"¡Vacilón! ¡Vuelta! ¡Díle que no! ¡Peínala!"

After searching and trying different options, I have finally found the perfect salsa class. This may sound like a small thing but it really means a lot to me. I had been to some here and there, but I had became picky: one place taught Los Angeles style, which I don´t like (too showy, not enough feeling to it), another place was really basic in its level, or another place was just too incovenient. All great fun of course, but I began to get lazy, and before I knew it I hadn´t been to classes for many months, and that annoyed me. Well besides parties, which are the best learning experiences anyway.



Now I have finally found one which fits my level and above all, it is really Cuban salsa. The teacher is fantastic, and I am delighted at all the Cuban idiosynctratic names to their steps. A classic cross body turn is called "Díle que no!" or "tell him no!, because the girl has to kind of stop in her tracks like she is refusing the man, and then she retakes the floor once again to spin. Or, another favourite of the teacher is to call out the steps, and tell us to do a turn, and then he cries suddenly "MENTIRA", (lie!), which means you have to quickly stop your turn, clap twice, and then pivot back to your spot. If, like Simon Says, you dont do that and continue with your turn, the teacher makes fun of you and says "LIAR!" Of course he loves saying this to the girls. He says "ah women, of course, what do I expect". Its funny.
Last night in class we were doing a new step and I made a stuff-up and said to my partner "woops, sorry, that was me." The teacher jumped on my comment and said "No, it wasn´t your mistake, it is NEVER the woman´s mistake. The man is the one that carries and leads in salsa. It is men that make the mistakes". Interesting commentary there. This dance could only ever be Latin in origin.

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