Salsa Don't

I love to dance.
I did ballet when I was nine, pep squad when I was twelve and thirteen, dance group till I was sixteen and clubbing with lots of alcohol until now.
My ballet teacher even told me that I have the ballerina feet. I just don’t have the heart… and the guts to wear a tutu past puberty.

I’m not great. I don’t even think I’m good. It’s just something that I can and love to do. So when my new friends invited me to a Latin Night to dance Salsa, I was more than willing to go – despite the fact I’ve never ever danced Salsa in my life.

Lesson number one: there are basic steps to learn. Unlike clubbing, you can’t just have a bottle or two and feel real good. It needs classes, lots of practice and less alcohol. Needless to say, at my first night to salsa, I felt like an idiot.

So I went to a Salsa class. My friends said I can probably get in to the advance class since I was a fast learner. They taught me a couple of steps to get me through the screening and I actually got in. And here is how the class works: they make you form a circle and partner up; they show everyone the routine; then make you try it; and then again with the next guy. It was supposed to make you be adaptable to different partners which make you learn better, if not faster.

I had varied experience. Some were really nice and gave me tips. Some were less experienced or as clueless as I was so any progress was sheer luck. Some were really old and some even smelled funny. But one person really left an impression. He told me: “You should already know this because you’re in the ADVANCED class”.

So I tried the beginner’s class and that didn’t go very well either.

Lesson number two: it takes two to tango. Apparently, it takes two to Salsa as well. No matter how many times they show you the steps that you can do ‘on your own.’ Because unless you’re with a partner, that’s all the Salsa that you can do. And it’s not a lot of fun.

Lesson number three: the guy leads.

So there I was, at beginner’s class, my partner can barely follow the beat and I’m supposed to let him lead. It’s like the blind leading the deaf. It was painful.

I strongly believe that I am the master of my destiny. I let go of things I can’t control. That's why I feel so frustrated and powerless because my enjoyment is made to depend on the skill of someone else.

That is when I raised the red flag. Salsa is not for me.
I am an independent woman and I don’t need a guy.
I will try belly dancing instead.