TRYING NEW THINGS IN HACKNEY SPECIAL: Salsa the night away

Exercise is not my forte. Running on a treadmill while others watch and laugh at my ineptness and lack of stamina simply does not appeal to me.
So in my bid to get fit, two months too late for it to count as any sort of new year’s resolution, I coaxed a friend into accompanying me to a salsa lesson. And what a night it was, Rachel Rouse reports.

We arrived at the Backyard Comedy Club to find the instructor Michael decorating the sparse room Cuban style (putting up two Cuban flags), and two other newbies sitting at the edge of the room. Michael assured us that other would be coming ‘manyana’ (Spanish mean-time), and began to teach the four of us some basics. Trepidation soon turned to some relief as ‘Dave’ and his party guests stormed the school-hall like venue, soon to be followed by a gaggle of dancers who seemed somewhat more confident than me.
The evening began promisingly as a cheery and encouraging Michael led us through the basics of foot-tapping and hip-wiggling. One gentleman behind me seemed particularly eager to impress everyone with his advanced moves, as he threw in a few spins while Michael wasn’t looking. Michael was joined by another instructor, who replaced his well-placed camp enthusiasm with some concerted, fast-paced instruction. Undeterred, I got into the spirit of the night, and waved my hands and shook my bum along with the best of them. My dream of winning Strictly Come Dancing seemed to be well underway.
Then came the partnering up. After downing a quick drink by the bar (handy if you need a bit of Dutch courage), I limbered up for the beginners class. My friend and I were perfectly happy to partner-up with each-other when a lack of men proved to be an issue. But, luckily for us, a pair of knights came to our rescue. Unfortunately, these knights were about a foot too short. I’m the first to admit that I’m above average height for a woman, but I didn’t imagine needing to crane my neck down quite that far in order to gaze into the eyes of my dance partner. Brendan Cole he wasn’t. Not only that, but he struggled to count to six, that oh so important number when counting the beat for salsa.
I was relieved then, when a partner swap meant I ended up with Joe. Taller than me, he was also a salsa instructor himself. I found myself learning, and getting better and more confident with it. My hips swung more assuredly and my feet tapped to the beat. Not only that, but I found myself looking longingly at the intermediate class, wishing that we could do spins like them.
The formal class was followed by a more casual dancing session, when I encouraged one of the more advance dancers to show me how to do one of the said spins. It was a bit beyond me, but my confidence was growing and my enjoyment of the evening was mounting. So much so that I was reluctant for it to end.
As the evening drew to a close, I found myself filled with a sense of pride that not only had I learnt something, I’d done a bit of exercise and had a great deal of fun with it. I’ll never be a gym bunny, but Salsa may be a new calling. Now comes the quest to gain Z-list celebrity status so I can demonstrate my new-found talent in Strictly Come Dancing. Watch this space.

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