salsa 3

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday slogging my way through Sunday salsa. Patiently re-learning a sequence learned months ago, calming the newer guys, and feeling totally like a dork. Knowing that if any of you saw me there, you'd be horrified. How can she be doing this? Group lessons in a mall. Patiently moving around and around in a circle, changing partners, learning a few steps at a time. But that's part of it. Talking to Adriana last Sunday - part of this whole experience is allowing myself to feel like a dork, to actually be a dork. Besides the challenge, and the just plain fun, that's part of the gain. As A. confirmed, "If you never allow yourself to be uncool, you miss out on a lot."

But tonight! Tonight was so much fun that it wiped away the slog. Started in on West Coast Swing 2 - not unlike salsa but slower and danced to R&B. On a 6 or 8 count, it's like second nature. It's smooth and fun. Lots of different new guys in the mix but men, and men enjoying the dance. Then a step up into Salsa 3. Not as exciting as it sounds - frankly, I'd wondered where my favorite better dancers had gone. Some have moved on to the exclusive team or boot camp, but some had just graduated themselves up. The instructor said I could try, "But how are your turns?" Um....ah..... But it was fine. Great even. The guys nod and smile. The teacher gives me a surprise compliment, "Wow, you've improved." Pretty great. I'd missed Mondays for months. Sacrificed for the totally awesome master class and other assorted fun, but now it's great to be back. Salsa 3, then Salsa 2 - still challenging and cool with this great teacher. By slogging week after week after week, somehow the moves have gotten easier, the patterns making sense. It's coming together. It couldn't be more fun. And it's possible I look like a dork. I'm certainly big and middle-aged. But I'm not letting that stop me. I'm allowing the good time, I'm reveling in it.