Salsa Dancing

Post written by Theresa, a United Planet team member.

Salsa – spicy, fiery, hot, delicious! Of course I am talking about the dance! Like all dance forms, the music and movements represent cultural customs and history, making salsa dancing much more than just a fun, sultry dance.

The origin of salsa dancing is contested with many places claiming to be its “birthplace” — the leaders being Cuba and Puerto Rico. Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. The Latin music we hear today has most of its origins in Cuba where the blending of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar evolved into a variety of Latin American music.

I fell in love with salsa while studying Spanish and living with a host family in Antigua, Guatemala back in 2002. One day I noticed a flyer announcing salsa lessons for $3.50. Who could resist? I was hooked after my first five minutes! It was a combination of the contagious music, fun moves and the chance to learn more about Antigua from a local’s perspective. I took classes five nights per week and joined my new friends at the salsa clubs on the weekends.

After returning to the States, I was not able to continue exploring my new-found passion until I moved to Boston in 2004. Since then, I have taken endless classes and joined a company called MetaMovements (www.metamovements.com). I now train with the student performance team and teach classes both in the studio and at salsa clubs in Boston. I also dance and teach Rueda de Casino – a Cuban dance with casino-style salsa moves done to salsa music, but the dancing couples are in a circle and all complete the same moves as they are called out by the group’s leader. It is a fun twist on salsa as dancers switch partners throughout the song, making it a very community-oriented dance. You can never stop learning salsa and rueda! The longer I dance, the more questions I have and the more I want to learn!

I am grateful that my job at United Planet requires me to visit many of our volunteer abroad programs worldwide. It has afforded me the chance to dance salsa in many countries including Japan, Peru, Costa Rica and Ecuador. Dance serves as a common language that negates the need for words!

MetaMovements Salsa Team

This photo is from my team’s first performance held at “Salsa in the Park” in Boston’s South End. Unfortunately, we had to dance inside due to the rain, but that didn’t put a damper on the evening!

I love dancing with an international group of dancers and spreading the love of salsa! I encourage everyone to find a form of dance that connects with them and explore it to the fullest – its moves, music and history. I think everyone can dance!