Ha, I'm kidding. Really I'm not that bad a dancer. At least I hope not. But I am still super awkward on the dance floor, especially with an actual man dance partner.
SO there are two types of dancing (actually there are 2532323412 types of dancing, but I will divide them into two general groups): partner proper dancing and club dancing.
I will talk about them here.
Partner Proper Dancing
I really should copyright that title. Anyway. I have a Latin dance class on Monday afternoons with the awesome people in my program (and it is surprisingly evenly matched, boy-girl), and a Salsa class on Thursday evenings with one American and a bunch of Spanish people (of all ages, shapes and sizes).
The teacher in the Monday class is adorable. I definitely have a mini-girl crush because of how happy and sweet and cute-as-a-button she is. Also she is a great teacher- I am sometimes saddened by the knowledge that there is a very high probability that the best batchata (I have no idea how to spell that word and neither does spellcheck) or chachacha partner I will ever have (no offense to the boys! but you guys know how awesome she is). And it's really easy to feel comfortable with her leading; I think most guys underestimate how absolutely confused I can get. I need an aggressive lead or I tend to start leading by accident...
Only frustrating part of that class is we are spending so much time on the Sevillana. The Sevillana is danced in Sevilla on festival days. I am not going to Sevilla (sadly?) so it is wasted on me.
Thursdays class, filled with Spanish people (and more men than women), is a little more chaotic, a little faster paced, even though it is only for Salsa. I know the basic moves now... the Croqueta, the Giro de Rosca... though I will have no idea what to call them in the States, at least I'll know how to do them ;)
Some of the men are good dancers and some are not. But I prefer a bad dancer to a creepy dancer, of which there are always a few. I find it awkward to receive hand massages mid-dance or to have a stranger staring into my eyes without blinking from 6 inches away... and last week one dance partner (new guy) screwed up and attempted to blame it on my lack of Spanish when the teacher asked him. Definitely surprised him when I explained in detail what he did wrong. In SPANISH. Boo yeah, rude new guy with weird glasses.
Club Dancing
Without getting into the nitty-gritty, I am less a "good" dancer and more of a "fun" dancer when it comes to club dancing. For the most part I enjoying laughing with my friends than going one-on-one with a strange man in a club (Mom and Dad, be proud of your daughter). My favorite nights are ones like Saturday night, which I will outline here. Please keep in mind that I wanted to be home by 2am on Sunday morning.
11:30pm Meet up in front of the McDonalds at Gran Via, near the tourist-y/bar area is. We use McDonalds because (a) it is very very easy to find people there, (b) McDonald's are nice in Europe, and have great bathrooms, and (c) if we get bored we just watch the prostitutes pick up random guys, it's essentially red light central near there. I always have to go around 11:30 pm because my host fam eats dinner at 10:30pm, and it takes about a half hour getting from my apartment.
12am Head, everyone in tow, to a bar. 75% of the time this is El Tigre. El Tigre is mostly Americans but has good drinks (6euros for a Mojito which will keep you buzzed throughout the night) and comes with Tapas (appetizers, usually patatas bravas and tostadas but hey, we're not picky).
Some fab friends (Niki and Naomi) visiting me in Madrid, so of course I take them to El Tigre! We are holding the infamous Mojitos ...
1-2am Leave El Tigre and walk around Sol until a "club promoter" offers free entry and, sometimes, free shots. These places are never the big clubs (like "El Kapital" or "Joy") but I have more fun there anyway, when I'm not being constantly pushed against and can talk to my friends. On Saturday we went to the "Bourbon Club", which had 70's, 80's and 90's music playing. One of my friends started a limbo line which got a bunch of people in the club super excited, myself included. And singing along to "I'm Too Sexy", "Holding Out For a Hero" and Grease songs resulted in a lost voice for the next 24 hours. But dancing with good friends and good music is definitely a favorite past-time ;)
4am Either leave for another club, or (like me on a long day) head to Plaza de Cibeles in the center of the city to take the night bus home (or you can wait for the Metro to open at 6am...) Since I live relatively far from others in my program usually this is an interesting walk solo. I am one of the few girls who is not a prostitute walking alone at 4am. And you meet some interesting people at 4am downtown!
Here's what I tend to do after 3+ hours of dancing... take a break and sit on the stage while the next club dancers are getting ready ;)
Anyway. That's my summary of the two main dance events I get to partake in every week. Hope it was enjoyable and not scarring in any way.
(I hope I did not overly concern people with my last post, thanks to all who sent emails or messaged me ;) I really am having a great time in Madrid and in Europe, but it's always a little sad to think of life going on as usual back home and not being a part of it... and people in the program, I love you guys!! You have been such a great group of people, I couldn't ask for better)
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