I haven't posted in awhile, this is clear (do I really need to mention that? lol), and I do want to do a recap post soon of the last few months for everyone, but for now, before I start class, I want to write a funny post on salsa dancing in Korea. Mainly, I am writing this because I just HAVE to share this with you all (special shout out to my latin dancing community!) because I don't think this is something to keep to oneself. I wouldn't exactly call this a "faux pas of the day" (although I have definitely had many more of those in the last months), but it IS sure something to laugh about! Enjoy sharing this experience through these words! ^.~
Ok, to catch you up, I have gone salsa dancing in Korea maybe just a handful of times. Maybe 3 or 4 times in Seoul and once in Busan (yes, on the beach!). A Korean friend of mine found out how much I love salsa dancing and told me that there was actually a salsa dancing club here in Gumi! No way?! I went to one dance in December and the teacher asked me to come to lessons. Now, sure, I have fun dancing because really, it's me~~how could I NOT? But I didn't really know about learning salsa on 2 (most all of Korea dances this way. Annnnd~~like how they do most things, they are SERIOUS about dancing. Very technical and to a T. Needless to say, the first time I saw salsa dancing in Korea, I was shocked, scared, impressed, and felt like MY salsa dancing didn't have a place there. It's like watching Dancing with the Stars when you watch them dance. haha) Ok, anyway, back to the story. So, I finally decided that, what the heck, I might as well do something fun and experience salsa dancing in Korea. Starting two Thursdays ago, I had my first salsa lesson on 2. I felt like a baby again, haha, having to learn the "basics." AND...the basics that I had learned on 1 were NOT the way he wanted it done for on 2 (err...or on 2, Korean style).
Which brings me to yesterday's lesson~~
We are about halfway into the lesson (he is leveling the lesson because I pick up on it all after a couple times because I already know it from salsa on 1, and the class is for absolute beginners. He wants me to come a different day, but I can't make it at that time because of school, so he said he would do this for me. Thanks, Teacher!). Ok, so as I was saying, we are about halfway through the lesson, and I am told, "Um, Laura, hips..no." (This is the basic translation I am getting, being as though the lessons are taught in Korean). Me: "Umm, what??" And the basic of it was pretty much, again, NO HIPS. Ok, I think, how am I supposed to balance? How can you NOT have hips when you are stepping anyways? You know, in this culture you kind of don't question your authority, but my mind was just dumbfounded and I just blurted out, "Um, but why?" The first thing he says is that when you are doing these moves and turns and such, you can't have hips. Ok, people, STILL not convinced. Sorry, but what ever happened to Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie'? He can obviously tell by my face that his explanation didn't suffice, and so THIS came as the bottom line, said to me with pride...
"Korean men are just not strong enough to handle a woman when she dances with hips!"
hahahaHAHAHAHhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, my friend, THAT convinces me. It's NOT that this is what Salsa on 2 is~~it's that Korean men are too weak to handle the tension created by settling on your hips! Ok, friend, let's roll with that. I mean, ok, "When in Rome...>" ^.~
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