Unending Epilogue 21

April 2011

April 17

I had been considering making a trip to a Salsa event at Johns Hopkins University at the Homewood campus in Baltimore ever since January - in part because it would be so convenient to attend for me and in part because it would be a new place and a change of pace. It also cost nothing (no entry fee, etc). From mid-January to mid-May, the event is held on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. I finally made this trip today.

The last time I went Salsa dancing was in November last year. Thus this break lasted a little over 5 months.

A Facebook invitation by the DJ Jesus was the trigger. He said the beginner lessons should end around 6. I think it ended around 6:30 – a rough estimate because I was without a timekeeping device.

I sat out the first three songs - waited until the third song started to change my shoes. I wasn’t expecting to dance On2. I was quite surprised to find the first four of my dances to be On2. Then again, I knew three of the followers so it was not a big shocker – especially after the surprise On2 dance with a first-time partner.

The event had a feel of SOS in some ways - social as opposed to a club... also it's Sunday! The venue (Glass pavillion) was airy, and sunlight provided light for a great part of my time there. The floor was of even smooth stone surface - no big complaints.

It ended up being a nice mix of On1 and On2 dancing for me. I stayed until around 8:40, which was a bit later than I had expected originally. I had repeat dances with three followers – two asked me for a second, and I asked one for a third. Overall, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the way it went.

Life is busy. If things go well, I may go out dancing very seldom for foreseeable future - even though I had quite a good time this time out.

April 23

It seems I often end up eating my words when I reveal them to others these days. I went to DCDC this evening. So, I guess things are not going so well?

Perhaps... Perhaps not...

In any case, I won't try to predict my future Salsa patterns. Chances are pretty good that I will go out in May.

As for DCDC itself, it was very steamy. It took a while for me to start dancing because I was getting wet just standing. After a little while, I jumped in. It was fine, but I can't imagine doing this often if the conditions are like this. And, it's very hard to imagine it not being very crowded and very hot with Magna visiting next time.

Perhaps the most remarkable item of note I feel like adding is that I wore my contact lens for the first time in a very long time.