Why I love salsa

So, 1 year and 8 months ago I started dancing salsa....technically my journey began a bit earlier when Victoria would drag me out to Sapphire with her on Thursdays. At the time I felt SO uncomfortable and dreaded when people would ask me to dance because, well, partner dancing is scary.

One night, after faking my way through some dances with Victoria's salsa friends, I decided that I was going to get good and I was going to come back and prove myself. So, I signed up for Ritmos Latinos rueda casino classes, because I was told that that was the best way to get involved in the salsa community in Tucson. I quickly made friends with my classmates, many of whom were people I saw out at the clubs.

Quickly I felt a change start to occur. What had started as me being proud and attempting to prove that I'm not a failure became a full-blown addiction. Salsa was all I talking about, all I thought about, I looked forward to Thursday nights every single week. By spring I was dancing sometimes 6 days a week (including Ritmos classes and private lessons).

My first year of salsa was filled with a lot of self-criticism. Anytime I had an off night or a bad dance I'd beat myself up and not wanna dance anymore. May of last year I went my first salsa congress in Los Angeles; here I learned how much progress you can make not only by attending workshops but also by using your friends as resources to help you work out kinks in your dancing. This trip was definitely one of the first major turning points in my dancing.

Here I am, nearly a year later, having just spent my weekend attending my second congress. It has proven to be quite a reflective experience for me for many reasons.

Where to start?

1. Well I guess first of all, the fact that I WENT to the congress at all impresses me. I think this weekend has been one of my first indications of how I've changed since I've been here. For those that know me well, I'm quite a dependent person when it comes to going out. I can be a bit socially awkward so I like to have at least a buddy to go out with so I'm not sitting around awkwardly alone waiting for people. Even back home when I go dancing (And I KNOW I'll know everyone at the club), I still like to try and arrange for someone to come with me. With that in mind, HOW did I just go to a salsa congress completely by myself. I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous Saturday morning. Going to a salsa class completely by yourself for the first time is a bit intimidating. However, somehow I managed to make it happen. I even chatted with some classmates (however speaking french while taking a salsa class in english/spanish is more difficult thank you think so most of the conversations were me responding simply with...ah oui....ah je sais...). Now that all is said and done, I freakin did it and I had an AMAZING time. It would have been nice to have someone to discuss the classes with or practice patterns with (which is part of what made LA so awesome), but I had such a great time I don't even mind.

2. Secondly, I was beginning to think my time in France had made me grow out of salsa. Sure, I've gone dancing a few times and sure, I've had GREAT nights going out dancing but it wasn't the same as home. In Tucson, salsa was always a priority. I would make plans AROUND salsa; didn't even consider making plans with anyone on a Thursday night. Here, however, salsa has taken a backseat. It just wasn't the same. I have 2 salsa buddies, and a few friends who were interested in salsa who joined me, but it still wasn't enough. The last few weeks particularly, I've just not felt as connected and I've had straight up bad dance nights. After this weekend, I feel a burst of salsa energy. All of the sudden I just want to DANCE. I am just so content with life and so in heaven. If my legs weren't dead I'd go out dancing again tonight.

3. Finally, I DON'T SUCK AT DANCING. In LA I had such a hard time with the classes, hell I've always had a hard time with classes. Here, I pretty much was at par with the rest of the class as far as picking up the shines and patterns. When did this happen?!?! Last night I went dancing at night and I danced SO much and got such a positive response from the guys I danced with. I was on SUCH a high.
When I get home I'm gonna take all the classes I can and really make an effort to make enough progress so that, by the time my two year mark comes around I can proudly tell people I've been dancing for two years.

This was definitely one of my best weekends in France. I am a salsaera. Salsa is a crucial part of my life and it will always be. BAILA!