Baile

If you know me well (ok even if you have even met me once for 2 minutes) you know that I love dance. I love to watch it, talk about it, and most of all to learn it. Dance was one of the reasons I was so excited to be placed in a Latin American country. In the US dance is a well respected art form, but is meant for the studio, stage and left to the professionals. I had a weekly plea that my friends to go dancing with me, they occasionally appeased me, especially after a few drinks. But dancing in sweaty bars to 80's music always left me wanting more (do not get me wrong, I do enjoy Journey fist pumping sessions). The techno or pop "bouncing" in nightclubs (you know where you just kind of hop up and down to the beat of the music... don't pretend you don't do that) were fun but always felt so controlled and after a while boring. But, to venture outside of that understood dance would attract stares, circles around you, and creepy people approaching you. 

So when I came down to Honduras I went on a mission to learn all the different dances popular in the country, and my host sister in La Paz was a huge help in this. At nights we would practice Bachata, Merengue, Reggaeton, Salsa, and of course Punta. At first I was quite uptight to shake my hips as fast as I could in front of my host mom, that was until she got up and joined me. It is TOTALLY acceptable for a 4 year old to shimmy and "get low" in front of everyone- actually encouraged. It is literally a 180 from how dancing is beheld in the US and extremely refreshing. Social dancing here is getting into  to the music while moving your whole body to the rhythm. Men and women have grown up dance all the different rhythms and have no shame in trying to imitate their favorite Daddy Yankee music video. I jumped on the band wagon as fast as I could, and am right along side them trying to do a back bend while shaking my hips (it is as difficult as it sounds). To say that I am using my degree in dance would be a bit of an overstatement, but knowing how to move my body has definitely left me more comfortable in social situations with Honduran friends.  

The only problem is now I want to go dancing all of the time- with my family, out at night with my friends, and definitely alone in my room. Thank goodness I have about 2 years to dance my little heart out. 

Note to any future visitors: pack your dancing shoes.