salsa like a Cuban

Every Monday at the Firehouse. Extra credit for practicing. . . (aka going out)

i’ll settle for salsa-ing with my mexican…

I used to take classes in cuban salsa. It was so much fun, and it really did a lot for my relationship with my husband. I really would like to make the time to take those classes with him again so that we can really work on our technique.

So here’s an interesting detail I’ve observed: It seems to me that couples who are really into each other dance with their hands way up and out at a 45° angle when dancing “pegado” (pressed together).

It seems to be a “thing” ... like … “Hey look at what a hot couple we are?” haha

This weekend I was dancing with Claudia, who I’ve been hanging with and she is absolutely THE BOMB. And she kept telling me, “manos mas suelto” ... which I took to mean that I should open my hand and just let her hang on. Or relax my arm.

But finally she showed me that we should hold our hands way up and out.

And since I had previously made that observation, I almost blew a fuse. She is electrifying.

Tack on another 10% progress … to wherever I was before.

Last night I was at the Herradura here in Chiclayo exchanging glances with Monica (very cute). Finally she raised her glass of beer to invite me over to drink … and I realized that I was actually waiting for a salsa song to come on before I asked her to dance.

So I did. And when I asked her to teach me, she said, “Teach you what? You obviously know what you are dancing.”

We had fun. I guess I am catching on. :D

Never danced latin before joining the Peace Corps. In the US, I think a lot of people are confused and refer to all sorts of latin music as salsa (I was).

Here in Perú, I’m learning to distinguish between salsa, merengue, cumbia, rumba (hardly heard). Before, I thought it was all the same.

My salsa-confidence is getting to the point that whenever I hear “Que Bueno Baila Usted”, or any song that uses that rythm, I grab the cutest latina I can find and go for it. Love it.

OK, sort of cheating, cause my dad is cuban, and being Latina, you sort of grow up dancing salsa, and merengue every weekend anyway. But hey, it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures: to lose yourself in dance.