Dance! Too much booty in yo’ pants!

A couple of friends and myself have taken the liberty of learning the Latino dance of Salsa. Even the very word itself is packed full of flavour. It’s delicious notes just roll off the tongue in a sassy rhythm of sensuality finished with a punch of pizzazz, "sal-sah!" The dip is pretty rockin’ too.

Lesson one was the most awkward, however it was definitely the most fun. Little did I know not only would I be learning a dance, I would be learning more about myself and the other people in the room. We do not sit around a camp fire and talk about our life experiences, but wow can you tell a lot about a person by the way they dance and the way they learn to dance. Day one we spent some time flying solo getting the basic foot work down. The foundation on which salsa is built is literally called ‘basic’ and consists of quick quick slow, quick quick slow integrated steps back and forth, side to side. I nailed it pretty quickly until our instructor told us to make it look sexy.

We eventually got to partner up, and of course, girls outnumbered boys. Some advanced dancers were nice enough to attend the beginner’s class to provide numbers and boost along the progression of learning as the ladies progressed through the circle partnering with each man. I believe this very way the class is structured by way of everyone having the opportunity to dance with someone different, is how we learn so fast. There are a couple of couples that segregate themselves and move over to the side to dance with each other through the entire class. That’s understandable, but I really think they are missing out on the “paprika” – as our instructor calls the extra parts – of the dance.

The other thing I must note, is that the men in a partnership are so underrated. I never understood this until I actually danced myself. The men are the ones who sculpt the dance, they are the choreographers, the conductors and the foundation of the dance and how it unfolds. The woman is the show piece, the flashy flicker of shimmering gold that catches your eye, but she cannot glimmer if she is lost in a dark maze, she needs a guiding spotlight. She also needs to follow the spotlight, if she takes her own lead through the maze both of them become useless. Here, for a woman if you are used to leading things in your life, you are forced to drop it and start following. That can be very difficult for some strong dominant types, counter-likewise for men. Here you must let go of your inhibitions, let go of the lead or take the lead, get close to strangers and work together.

A few, bumps, “sorry”-s, body grazes, foot collisions, intertwined limbs, running to catch up - which is supposed to be a sexy strut - and some bold shimmies, are part of the process. Most everyone is on the same page in the class which makes for forgiveness. All types of people attend with is so refreshing, some partners are domineering, some are gentle and only use two fingers to connect with your hands. A couple of people use a lot of tension in the arms and a few are so relaxed with their arms it’s hard to tell what’s happening. On the odd occasion we also get to partner up with the instructors which is a little moment of gold, because here you can make the comparison as to what the dance is supposed to feel like and what you’ve been doing while learning.

There is a strange euphoria that comes over you after just one class, it’s as if some close interaction with a group of people working together, moving your body and vibing with some rich beats sends you into a soaring leap of enthusiasm. I’ve gone tired, angry and hungry, each and every time I have left on a high, anticipating the next class. I probably picked up a little bit of Spanish too from our instructor, “Quattro, quattro, quattro is slow, slow, slow!”. Tonight is my second last class and I can’t wait to see how the group has progressed and learn some more spicy moves to practice.

If you've ever toyed with the idea but have never gotten around to it, just bite that bullet and jam your feet in the glorious mess of fun! It may seem daunting, loud and too outwardly expressive for some, but once you do it, you realise it's actually pretty private and close.

** Spiced stuffing

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