Salsa, beginnings

I'm a salsa dancer. I had no idea until a few years ago. By pure coincidence, during a trip to latin america (Venezuela) I was shown a few basic concepts and it felt like fun - I've liked to dance since I was a teenager, but I've never gotten around to learn a dance properly - just cheating some in bugg and waltz in high school.

Then I started going to classes in Stockholm, at La Isla (www.isla.se), which hosted salsa classes by Stockholm Salsa Dance (www.stockholmsalsadance.com), run by the very friendly Anturi family. I can recommend it warmly for anyone who wants to learn. Anyway, I got hooked, and learned more and more, and I've just never stopped since. It's not difficult to begin, but just like chess there's always more to learn.

Now, three years later, after looking for salsa classes in Lima, Peru of the same quality as those given by the Anturis, I've given up and started teaching my own little group of friends here, a beginners' class. It's really cool to change the role from student to teacher, and it makes me understand lots of small details when I have to explain them thoroughly to beginners. And so, I keep learning as well. And I am so rusty after more than half a year of not dancing as regularly as before. But it doesn't matter, because the secret of dancing is so incredibly simple: It's fun to move to music. It's fun to do it alone, and it's fun to do it together. And it has absolutely nothing to do with being ashamed of oneself - not in front of yourself, not in front of those who are looking, not in front of your dancing partner. That's it. Master that and the rest is easy. (Attention swedes: Now you know why "All latinos know how to dance".)

I will try to sum up some of the knowledge shared during those classes here. For my own sake, really. Memory is a fickle thing. And it goes well; I already covered the most important thing.