I do not usually find myself making broad generalizations about Latin culture. I find Chilean culture with its particular eccentricities generally more notable, interesting and, at times, infuriating. However, I am prepared to say that Latin culture on the whole is much more enthusiastic about dancing than my own (that is, Irish-American from the northeast United States). While "going out" and "partying" in New York often involved some bopping around to music, here dancing is the goal, the focus of many evenings. And I'm not talking about goofy gyrations to Mary J. Blige or interpretive arm flailings to Tina Turner. This is the kind of dancing that requires a partner. And everyone seems to be able to do it but me.
I'm not going to outright blame my parents for this. They read this blog, for one thing. And for another, it is simply not within our cultural norm to rear children to know the difference between salsa, merengue and cumbia. That said, I have vowed to myself several times on the dance floors of Valparaiso that my children will not suffer the same fate. How do I get my hips to do that? And where exactly do I put my weight? How can one even begin at the ripe age of twenty-six to learn the whole system of dancing?
On New Year's Day I found myself once again surrounded by people eager to dance. And despite my pleas of being tired (I had only slept between the hours of 9am and 1:30pm) and hungover (I drank rum!), I was peer pressured into participating. Though I suspect that after seeing me dance, they would have let me stay home had there been more girls for partners. And although I think my dancing might have suffered a bit due to the extreme inebriation of my partner, the whole experience was enough to sign me up for a salsa lesson on the spot. Not that there are salsa lessons at this bar. Or even, anywhere else in the city as far as I know. But I couldn't help but look around and notice all the places other people's bodies were moving that mine wasn't.
This scenario has become such a source of distress and discomfort in my life that I have vowed that 2010 will be the year of the dance. That is, the year I learn to dance. No more to hover in the corner! No more to claim fatigue! Ask for me in December and they'll just shrug and gesture towards the dance floor. And there you'll see me shaking all the right parts at all the right times and twirling like a dervish. It is resolved.
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2 comments:
I am glad you are learning to dance the South American style. I don't know if they do the same thing in Chile but in Argentina, but we would all dance in a circle together, all of our belongings in the middle protecting them. We would also pass around one or two beers for everyone to have a sip. If we did that here, well I don't know what would happen but it wouldn't be nice. Also they would pass around a pack of cigarettes for everyone to have one. I don't see that happening here at $10 a pack but hey, I found it extremely loving and introduced me into a whole world of sharing and family I had never been introduced too. Love it like no other, take part of it with you when you leave, bc there will be nothing like anywhere else.
you should start going out at ache havana. some nights (thursdays?) they have short lessons around 9 or 10pm, which are not intimidating or embarrassing or anything either..
then the rest of the night is free dancing...
obviously i've forgotten the exact details but check it out. the good thing is that getting there early also cuts your entrance fee down a ton, its only like 500 pesos if you get there in time for the class.
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