Every Thursday night is Salsa dancing at the "Dallas Nite Club" in Austin.
I discovered this club when I was invited to try Salsa dancing for the first time. (In my younger days, I thought it was too girly and ironically avoided dancing with my girl friends whenever possible).
Since moving to Austin, I began to miss people of culture and found myself seeking venues where said "culture" was present. At the Dallas Nite Club (DNC), I not only found an environment rich in culture, but also full of confidence. I witnessed people of all ages and levels of fitness completely own the dance floor. They projected a confidence that transcended the typical.
I saw women dressed in heels and short dresses move and dance with the precision of professional athletes. Men moved with assertiveness and led their partners with sheer confidence which controlled the cadence of the dance. Oh, the music was nice too.
Through years of boxing, I noticed that there is a subtle dance being conducted in the ring as well. There is a lead and follow, a cadence or pace, and finally a grand finale. Dancing Salsa is no different. There are 'leads and follows', usually men and women respectively. The music sets the rhythm and tells the dancers what style or pace to use (Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cha Cha, etc.). One learns to listen to the cues and hear the rhythm in the beat.
Another thing that struck me as interesting was the dynamic between men and women at the DNC. Salsa dancing makes it incredibly easy to approach and talk to women. At the same time the interaction involves being polite, it provides an excuse to dance intimately with another person for a short while, and the allows the ability to interact with multiple partners throughout the evening.
If it sounds a lot like sex, that's because dancing IS a lot like sex.
There are aggressive leads, passive follows, and everything in between. People are allowed to be themselves on the dance floor, in fact the whole dance goes a lot smoother when people allow themselves to be free. It is an eloquent mixture of masculine and feminine energies flowing in tandem like the yin and yang of eastern culture.
My first impression was an exciting one. I loved the idea of finding a new stream of confidence. Having experienced new and fulfilling activities that would later become passions, I knew not to discount my inexperience but rather embrace the challenge to grow and master a new skill. I found myself attending the $5 subsidized dance classes every Thursday and ended up staying later and later on throughout the nights.
I'm no longer considered a beginner, but I still have a long way to go. I'm grateful for the experience to add Salsa dancing to my repertoire and become a more interesting Human Being.
Since moving to Austin, I began to miss people of culture and found myself seeking venues where said "culture" was present. At the Dallas Nite Club (DNC), I not only found an environment rich in culture, but also full of confidence. I witnessed people of all ages and levels of fitness completely own the dance floor. They projected a confidence that transcended the typical.
I saw women dressed in heels and short dresses move and dance with the precision of professional athletes. Men moved with assertiveness and led their partners with sheer confidence which controlled the cadence of the dance. Oh, the music was nice too.
Through years of boxing, I noticed that there is a subtle dance being conducted in the ring as well. There is a lead and follow, a cadence or pace, and finally a grand finale. Dancing Salsa is no different. There are 'leads and follows', usually men and women respectively. The music sets the rhythm and tells the dancers what style or pace to use (Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cha Cha, etc.). One learns to listen to the cues and hear the rhythm in the beat.
Another thing that struck me as interesting was the dynamic between men and women at the DNC. Salsa dancing makes it incredibly easy to approach and talk to women. At the same time the interaction involves being polite, it provides an excuse to dance intimately with another person for a short while, and the allows the ability to interact with multiple partners throughout the evening.
If it sounds a lot like sex, that's because dancing IS a lot like sex.
There are aggressive leads, passive follows, and everything in between. People are allowed to be themselves on the dance floor, in fact the whole dance goes a lot smoother when people allow themselves to be free. It is an eloquent mixture of masculine and feminine energies flowing in tandem like the yin and yang of eastern culture.
My first impression was an exciting one. I loved the idea of finding a new stream of confidence. Having experienced new and fulfilling activities that would later become passions, I knew not to discount my inexperience but rather embrace the challenge to grow and master a new skill. I found myself attending the $5 subsidized dance classes every Thursday and ended up staying later and later on throughout the nights.
I'm no longer considered a beginner, but I still have a long way to go. I'm grateful for the experience to add Salsa dancing to my repertoire and become a more interesting Human Being.
“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.”
― Rumi
― Rumi
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