New To This? No Sweat!
Hola, avid readers! Just wanted to first thank Teresa for the chance to share her writing space and share one of my random missives:
The first six months of my salsa life, I was a wreck. Excited and awe-struck, yes, but also nervous and anxious. For most of us, being the new face on the scene can be intimidating. But combine that with trying to physically perform some poorly-remembered patterns from class, while simultaneously being shown up by the veteran leads that are everywhere around you, AND acclimatizing to this new paradigm: these people dance with the lights on... Oh, it can quickly spiral out of control, usually downwards with a flushing sound effect.
But hold on - what’s this? Words of encouragement? An understanding smile when I try to lead a right turn on the 3-4-5? The follows aren’t running in the other direction?
That’s the joy of social dancing, and took me a minute to internalise: there’s no pressure. Contrast that with a class setting, in which your instructor has goals set and your ability to reach those goals (learning shines, turns and patterns) are the be-all and end-all. You’re not driving the streets of Bermuda until you’ve passed both written and practical exams. You’re not earning that salary until you’ve aced this interview. You’re not walking home with all the goodies in this Showcase Showdown unless you’ve guessed the cost of all the items without going over and the difference between your guess and the actual cost is less than your competitor’s guess! Bob Barker explained that last one every day, five-days-a-week for about four thousand years, and never tripped over his words...
Compared to that kind of pressure? Social dancing is a walk in the park. One of those long, slow ones in early Spring when the temperature is still mid-70s-comfy, eyes closed, you turn your face to the sun and smile... Nobody expects a performance-perfect dance in a social context (but when on-lookers consider it to be just that, you are probably doing something right). And just like when you stop to smell the roses on that walk, taking time to enjoy the dance makes it all the better.
Perhaps my experience as a lead was so positive because the follows always outnumber the leads at events (read that? there are more girls than guys, guys!), and they just didn’t want to scare me off and thin out the selection. Or because the salsa crowd tends to be more supportive and inclusive - we’re all here to hear good musica, socialise and, most importantly, dance our heinies off, right? Save the politics for politicians, the drama for the drama queens, the stress for the... people that cause stress...
But hold on - what’s this? Words of encouragement? An understanding smile when I try to lead a right turn on the 3-4-5? The follows aren’t running in the other direction?
That’s the joy of social dancing, and took me a minute to internalise: there’s no pressure. Contrast that with a class setting, in which your instructor has goals set and your ability to reach those goals (learning shines, turns and patterns) are the be-all and end-all. You’re not driving the streets of Bermuda until you’ve passed both written and practical exams. You’re not earning that salary until you’ve aced this interview. You’re not walking home with all the goodies in this Showcase Showdown unless you’ve guessed the cost of all the items without going over and the difference between your guess and the actual cost is less than your competitor’s guess! Bob Barker explained that last one every day, five-days-a-week for about four thousand years, and never tripped over his words...
Compared to that kind of pressure? Social dancing is a walk in the park. One of those long, slow ones in early Spring when the temperature is still mid-70s-comfy, eyes closed, you turn your face to the sun and smile... Nobody expects a performance-perfect dance in a social context (but when on-lookers consider it to be just that, you are probably doing something right). And just like when you stop to smell the roses on that walk, taking time to enjoy the dance makes it all the better.
Perhaps my experience as a lead was so positive because the follows always outnumber the leads at events (read that? there are more girls than guys, guys!), and they just didn’t want to scare me off and thin out the selection. Or because the salsa crowd tends to be more supportive and inclusive - we’re all here to hear good musica, socialise and, most importantly, dance our heinies off, right? Save the politics for politicians, the drama for the drama queens, the stress for the... people that cause stress...
DJ Mezcla
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