Chapter Twenty
Moto: motion; usually seen as con moto meaning with motion or quickly.
Charlie
After a chicken apple pecan salad for me and a grilled sandwich for Damian from a little quick-service place, we head downtown for the salsa lesson. The address I found online is for a large, nondescript gray building. But following the hand painted sign down the stairs to Mario’s Salsa Studio takes us to a wide, low ceilinged space, with mirrors on one wall and hardwood floors darkened with age.
A slim man dressed all in black with silver threading his black hair and trim goatee greets us as we enter through the heavy wooden door. “Hola! Welcome. I am Mario. You’re here for the salsa lesson?”
At our nod, he holds out a hand to me. “And you are?”
I place my hand in his to shake it. “Charlie.”
He wraps his other hand over mine and pulls me in, pressing his right cheek to mine and kissing the air next to my face. “Mucho gusto.”
Releasing me, he turns to Damian and holds out his hand again, giving Damian a firm handshake as he introduces himself.
“So glad you could make it,” he says as he ushers us to a row of chairs against the wall where three other couples sit, a few of them filling out papers on clipboards. Mario hands us a clipboard as well. “Just some basic information for the class. You can leave a check or cash in the bucket on the desk.” He gestures to a small desk in the corner holding more clipboards and a coffee can. “We’ll learn to dance to recorded music for the next hour, but a live band will be here for the open dance session after. There’s a fifteen minute break between the lesson and the open dancing. Do you have other dance experience?”
I nod, thinking over years of choreography. It’s not quite the same, but I know how to move.
Damian nods too, which means this should be even better. We’ll learn the steps and have fun.
Mario moves amongst the couples, chatting, smiling, taking clipboards. We’re the last couple to arrive, and after we finish filling out our form and slip our payment for the class into the bucket on the desk, Mario claps his hands and calls the class to order.
We all move to stand in front of him, and a dark-haired woman in a black fit and flare dress and shiny black T-straps steps out of a door I hadn’t noticed in the corner, coming to stand beside Mario. He takes her hand. “This is Susana. She’ll be helping me teach the class. First we’ll start with basic steps side by side like this, then we’ll work with partners.”
The basic salsa step is simple, and after going through it a few times, Mario has us work with our partners. When I turn to face Damian, he holds his arms up in the perfect frame, his steps are sure, and the pressure of his hand on my back and on my hand, guiding me through the steps, makes it clear he’s done this before. After going through the steps with basic counts with partners, Mario turns on the music.
Damian leads me through the basic steps, his eyes twinkling.
“You’ve done this before,” I accuse him.
He grins. “I grew up with dancing as a part of family get togethers. I learned to dance with both of my sisters, my cousins, and helped teach all their friends. My brother too. I can salsa and merengue, which is even easier.” As though to prove his point, he lifts his hand and spins me once, bringing me back in closer to his body.
“Ah!” Mario exclaims, wagging a finger at us. “You don’t need lessons. You could probably teach the class as well as I could.”
Damian just shrugs and smiles.
Mario shakes his head, leaving us to dance as he helps the other couples, who are having varying levels of success.
Smile still in place, Damian limits himself to the basic step, even though he could clearly do a lot more. “You seem to catch on to it quick, though. What kind of dancing have you done?”
“Oh, uh …” How do I answer this without giving too much away? “I grew up taking dance lessons. Jazz, tap, and ballet.” All true. My mom put me in my first dance class when I was three. And I started piano lessons when I started Kindergarten. Can I leave it at that?
He nods. “Cool. Did you continue with them for long?”
“A while.” I’m saved from having to expand on my answer by Mario cutting off the music and introducing the proper way to execute a turn. Even though Damian already knows what he’s doing, I appreciate seeing the demonstration of the best way for me to step. It’s not much different from many of the turns I’ve done on stage over the years, but doing it in a less formal atmosphere and with a partner adds a different dimension to the steps. We practice a few times without music before Mario turns it on again, giving us all a chance to practice working the turn in with the basic steps.
Damian turns me more than any of the other couples, the showoff. Mario catches his eye, smiling and shaking his head. Susana smiles and gives us a thumbs up.
The rest of the lesson is more of the same—Mario and Susana demonstrating another new thing, practicing without music, and then with music, giving enough tools to be able to dance competently during the open dance.
When a few people start filing in carrying instruments and equipment and setting up in the corner, Mario wraps up the class. “Thank you all so much for coming. Please stay for the open dance. If you feel like you need it, come again for another class. We also offer private lessons for those of you who’d like more personalized instruction. And the open dance with live music happens every Thursday evening.”