On Friday night, I had the pleasure of going to a salsa club with friends in Puebla, about 20 minutes from my university. Although I have been a member of the Valpo Competitive Ballroom Team for the past two years, dancing in Mexico is very different. Here, we dance sin mente y con corazón…without mind and with heart.
While I appreciate the techniques I learned in ballroom dancing, I love the fact that I just get to go out there on the floor and move the body that God gave me. No longer do I worry about my posture or foot technique as much. Something about letting go and knowing that I do make mistakes with the dance is ok with me, because by letting go I gain more.
It’s funny because in high school, I was an awful dancer. My friends used to joke how I didn’t know how to move to the music. It was my dream to learn how to dance and well, move my hips to the music…I wanted so badly to learn. At Valpo, I joined the ballroom dance team, learned to dance and did respectably well. Now I’m living in a country where people crave dancing. It’s a dream come true.
Dancing salsa with my friend Ciceron at a family party.
When the music comes on and the gentleman asks to take my hand, well, I just can’t help but say no. I start dancing and everything in the world just stops. It’s just the music, my dance partner, and I all moving to the rhythm and expressing the music of singers such as Marc Anthony and Luis Enrique through our bodies. Pure, raw energy-I crave it.
So, do I dance perfectly? Certainly not! However, I am learning with each step and each turn to dance sin mente y con corazón…without mind and with heart. Yes, it’s a pure, sexy, and beautiful thing. Learn to dance. My wish is that you will find, as I did, that freedom with movement gives you freedom with life.
Saludos
September 26, 2010 at 11:24 pm
You mean Mark Anthony Solis de los Bukhis?
My good friend here in Morelia lives right next door to him;of course he’s not there much but he lives on Aqueducto Blvd.
Are they going to have to drag you back to the states? Sounds like you’ve been reborn with a Mexican heart!
VIVA!
September 27, 2010 at 10:59 am
Lydia, that sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing this. I am very much jealous of you in Mexico….oh how I would love to be there and dance like that. Not that Germany isn’t great, I do love it very much. Ahhh! There is so much of the world I want to see and be a part of. Mexico is one of those places that calls me ever so hungrily. Oh my. Send me an email sometime about how you are and your experiences. I would LOVE to hear from you.
MUAH. Love,
Megan
P.S. dance your ass off for me at least once please. : )
September 27, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I gotta meet this Mark Anthony!!
Oh, I’m just falling in love with the culture but yes, I agree, Viva Mexico!!!!!
October 2, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Hey Megan!
Yeah, Mexico is a very seductive…but yes, you should visit-the culture is so vibrant. We’ll talk soon hun and heck yeah, girl, we’ll go dancing sometime. 😉
Besos from Mexico amiga!!
October 12, 2010 at 3:19 am
sin mente y con corazon…the only way to dance! (or at least, the only way I know how! hahaha)