Pass the Salsa!

First of all I want to say, it’s not a new years resolution.

One of the things I would like to do differently this year is to break out of my shell more. What I mean is, it’s easy for me to get stuck in a routine, doing the same things with the same group of people, sticking with things I like to do and feel safe doing. So I plan to do something that I wouldn’t normally do at least once a month. Do something that puts me out of my comfort zone and opens up opportunities for me to learn. I don’t really have a good list of what that will look like yet (I’m open to suggestions). Anyway, I did have one chance to be uncomfortable this year already.

The other night a friend of mine from work asked me to go salsa dancing (it was a last minute kinda thing). Those of you who know me are aware that I love to swing dance (for about the last 3 years, on and off). Now, knowing swing and learning salsa is something I’m having a hard time putting into words. There’s a good and bad to this: Good – once you know one type of dance, learning a new one is easier. You have the rhythm thing down and have (hopefully) grasped the basic idea of dancing in general. Bad – there is no standard. The only similarities between swing and salsa are that 1) there’s music playing and 2) you’re moving to it. Pretty much everything I learned in swing threw me off from what I was supposed to be doing with this new type of dance.

I really did have a great time despite my inadequacies, and will probably go again.

What my experience has taught me:
Sometimes you have to forget what you’ve learned in order to know what you’re doing. A good teacher is very valuable.
Shaking my hips is not easy. :)