Salsa Dancing is Like Magic

My husband and I are not dancers. I mean I will do my two-step with a little dip every ten steps but my husband does not dance at all.  He does not go to clubs and he absolutely hates live music. I don’t know why, he’s just a different type of person.  Every now and then he will entertain the idea of doing things outside of his comfort zone and this night I’m glad he did.

We went on a weekend trip to D.C. to celebrate his sister’s birthday, and his sister is like a ball of natural energy.  She loves, loves, loves to dance. One of her wishes was for us to go to a salsa club and dance with her. Now my husband although hesitant to do things that make him uneasy, would do anything for his sister and agreed to go salsa dancing.

I walked into an environment that was like love on the dance floor.

The music was so live and rhythmic it made my body start to sway and I had this big ridiculous smile on my face. I looked over at my husband and he too had loosened up and was smiling.  As we walked around the dance floor to a group of seating, I watched how the men looked at the women as they danced together. The way they held them and led them around the floor and the women bodies just moved to the guidance of the men.  It was like a hidden language a language of lust and passion.

We went to sit down and my sister-in-law started changing her shoes. She handed me a pair as well. I said to her “What do I need these shoes for I’m wearing nice shoes?” She looked at me and said, “But you are not wearing shoes for dancing, when you get on the dance floor the men will have you gliding all over and you want to be able to move freely.” I looked at her like, I’m not going out there, I do not have a clue. She laughed and stood up and moved to the sidelines as her dress flowed behind her.

Within seconds someone approached her and had her dancing on that dance floor like magic.

The way this dancing is done is like the couple knows each other and they are in love with each other.  They keep their eyes on each other and the man controls the dance. Now there are other dance numbers that are going on, like the meringue, the rumba, and the cha-cha but the rhythm of the music changes to guide you into the next dance.

As I watched the couples there was one particular couple who I could not take my eyes off of. They did not look all that glamorous, the woman was dressed in slacks and a t-shirt and her partner the same.  Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail but her shoes were the dance shoes every woman seemed to be wearing.

This couple danced all night. I did not see them sit down once. The man held her close, he spent her around, he moved his hands up and down the sides of her body as she shimmied and twisted her body. He took her hair down and dipped her, but continued to hold her close, spinning her away just for a moment. I was so wrapped up in this couple it made me want to be close with my husband.

I looked over at him and said “Will you dance with me?” Now, I thought I knew the answer to this question, and I absolutely did not know anything about these dances, I just wanted to be close to him.

He looked at me smiling and said “Yes, let’s do it.” I was so shocked I could barely move. His sister showed us some basic steps and we awkwardly danced for two songs.

I had fallen in love all over again.  To this day I am convinced Salsa dancing is like magic. 

He has challenged me to find us some classes and he says he wants to be ready the next time we go out with his sister. I love it!