the latin heat

yes, i realize that i am in oman, and it would be more appropriate to say "arabian heat" ... but i just came back from my first lesson at the oman salsa group! it's interesting to know that there is a thriving group interested in a very sexy, sensual dance in a seemingly conservative country -- but there is! plus, muscat is so international anyway, so it was so cool to see so many nationalities brought together for the love of the dance.

i had learned salsa socially, through the hispanic cultural organisation at w+m (hco), and i remember that the female-to-male ratio was actually quite high ... it seemed that there was always one male to every four - eight females! or at least, one male who really knew how to dance salsa, how to lead ... it was a rare find to have a partner who knew all the steps and could lead quite well. this group, however, was very evenly balanced. it was divided into three levels: beginners, improvers, and intermediates. (i was in the beginner group. granted i had danced before, i needed some refreshers, and i needed to know the correct placements of my feet ... rather than just following the guy, which is good for social dancing, for a structure such as this... i figured i'd be self-depricating and go down a level :o))

what i found interesting that about half of the males present were omanis ... sans dishdasha of course (alas, traditional clothing is quite restrictive to the hip-friendly movements of the salsa) ... and very good dancers. the one i was dancing with was rather small and thin, but lean and strong and good lead ... and gave me funny faces when i did a wrong turn or forgot to turn ... hehe. it was quite fun, and definitely worth the 3RO year membership! and it's a good social outlet ... it's gotten to the point where i want to expand my rather small social circle (ahem ... or lack thereof ... thank goodness for instant fulbright friends!) and get some good exercise
in the process.

my hips hurt. and my butt hurts. ok, that was more than you needed to know.