LATIN AMERICAN DANCING
Learn to sizzle on the dance floor By: Lisa Wolff (Brazilia Student)

I must have watched Dirty Dancing at least five or six times and I have always fantasized that one day it would happen to me.......
A sultry Latin American song plays in the background. My sexy dress shimmers in the subtle light, as a gorgeous man approaches. He holds me firmly in his arms and we move together to the sultry rhythms. There would be no speaking; we would intuitively know the steps. And we’d samba and Lambada in perfect synchronization.

And then I’d awake from my musings with a yelp – my boyfriend had just stood on my toes in our attempt to do our own version of the salsa.

And so it was off to professional dancing lessons for the two of us. I must admit that it did take a little convincing to get my man to that first lesson. The world maintains that dancing is for ladies or for ‘sissy’ boys.
Not true!

Ok, maybe manly men might look at Fred Astaire with disdain but what about Patrick Swayze – after his dirty dancing steamed up the screen, he became the object of many women’s desires. I bet the popularity of dancing tuition for men soared after that movie!

It’s been proven (at least in my circle of friends) that women simply swoon at a man who dances well and with this thought firmly in mind, my boyfriend allowed himself to be lead into the world of Latin American.

I’ve dabbled a little in ballroom dancing but it was the steamy dancing I wanted to learn. I wanted us to simply sizzle on the dance floor. So we joined up with Brazilia Latin American dance studios. Tanya, an acclaimed professional dancer, with the look and moves that epitomizes Latino sensuality, runs the classes from her tropical Caribbean-style studios in Claremont, Cape Town.

Tanya offers a number of different classes for couples, for singles as well as private tuition and even wedding choreography, on various evenings during the week. There are also group classes as well as social parties where you get to interact with the other members and put into practice what you’ve learnt.

We joined up for four months and after our course we had learnt the basics of a number of sexy dances – including the sensual Rumba (the ultimate in seduction dances), the 60’s jive, the feisty mambo, the samba Merengue and the cheeky cha-cha.

But just keep in mind, learning to Latino dance is the same as learning to walk – it happens gradually. You can’t expect (as I did in my fantasies) to just get up onto the dance floor and dance the steps. It’s a whole new language for your feet and you have to give your body time to adjust. You also have to learn the dance techniques, such as the correct way to hold each other, as well as get a feeling for the Latin American rhythms. So just be a little patient and above all, relax and have fun.

So after our first batch of lessons, I can’t say that we are burning up the dance floor just yet but we are definitely creating some smoke. Our friends and family are impressed (you’ll be amazed how brilliant the moves look), we’ve got some excellent exercise, met a whole lot of new people and had huge amounts of fun.

Now don’t you think it’s time to join a dance class and ignite your wild love affair with Latin American. If you’ve got a partner, bring them along. If you don’t, no problem, there’s always someone to take you in hand. Winter is the best time to start - a little bit of hot salsa will warm you up in no time. Just get your body moving and we’ll catch you on the dance floor…….