Addis
may not have all the amenities of a world-class city, but it does have one
unexpected thing that is close to our heart-salsa. It was with surprise and
delight.
The
surprise did not end there. The local salseros were energetic and dedicated,
and made up for lack of technical training by sheer creativity on the dance
floor.
Salsa
is a small and underground phenomenon with fanatical following around the
world. Among the general public, it may be a little better known than rave
parties or Gothic rock, but by not much more. But salsa and its culture have
been slowly gaining ground for the past several decades; salsa clubs can be
found in any world class city worth its salt. From London to Dubai, from Miami
to Sydney, people dance with like minded souls almost every night of the week.
Salsa
is a secrete and instantaneous passport to penetrating and unfamiliar city,
where within an evening, one can walk into a club and start dancing with anyone
without hesitation. There is no need to speak the local language. Whether in
Tokyo or Shanghai, salseros are conversant in the common language of this Latin
dance that sprang from the barrios of Cuba, Columbia and the Dominican
Republic.
Salsa
is a skilly, and frivolous pastime, especially for a grown man . But that is
precisely why we love it. The music seeps into our bones. The head is held
high, the chest puffed out like the front of a Volkswagen, and salseros usually
sport a sly smile that seems to shout. It is impossible to dance salsa and be
depressed at the same time.
There
is no better feeling like walking a woman to a dance floor with the full
knowledge that know what we are doing.
In
joburg salsa is a steadily growing phenomenon that brings together a diverse
group of people who otherwise may have very little in common. In a city that
still parties along ribal lines, salsa is a common denominator for people who
share nothing but their love of the dance. The salsa scence in joburg revolves
around five instructors who have a loyal following. 60 per cent or more of
salsa students are female, a ratio that is similar around the world.
The
Achilles heel of Joburg dancers is their adherence to technique. Some of them
become so attached to the back and forth steps that they forget the fundamental
element- a feel for the music and the beat. That was not a problem for the
Addis dancers. These guys danced. They improvised, they created and they were
fleet-footed.
My
guide was a woman I had met at a conference that had broungt me to Addis. As a
lark, in the middle of a conversation, I said to her, “Do you salsa?” She
looked at me with surprise.
“How
do you know? Have you seen me dance?”
I
told her I was just being cheeky but was delighted she was a fellow salsa fan.
The
next day began my tour of Addis salsa with her. The girls I danced with seemed
impressed by my hesitation combs, cross-body leads, hammerlocks and all the
other new-fangled techniques that I had brought from Joburg.
But
I was impressed by the male Ethiopian dancers whose interpretation of Cuban
salsa was a delight to behold.
For
the first week, my new friend seemed awed by my moves. I had about a dozen
dependably impressive moves, but I knew my material was going stale fast.
Sure
enough, about a week later, she lowered the boom.
“Do
you know other moves?”, she asked innocently.
Jeez,
she was already getting bored with my routines.
Fortunately,
this was only salsa, not romance.
It
was time to head back to Joburg to keep honing more salsa moves.
