The Dance

Thousands of people from all over the world coming together at the New Jersey Int'l Salsa Congress for the love of dancing. Baila, Baila, Baila, Baila! One of the hundreds of reasons I love dancing is because, like yoga, it excludes no one. Tall, thin and sexy. Short, round and uncoordinated. All are welcome.

I won a pass to the NJ congress & flew to meet up with my friend Wardell. I danced over 20 hours in 3 days and slept for about 10. The days are filled with workshops, ranging from ladies styling, mambo turn patterns, to one of my personal favorites-afro-cuban body movement. This type of movement encompasses the energy of the afro-cuban slave to convey emotion & literally communicate through body language. It is primal, Earthy and sweaty.

This trip marked monumental experiences. Not only was it my first official salsa congress, but it was also an opportunity to apply all that I have learned about mambo and BRING it to an event filled with some of the best dancers in the region and possibly the country. I was very proud of myself for being able to keep up with the level of dancing. I was dancing SO hard in fact that I nearly broke my toe, had multiple calluses, mysterious bruises and the entire surface area of my body pretty much hurt. Dancing to live music, with a total stranger, letting yourself go, becoming the dance, allowing the movement to come from a place that is pre-cognitive...it nourishes a place inside me that can not be satiated with food.

This experience allowed me to spend time with some beautiful strangers. Making new friends in Toronto, DC, LA and NY. There is something about sharing the commonality of love for something, that can turn a complete stranger into an instant friend. Perhaps my newly made amigos is a foreshadowing for international friends to come.

This trip was a welcome respite from the endless preparation for Peace Corps. I was able to put all planning, listing and working aside. I was able to fully immerse myself into dancing before I have to take a voluntary salsa-celibacy. I was coming down from the high of dancing for so many hours & working through complete exhaustion, that Wednesday I wept on and off all day at the thought of having to box up my dancing shoes and leave them behind. Salsa has changed my life in more ways than can be written. It became a form of therapy after my divorce. A way to give and receive affection in a healthy, functional way. It became a positive social network and now some of these people are my best friends. I am going to miss my favorite partner Paul. Even now when we dance sometimes I get weepy at the thought of having to leave this behind. I have my ipod loaded with salsa songs & my computer has videos to watch so that I can keep up my moves. I am already looking forward to my next salsa get-away.

My next adventure.....participating in a NASA fitness study.
Until then......Baila, baila, baila, baila!!!
PS. Look closely at the picture, that is not a sweat speckled lens-those are orbs of peoples awesome vibes!!