1-2-3 (pause) 5-6-7 (pause)

That´s the basic rhythm of salsa, and supposedly, you can dance with just about anyone if you can keep that count coing in your head. Yes, I´ve enrolled ina salsa class. Dance here is a major part of the culture--EVERYONE can dance. Not only that,but they can dance salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggaeton.

For example, last Friday, was the 5th birthday of one of my students, Nicolas. What did we do after we had cake? We danced, of course. After a certain amount of giggling ("Mateo, Paola said she wants to dance with you!"), the kids paired off. I´ve only ever seen kids dance in that wild way that generally involves a lot of arm flailing and hopping. Not these kids. At 4-5 years old, they may not be professionals, but they can dance better than I can. At least, they had the basic rhythm down, and could even throw in a few twirls.

I spent several weeks envous of the people I´ve seen who can dance really well--whirling and swirling, feet flashing, hips shaking (and not just the girls either, the guys here can really move their hips!)My first salsa lessons here were with Rubí and Julio, the couple we stayed with in Baños. My second lesson was witha 17-yr old guy from the neighborhood. We danced in the street to music blasting from a car, getting lots of looks from thte passing cars. Hopefully, soon, I´ll at least be able to follow amy partner well enough to look like I know what I´m doing!