An Unexpected Dance - San Juan, PR

I find it near impossible to find anyone to dance with in San Juan.  After all, I am old, bald, ugly and can't speak Spanish.  Most Latinos frequenting salsa dance clubs come with their own friends and usually shun the gringos attempting to imitate the real thing, passively moving their hips, dancing off time, and showing off their complicated computer generated dance steps.

So I wasn't expecting much during my recent trip to San Juan to attend a health disparities research meeting at the Sheraton in early December. However, one night, a group of us found our way to old town to eat some "authentic" Puerto Rican food which we did. Strolling after dinner to capture the ambiance before heading back, one corner bar near the water was playing salsa music that was blasting to the street caught our attention. Of course, after showing a minimum of interest, we were invited in.

What was a surprise was - after a short introduction, I was dancing with the salsa dance instructor there to give a free lesson and drum up business for the bar. That was 6 minutes of nonstop salsa dancing.....she was simply outstanding and could follow every move I attempted with ease...I was in heaven!!! For now, I will spare you that video. Instead, the video above is a tiny clip of me dancing Merengue much later with the hostess who invited us in the bar to begin with. She was quite a dancer in her own right. In the end, I danced with the pro, the hostess, Susan and Pam, and another Latino woman. The live music was outstanding considering the two person band, the ambiance was warm and friendly, and my evening was complete.

You never know what to expect in life, you have to be open for unexpected gifts. Being too fixed in your ways precludes spontaneity. I often forget these simple lessons of life.

I didn't come prepared to dance. So I removed my rubber soled shoes and danced in my socks. I'm sure this looked very strange and unappealing to the audience, but it was the only way I could move on the dance floor. The next morning, pain spread to every inch of both soles after I flopped out of bed when my feet hit the ground, reminding me how much punishment they were subjected to from the dancing. Of course, it was worth it!