Sometimes differences are most interesting and complex when they are explored within a single context. It is possible to notice things that you would not otherwise see if you were simply looking at the context itself.
Yesterday marked the second day of the summer session's beginning Salsa class at Barbara's Dancing Tonight Studio. I originally signed up for the class so that I could learn about technique and keep up with my roommate, a more experienced dancer. It seemed like a good way to learn to dance as I could practice with multiple partners in an educational setting.
The class begins with men and women dancing separately, each learning their own parts of the dance and repeating them over and over. Our instructor, Korie, waits until she feels we're all relatively comfortable before adding music and forming us into couples. The women then rotate between the men during the course of the song so that each person gets sufficient practice with different partners.
For anyone unfamiliar with salsa dancing, the general idea regarding who orchestrates the dance is, well, somewhat sexist: the man leads the woman to dance in certain ways and the woman follows. This somewhat simplistic rule, however, is easier said than danced. The reason why it is important to dance with many partners is because many partners interpret this rule differently in practice. This particular class has very prescribed basic steps and turns, so there are only so many different moves a couple can make. It may not be clear at this point where the differences occur, so allow me to elaborate (and please keep in mind that I am not in any way trying to place myself in a more advanced dancing category than others in the class, I am simply observing):
Partner #1: My first dance partner seemed terrified that he was going to step on my feet, and kept his eyes glued to the floor. He also seemed as though he was thinking really hard about his next move, as each transition was slightly exaggerated.
Partner #2: This dance partner danced a little heavily, that is, each movement was very forced and enunciated.
Partner #3: This guy, Scott, is blind, and dances really well. He holds you slightly more away from himself, however, as I think he is also concerned about stepping on toes.
Partner #4: Partner number four would be the "high-five guy" in any group of friends; he moves his head side to side while we're dancing and always says things like, "Awesome," or "All right!" or "Heck yes, watch us go."
Partner #5: Partner number five kept saying "Mmmmmm." We'd be dancing and then out of nowhere would come an "Mmmmm," and then an "Mmm-hmm." It always caught me slightly off-guard.
Partner #6: This guy was a foot and a half taller than I was, and we had turning issues. The man is supposed to lift the woman's hand when he is about to turn her, but he was holding my hand so high in the air already that I couldn't tell when he wanted me to actually turn.
Partner #7: He would be an excellent dancer if he would simply follow the tempo of the music.
It's interesting to be in this kind of a situation because everyone is learning and thinking about different things while they're dancing, and sometimes their thoughts manifest themselves in physical ways. I think that dancing has been a really good learning experience for me regarding the mind-body connection, and how subtle differences in thinking can create larger differences in physical approaches to movement.
It's odd, too, in this kind of a situation, because the woman is not supposed to correct the man if he makes an error. Even if he cannot keep the beat and is starting on the wrong foot and keeps turning without warning, it is our fault (technically speaking) if he steps on our toes or if we're not sure what we're supposed to do next and get lost. All we can do in this situation is sit back and observe the differences.
Mmmmmm.
Let's try this again
14 years ago
3 comments:
Very fun post! I too have taken classes at Barbara's (east-coast swing). I've danced all my life, but never ballroom, so it was a new experience for me. Anyway, I thought your comments on the sexism of ballroom were interesting. While it is true that the man gives the signals for all of the moves, the woman has to know what all of the mean and how to execute them correctly and with proper transitions. Therefore, she has all the power to make the man look good or not. To me, this is how romantic relationships often work. While the man likes to think he's in control, the woman makes the relationship (the dance) work, or not, giving her the ultimate power. In both situations, communication is crucial. If the lead's signals are unintelligible (your #6), the partner is confused and the dance/relationship suffers.
btw: What night is salsa? I need some extracurricular activities...
COME TO SALSA! Salsa night is Tuesday; my roommate and I have been going pretty religiously.
Actually, I don't know if you'll read this, so I'll probably post this on your blog, too.
Your post is at once humorous and descriptive—and you also get into the analytical mode when you raise the issue of 'sexism'. In terms of Colleen's comment about who really has the "ultimate power" in relationships (dancing or romantic), it seems more accurate to say that there are different enunciations and manifestations of 'power' involved, but that neither 'side' can ever claim to be 'in control' once and for all if, in fact, 'the dance' interaction. Power dynamics often flatten out the closer you look at the details and the multineity of any relationship: rather than being obviously vertical, more subtle horizontal exchanges occur. We see this especially in the case of your descriptions of your different partners, each of whom seems to comport himself very differently in relation to you; it’s not always clear who is more ‘in control’. Thus, it is never simply that the 'man' has the power, but that it is always, well, a *dance*. This is a great post, Rachel.
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