The Value of Dancing

Hi all,
I'm new to the board. I lived in Colombia through most of the 90's and will soon be traveling more frequently to Colombia.
If you didn't know it already, colombianas LOVE it when a man can lead them around a dance floor.
This can be more powerful than speaking fluent spanish if you don't happen to have a silver tongue...
Colombian men typically are willing to dance but in general are basic dancers. Putting in 5hrs per week of lesson/practice can make a massive difference in ones appeal.
And you can cop attitudes and do things while dancing that would get you slapped in another context.Because salsa(casino), merengue,etc. are SUPPOSED to be sensual and sexy.The girl gets to enjoy a part of herself that normally has a lot of social taboos attached, without threatening her reputation, because she is "just dancing".
Do invest in some dance lessons and get a regular dance partner to practice what you learn in the lesson so you remember what you are learning...

WELCOME TO THE BOARD and I agree with this post 1000%. I have been taking lessons here in the states in anticipation of going back to Colombia, and leading is what it is all about, at least thats what my instructor tells me. When I return to Colombia I intend to continue lessons as I will need a "re-adjustment" because like all things Colombian, they do things differently. So I will be the first to not only welcome you to this board but to take your advice.......

GA

For those of you that live near or in a large metropolitan city, I would suggest taking some Salsa lessons from a Puerto Rican instructor. I learned my steps from Lisa 'La Boriqua' here in Chi. She is a local celebrity here.

Merengue is so easy to do, you just have to time your hips side to side to the beat of the music. Reggaeton is just grinding up and down and little side to side. Nothing to those steps.

Learning to dance Salsa and Cumbia is where its at.

[Looking4Wife]

"get a regular dance partner to practice what you learn in the lesson so you remember what you are learning... "

This is EXTREMELY important... and something I argued about several times with my Salsa instructor... otherwise, you simply develop rhythmical amnesia...

After taking classes for quite a while, enough to learn (and forget) quite a few salsa turn patterns, I finally realized I needed to invest my time and energy into finding a dance partner... which worked out great... until her boyfriend came back from Mexico

[dpad]

i agree with all y'all but people in colombia dance a little different than they do here. the salsa(casino) what they teach here is more ballroom than true salsa dancing, but they have the basic concept in steps. taking the classes is a plus. but like i said in some areas it differnt gary , and looking y'all have been to barranquilla when they dance salsa do they do all those crazy choreographed moves. no they dance very close, but it is in unison, the man has the lead.

Colombian men typically are willing to dance but in general are basic dancers. i dont know where you went to colombia guy but if you went to cali or quilla and say the guys dance average, then you have never been there please. they guys are dancing machines. cali is all salsa and some merengue and now vallenatos are hitting. Quilla men know how to dance all different latin rythms heck my parents are from there and i have danced salsa all my life here, and when i go there i am sometime a novice compared to the guys over there

Hey dpad,
You brought up some interesting points...
1) "people in colombia dance a little different than they do here."
STYLES vary. There is New York style where the 1st step is on the 1st beat of the music and there is LA style where the 1st step in on the 2nd beat of the music etc. etc. BUT the rhythm and beat(clave) of the music is the SAME.
Here is (NY/Colombian style):
8 musical beats... 123(rest)567(rest) OR
8 musical beats... LRL(rest)RLR(rest)
Anyway, she takes her cues from you, the Leader.
I wouldn't want anyone to get discouraged by thinking that salsa dancing is too complicated to learn. Or that what we learn "here" is not applicable "there". Its only as complicated as we choose to make it...
Speaking of style, if you only have access to gringo "ballroom" salsa lessons it's ok. Just remember that you have to add in the soul,sensuality, and sexuality along with the steps and turns. A masculine "tigre" doesn't dance WITH a girl; he DANCES her.

2) About colombianos being basic dancers...
If you go to a salsa club you will run into a high percentage of experienced salseros. This is true of ANY salsa club in ANY major city. BUT this is not representative of the general population. My mother (and half my family) is colombian so I learned to dance like a typical colombian(no formal lessons).The places where I danced tended to be parties, any sort of gathering, or the Friday/Saturday night festivities(miniteca) in a small town,rather than a salsa club. I saw partner dancing that was far better than anything I ever saw in the U.S. but nothing like in a salsa club in Montreal, NY, Cali etc.
This is the golden opportunity. With 5hrs of lesson and practice spread out over 2-3 days per week, in 3-6 months a total beginner will become a better dancer than 90% of the general population. Yes. That's right.
The more of a "natural" you are the sooner it will happen, but happen it will.
So if you go to a salsa club you will be good but not necessarily spectacular. But if you go to a party or a town/village for the weekend you won't be asking the girls to dance. They'll be asking you.
And it doesn't matter if you are older or on the homely side. Girls who love to dance crave that feeling of being danced around to joyous, passionate music. If you are a fun, exciting rollercoaster she's going to ride you.

[Jamie]

“…here is New York style where the 1st step is on the 1st beat of the music and there is LA style where the 1st step in on the 2nd beat of the music etc. etc.”

It’s the other way around. In Los Angeles you dance on the one in New York the two.

[dpad]

lesson to gringos learn to dance it makes the whole experience easier, and you have something in common 90% of the girls down there love to dance so "a baila, compas"

[dpad]

if i offended you krishna, i am sorry

Duhh, I have stated many times in previous posts that it is IMPORTATNT to learn how to dance! Its part of the fabric of Colombian & Latin culture.