"Simply Seaon" – by Thomas of The Santo Rico Dance Company in New York City
(Performance Pictures Taken by Juan Fernando of Justsalsa.com)

I met Seaon Bristol back in 1995 in New York at Side Street, the "melting pot" of dancing On2. I remember initially seeing him just sit around and humbly admire everyone's style of dancing. Seaon is a very unique individual due to his distinguished and pleasant disposition. He's very detail oriented, even in the way he dresses and needless to say in his dancing as well. I remember the first time that he and I spoke, we exchanged pleasantries and he went on to compliment my dancing, which was very flattering coming from such an artistic person such as he. He went on to explain that I was one of the people he admired most in the scene because I never showed any indifference. I guess that stems from good chemistry because he and I immediately hit it off very well. Also, Seaon made me feel very comfortable with his pleasant and bubbly personality, which helped make his company more enjoyable.

One day I walked into Latin Quarter, a New York-based club on 96th Street and Broadway, and I saw Seaon really going off while dancing with my girlfriend Amaryllis. I don't believe I had ever seen them dance before, but he handled her with the utmost care and firmness and made it look as though they had been partners on a regular basis. He was smooth, debonair, graceful and swift all in one, which made me develop a new found respect toward his dancing. This is hard for instructors because a lot of times we look at dancing with such technicality, but I had fun watching Seaon because he dances with such flare and personality that it actually poses a challenge for the woman to dig deeper and find her flare as well. On this particular night at Latin Quarter, I specifically remember that my girlfriend, in the heat of passion, while dancing with Seaon, actually went down and unexpectedly did a split while he was doing most of his many creative and impressive moves, and he managed and controlled her perfectly. I guess Seaon, as I know him to be, brings out the best in all of us.

On another night, I believe it was at the Copacabana in New York as well, Seaon approached me and asked me to spin him because he had seen my girlfriend, Amaryllis and I dance and he enjoyed the way she spun and I guess how I led her. At first I didn't know how to react toward such an unusual situation, but because I knew him so well I gave it a go and started dancing with Seaon. Now mind everyone, at a New York club and in our scene, this isn't usually viewed as being appropriate, but because of his approach and his charisma, I couldn't turn him down or the opportunity to actually test him out. So I proceeded to dance with him and I enjoyed it more than with a lot of women that I've danced with in my time. No pun intended! He was simply awesome!! He followed and showed his multi-dimensional style and grace with confidence and determination and that impressed me greatly. Presently, whenever I've seen Seaon, I've actually danced with him a few times, including at the Congreso Bacardi de la Salsa at Puerto Rico this passed summer and I had a blast dancing with him. People's initial reaction at watching two guys dance is usually shocking and puzzling, and sometimes even of disapproval. But after a few minutes of watching Seaon follow so well, and dance so well in the respective opposite roll, they're facial expressions actually and immediately change into expressions of amazement and amusement. They actually smile and laugh with us and not at us and appreciate how well Seaon executes his unique style of dancing.

In conclusion I'd like to say that meeting and knowing Seaon has been, and of course, still is a pleasure. He's a classy guy with good intentions and I know that he'll adapt to his new surroundings, regardless of any adversity he encounters. This I know because he's articulate, well educated, charismatic and most importantly, he has a good heart, which always goes a long way no matter what or who you are. I'm also looking forward to someday working with Seaon whether it's in my group or in his, because it's always been a dream of mine, which almost came true in New York before he deserted us to leave for Los Angeles (just kidding).