“The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing… there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer’s justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art.”

And this…

“Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It’s the rhythm of your life. It’s the expression in, time and movement, of happiness, joy, sadness and envy.”

My body has always wanted to dance, from the time I could move and started ballet at 6. I think it’s because my spirit always wanted to dance with its Creator. And later salsa brought back to life a woman who was numbed by grief, who saw the world through nothing but gray glasses and walked in a haze of numbness. Salsa was a whirl of color and vitality that touched the core of a broken heart and filled those cracks with a balm as sweet and warm as honey. On the dance floor she let it fill her, carry her to a place beyond her sorrow, if even for only a moment.

honestly, i thought i knew why i danced but its been changing in some ways…

first and foremost i have always been big on finding new outlets for self-expression..so number 1 is, i dance to bring the inside to the outside in a way that is fulfilling and at times, intense.

second is to lead and inspire. in this way i actually do dance for others by dancing for myself. dance is magnificent and a certain type of dance really touches certain people. i try to touch those certain people with my certain kind of dance.

third and last is the challenge of growth. over the years, as you learn more, it takes a disproportionate effort to improve. the fact that dance pushes me to push myself and in turn others, keeps me coming back for more. it just never ends..there is always more. i guess in this way dance allows me to express another aspect of me my pedagogical side.

yeah, i could do this in other ways, but dance is an unlikely, -or so it seems- outlet for this.

but i love being able to take hard ass native dances that usually only a particular culture and race of people excel at, and figure out ways to break it down so that people of other cultures and races can do them as well. this can be an insane challenge that, at least on the instructors ends, takes lots of analytical and methodical thinking..

all in all, dance is the puzzle piece that completes most, if not all, of my puzzles.

I think most of the moves more or less could be used in a Rueda with a bit of stretching here and there…but I usually don’t create with Rueda in mind..nonetheless they almost always end up working.

i think we’ve called some of them and they work just fine. but you may have to adjust your spacing a bit to maintain orientation.

So why do you dance Eduardo?

I, like Amanda, dance because I have to and I love it. I feel better emotionally when I dance and it’s the healthiest thing I do. I learned salsa first and then West Coast Swing so that I could have more opportunities to dance. I enjoy some of the friendships I have developed with my dancing friends and I hope they can grow beyond dance. At this stage in my dance I don’t do it to express myself. Those of you who know me even a little know that I don’t have trouble expressing myself in other ways.

There are times when I have nothing, no one to talk to, very few financial assets, unsatisfying work and relationships, but I can always dance. Even when my body complains, I can dance, if only in my head.

If only we lived as we danced. As I dance more and more, I learn to be a better and more feminine partner, on the floor and off.

Just a side bit of humor to emphasize my male/female point above: One of my best friends started taking ballroom dancing lessons last year. She said, “It was cheaper than marriage counseling and more effective.”