August 10, 2007

right left right... other foot

Earlier this evening, I went to my very first salsa dancing lesson at the Allegro Ballroom. Nothing fancy, just beginner's course. It was the most invigorating and embarrassing one hour of my life in recent history. I learned three basic moves, and picked up lots of pointers on what not to do.

1) Learn to trust a stranger, and trust enough so that he can lead me where to go and show me what to do. In fact, trust him enough to lean far back enoughto actually fit into his palms.

2) Close my distances. Salsa requires the kind of intimacy and closeness that I am not yet comfortable with, and I constantly walk out of my partner's arms. No matter how short or how tall they are, I always keep my distance, asa if my rigidity and straightforwardness could keep me master the moves.

3) Push back a little. Give and take. Whenever I lost my grip or my footing, I just had to remember to push back a tad, swish a little, then right, left, right, and so forth...

I think, perhaps, the training and discipline will be good for me. We'll see where we go from here.

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