dance fusion

Meg and I've always enjoyed dancing. Last weekend we met a girl named Jane (friend of a friend, great name too, isn't it?). Jane's a nursing student at UW, a doula on the side, and someone who enjoys salsa dancing. She invited us to the come dancing with her at a club called the Century Ballroom in the heart of Capitol Hill, here in Seattle.

We met up around 8, prefunked for a spell, then drove to the Ballroom, which is situated on 11th St, I think, on the second story of an old building with high ceilings, antiquated staircases, and crown molding. We paid a cover then entered the dim, sweaty ballroom, which was lit by red lights. Every Saturday night at the CB includes a brief introductory lesson on the rudiments of salsa, lasting about 15 - 20 minutes. During the lesson, you learn a handful of basic steps, a few twists, and a few turns. Then the music starts blarring and the floor fills up with all sorts of people, young and old.

The scene, dim, red, sweaty, sensual, loud, and pulsating with the rhythms of Buena Vista Social Club, was also non-threatening. It was easy to meet people and to dance with strangers - young and old, talented and not so talented - because everyone was there, or seemed to be there, primarily to enjoy the dance itself, the experience of salsa.

All in all, Meg and I learned that Salsa is a highly sensual, graceful thing, a real picante art form, one that represents a sort of fusion between two bodies. That's what the best dancers seemed to do, achieve a sprezzetura of rhythmic oneness.

We blundered our way through the first hour but became more and more comfortable with some of the steps and turns as the night worn on. We also watched other people and tried to remember the things we learned dancing with others. We stayed for about three hours and towards the end started getting the hang of things. Meg really brought the sauce; I was proud of her and loved being with her in such a chaotic, exciting place as the Century Ballroom.

Anyways, we plan on heading back to Capitol Hill. Might even become a ritual. It sounds cheasy but we netflixed an intro to salsa disc and are thinking about doing a little practicing at home in the evenings. Our recommendation - find a place to salsa!