A few weeks ago, I got tricked into taking a salsa class. Guilt-tripped, specifically. It was only $20 for 6 classes and I dreaded every minute of it. During the first class, I could barely make it through. Mind you, it was just very traumatizing for me (aka sensitive and highly self-conscious in this context) that I almost tried to get a refund back.
But I eventually thought, why not?
People nowadays often see me as the uncoordinated one, the one who can\’t catch, the one who drops things, the one who trips and scatterbrained. Oddly enough, people before Pittsburgh wouldn\’t think that of me at all. Some see me as a performer, a speaker, the loud one.
And so why does salsa trip me up? I love dancing. Dancing without actual formal steps. I used to take ballet and quit after the repetitive critique of my uncoordination got to me. When I was younger, my sister and I would dance to our parents\’ mix tapes at night. Making our own steps. My sister made up rountines and we would follow them through, dancing in front of the mirror. Nobody was watching, nobody was reviewing, and that\’s probably why I was ok with it.
Last summer, I took one class of swing and wanted to leave in the middle of it. And at a club recently, my guy friends tried to do some steps with me…a combination of salsa and swing. Even as a follow, I ended up stepping on their feet, spinning the wrong way, and simply losing my balance.
And yet. I am taking a kickboxing class on campus. When I tell people, they laugh in surprise. Jenn taking a kickboxing class?!?! I can see them trying to imagine me kicking or punching someone. Or better yet, simply having it altogether. It\’s true that I can\’t ever get the sequences of punches and kicks right away. It takes longer for me than everyone else. Yet, I know nobody cares. There\’s 15+ people in the class sometimes. And the goal is not to get it right. Rather it\’s for a workout. I follow along. And eventually it\’s not about the kicks, the punches, the jabs, the upper cuts or the jacks. It\’s about the music. And the movement. That\’s what dancing really is.
Salsa dancing is fun. I\’ve been a few times, and it\’s pretty good. I won\’t claim to be great, but I think if I had the opportunity to take a class with some friends I might go for it. Swing is also a lot of fun.
i think to say you were tricked into it is a little harsh. i know you felt it was something you struggled with, and have with similar things in the past, but you still willingly did it. and i think that\’s cool =). somewhere down there… i know we all had fun