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Dancing at Church!
Ecclesiastes promises us that there is a time for everything. A time for singing, a time for crying, a time for planting and sowing and dying, and Yes, even a time for dancing (Chapter 3:4). The need to dance is wound into the very fabric of my DNA. I can’t, NOT dance! I grew up in the Nazarene church. Dancing was a strict NO NO. I never got on board with that. So when I was asked to teach Salsa at my new church, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was shocked!
Last Saturday night was the first class. I could just kick myself because I forgot my camera. Not only did the people in the my group show up to learn salsa, at one point the pastor was there trying it to. How cool is that?! I love this new church! And just for the record Pastor Wang is a very good preacher! She’s brought an awesome message every week I’ve heard her preach. Back to the subject….
There are major cultural differences here in Taiwan. I have not been told that it is forbidden, but touching the opposite sex in public is unusual. Touching is a critical element in any part of couples dancing, but even more so in Salsa. So that really concerned me going into the night. While the men seemed WAY OUT of their comfort zone. The women were just fine. I was most concerned about offending them. I am still the odd man out and do not want to offend. I worried if a basic frame would be too far, not to mention the occasional touch in the back or waist that is common is salsa. But everyone seemed ok.
The men need extra attention, as should be expected. Salsa needs a confident male lead. I hope I have a chance to work with the men alone sometime. They did better when I danced the woman’s part with them. I have nothing but respect for them. I can remember when I first learned salsa, I couldn’t figure it out either, AND I grew up dancing! So the men have my uttermost admiration just for showing up and trying. I do truly believe that anybody can learn to dance. If you can walk, you can dance. Salsa is nothing more than very cool walking in place, to music.
I look forward to more dancing in church. My new friends can let out their inner Latino/Latina and we all will smile knowing there is a time to dance.
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5 comments:
Darryl,
I like your website, it's nice to know you via it, especially when it's not very easy for you to share in our church.
Just want to let you know that you're more than welcome to join us, and, Pastor's last name is "Huang", not "Wang". haha.
Yay! You started salsa dancing. Am proud of you! Remember when I told you to start salsa classes in Taiwan if they don't already have it there :)
Teaching the class was great fun. A new challenge for me as a teacher. AND I get to DANCE!
I would've loved to have been a "fly on the wall" at that session! I'm cracking up at my own visualizations! Now, you know how sexy salsa dancing is! Why you wanna go in there and "corrupt" those people - and at CHURCH nonetheless!
Hey Tracy, Let the record showed I was asked and accepted. I tried really hard to just stick to the numbers and NOT make it sexy. Though my gut tells me for different reasons that was the first and last salsa lesson.
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