they felt the event should have been
cancelled, even after the President of the USA encouraged
everyone to resume their lives and go about their normal
affairs. Where were they in 2002? Why didn't they compete?
What are they afraid of? Isaac seems very self-righteous,
egotisical, pompous and indignant to me...does the term
LOSER come into play here? It's like crowning yourself
"King for a Day" -- no-one attends your coronation
except your own ego!
11/06/02
Hi there!
This is Heidi from Calgary
Salsa and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for
your article on WSF!
I linked it on my main page - please visit!
Cheers!
Heidi
11/06/02
Well, I just read the wonderful article that talks about
the last 2002 WSF. I agree with all your words in that
article. The article should be in the Newspaper and should
be printed and posted in all Salsa Night clubs.
I
was one that I had a bad taste of those: Mr. and Mrs.
Altman, and everybody knows. During the salsa contests
at Palladium night club I could see huge errors in the
results.You can ask to people what happened there and
they will tell you.The thing that I did not like was
that there was a couple from Colombia, I dont have anything
against them because they are great people but the judge
Mrs. Altman was giving all the second places to them
just because they were from Colombia, so does she, and
there were another dancers that they did much better
than them and even These dancers in the last contest
they were tie with the 2nd place once again, and everybody
could see that all their routines were dirty but guess
what? Who was in the judge? Laura, so don't worry because
it was for sure that she was going to do something for
them....
Sincerly...a Cuban Salsero. (Hurt because of this s...)
11/06/02
Subject: Re: IDO on the Message board of SalseroCorner
Dear Jacira,
They are not members. We only have National associations
as members. They are registered as competitors and that
is a registration for life that all competitors must
do to enable them to compete.
We have dropped him as the contact person for Columbia.
Best regards
N-H
(Nils-Håkan
Carlzon is the President of the IDO, International Dance
Organization)
11/06/02
Truth
in Salsa - It's about TIME!
It
is about time that someone exposed this fraud for what
he is. My hat is off to you for your willingness to share
the views of your readers and to take a stand in the
name of Latin music and dance. He seems to be an autocrat...what
has he done? What competitions (other than his own) has
he won? Who trained him? What are his credentials (other
than his own)? I know he won the 2000 IDO Championship
(competing in a very small field...if my memory serves
me correctly there was a very, very limited number of
competitors), but in my opinion, anyone who doesn't defend
his title, even if he honestly loses, is a coward and
a fake. He never even defended his title! This does not
make him a salsa authority, nor does it make him the
end-all, know-it-all authority on the subject. His foul
mouth, narcissistic attitude and his arrogance is nauseating.
I HAVE NOT heard one good word about him yet. Keep up
the good work...accurate reporting is crucial for those
of us who care about truth!
(Anon.)
11/05/02
Hola
Jacira,
Your
article on the WSF has gained support on some of the
message boards, salserosweb and salserocorner in particular.
Sounds like this needed saying, well done.
Mick
11/05/02
Tremendo
Jacira, tremendo. Le distes justo al clavo! I'm passing
this link to everyone I know. I really congratulate you
on this one. Well put!!!
Un abrazo,
Luis
11/05/02
Hello,
My
name is Diane Hernández and I was at this event.
The hotel was terrible. I had to cancel my reservation
and book at another hotel further from this event. Some
dancers of Canada approached me at this Days Inn and
they were scared. This man Isaac was so rude and used
so many terrible racist words. I just didn't believe
what I was hearing. It was so low and degrading. His
wife Laura was so cold and rude. A young girl from her
group of dancers got hurt dancing and was crying. I approached
Laura and told her "very cold said "- I know
-- and didn't even take the poor girl out of the show.
This young girl was maybe 13 years old. If I was the
mother I will make sure Laura learns a lesson of compassion.
This event was a scam and nobody should go next year.
This Isaac brags about being the best salsa dancer in
the World. He must be crazy.
11/05/02
Jacira,
I
can talk in the gutter with the best of them but there
is a context to everything. It's one thing if I'm playing
cards with my buddies and we're having a few beers, but
that is in private. In public, if you are Eddie Murphy,
Steve Harvey, or George Carlin and your gig is gangsta
comedy con maldiciones, that's cool too---it is what
(most of) the audience expects. But it's entirely another
if you're answering softball questions in the Miss America
contest or trying to present a charming, inclusive and
warm image (apparently Isaac Altman needs an image consultant,
for more than just his platinum wig).
From
your description, if true, Isaac thinks himself to be
wearing Joseph's Technicolor Coat. Well honey, he may
be even a bigger dreamer than Joseph, but instead his
threads are those of the Emperor's New Clothes, child!
I
have never seen Isaac Altman except in his rinky dink
website, I'd never heard about him until about a year
ago when I began receiving spam from him about twice
a week announcing the same event that was the biggest
thing next to the Second Coming of Jesus, and I've never
attended any event of his. But reputation speaks volumes.
Is it true that only the disgruntled have something to
say? If so, my bad. But even people with so many enemies
(including big names on the West and East Coasts) have
their defenders....where are Isaac's? I want to hear
from them. I want to know who they are, either with their
real names or their pseudonyms. I'm talking about people
besides those he hires as judges. If no one else will
speak up, okay, then, I guess judges will do. I'd prefer
if we also heard something from Isaac himself.
From
what it seems, he's learned how to do "el dedazo"
----(to designate a worthy successor, as long as you
are of "my" party) along with the best of the
old dinosaurio PRI'istas in Mexico or certain royalty
around the world--- to any of those that will carry the
torch of the WSF. In other words, "I will proclaim
you champion, and oh lookee here, it just so happens
that you are a member of the WSF. My my, what a coincidence!
Well, that just shows that you know what you are doing
in joining us, and it just shows that I know talent when
I see it. Ergo, we is legit. (with apologies to Descartes:
"I select. Therefore, I am (and we is).").
---- "I crown you champion so that people can see
that we are the best (???)" A circular argument
if there ever was one. Has the word "recuse"
ever been found on Mr. Altman's lips? Most likely, he'd
have to look it up in the dictionary, given all the typos
in his salserocorner postings, as well as those on his
website. As if greed, flamboyance, tackiness and tawdriness
weren't enough, now add nepotism (the WSF "family")
to the list.
I
would think that he'd be quick to post the results of
his weekend north of Ft. Lauderdale in beautiful Pompano
trucker alley, but nothing doing---it was last updated
Oct. 20th. What's the delay? Any organization worth its
salt would be congratulating the winners and thanking
the participants, especially with all the publicity that
shellacked everyone beforehand. Why is there nothing
on the Yahoo Salsa Corner message board he acquired over
the summer? It was last updated October 29th. Is it because
he realizes no one reads it anyway? ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SalsaCorner/)
Why have none of the participants chimed in to say "Hey
Isaac, great event dude!" or "Wow, I'm awed!
I can't wait until next year!" Is it because no
one went? Or no one has anything good to say? This is
a big red flag. Why does he himself not do anything on
his boards since the event? Or does he not have time
due to his day job (oops! this is his day job).
It
seems as if each planned event, if it ever takes place,
is a disaster and full of disappointment on behalf of
all participants except Mr. & Mrs. WSF, who continue
to trumpet the once-in-a-lifetime mega super duper smash-ass
colossal event of the year. I heard about the fiasco
in Houston. Notice how quietly the end-of-year event
in Washington DC got axed? Who are they kidding? If they
keep this up, pretty soon word will get around and they'll
have to go to hold their events in Ouagadougou or Tibet
to see if anyone still buys their gig.
Even
if I were a ballroomer, I'd be embarrassed out of my
skull to be associated with such an organization that
already has a hideous reputation. I'm glad somone is
finally sounding the trumpet before others get suckered
in. It is a waste to drive down the block to attend this
chusmeria, and I feel even worse for those who come from
Europe and Japan to get conned big-time. People need
to discover that the Altman's are running a scam -- and
it isn't even a major one, but a pint-size one that likes
to scream loudly and obnoxiously. If they doubt or still
want to go ahead and win that $10,000 prize (oh yeah?),
at least they've been warned.
I
think it is key that you attended this event, for otherwise
it would be only hearsay. But you were there, and were
personally affected---as was your family; totally uncalled
for. Keep up the good work. I would like to also hear
from defenders of the WSF.
later,
Bluto
11/04/02
Hello,
I
just wanted to thank you for that article. I was just
waiting for someone to say what you've said. Thanks a
million and one times!
Lexi
St.Laurent
Director, SalsaCharlotte.com
Charlotte, North Carolina
11/04/02
I
have had a few disagreements w/him on the Yahoo boards.
I find his personality abrasive. I wasn't much impressed
by his dance clips either (as opposed to mine, which
are YUMMY *smile*).
Nina
Send
us your response!
Mr.
Altman responds: HERE
All editorials
and letters to the editor on SalsaPower.com are personal
opinions of those people who write them and do not necessarily
reflect the position of SalsaPower.com,
Inc., its editors, correspondents, interns, advertisors
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This page
last updated on:
31-Dec-2007
