You

 I've got several bad habits, and the second one is you.

Hey, It's me.

 At Echale Salsita Saturday night:

She: Hey, it's me. I want four spins on that cross body lead.

me: Yes ma'am.

Life is short

Personal update: I have now danced my way across fifteen summers in a row. I have met some wonderful, positive self-actualizers, people who have shared their lives with me.

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow doesn't exist. All there is, is today. Enjoy it.

Bust a move

 Setting: Favian Busto's "Latin Fusion Night" at Go Dance South.

me: I saw you dancing bachata with Beth, and at one point you led a salsa move and then went back to bachata. I don't do that. When I accidentally bust a salsa move while dancing bachata, I stop and apologize, and then resume bachata.

Gerard: No. Let it happen. If it feels right, do it. Just come back to the bachata beat when you're finished.

When worlds collide

My buddy sent me this:

Tonight at a dance event.

Me: asks girl to dance salsa.

Her: " Oh yeah that sounds great".

We stand up she begins dancing Cumbia off time.

Me: "Oh that's Cumbia not salsa"

Her: "No, this is Salsa. I'm from Colombia, I should know."

Me: Grit my teeth and try to get through it but she's pretty much all over the place.

Mid way through the song she says: " You're actually not very good I'm done thanks" 

then walks away and sits down.

Me: hmmmm k lol.

I feel your pain. It happened to me last night. Over the years, I’ve learned there are two salsa worlds that rarely intersect. One is what I call dance school salsa, when one learns the basic step, cross body lead, right turn and left turn, all with an emphasis on counting, whether On1 or On2. After mastering these basics, the student moves on to learning patterns, all in a rote manner.

The other world is what I call street salsa, wherein one never takes a dance lesson. These people learn to move to the music organically, with no learned step steps or moves or patterns. (Why would you take lessons on how to walk?) Cumbia informs the dance background for these people, and knowledgeable people can tell the dancer’s country of origin by the way they dance cumbia. These people call what they are performing “salsa”, and what the dance school people are doing “gringo salsa”. (I've been told I dance gringo salsa. My reply? "Well, I am a gringo.")

Street salsa people think what the dance schoolers are doing is overly rigid and regimented, and dance schoolers think the street dancers are wild and uneducated. I think each could learn from the other.

Everybody

The other night at the Austin School of Dance:

me: Gosh, where have you been? Haven't seen you in a
       while. Why'd you drop out of class?

She: I didn't like what was going on.

me: What do you mean?

She: There was too much drama. Everybody was sleeping with everybody.

me:  So?  What did you care? You weren't doing it.

She: I know.  I just didn't like it, that's all.

me: Let's dance.

Same old same old

At the club last night:

me: You are so beautiful.

She: You always say that.

me: But it’s true every time.

She: I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.  I want a new compliment, a special one; one just for me.

me: You’re light as baby’s breath; you dance in my dreams.

She: Okay, that’s better.