Christa Meyer

Four years ago, it was my mom that convinced me to move to Spain for the semester. I wasn't that comfortable with change at the time, but I had always loved to travel. When I saw that they offered latin dancing classes through the university, I signed up immediately. The class was a blast, and it gave me my first taste of salsa, merengue, and tango. As I headed back to St. Louis, I thought I was leaving it all behind. It wasn't until a couple of years later that my friends and I stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall salsa club, Viva!, in St. Louis and the memories of dancing until early in the morning came flooding back. This time I was hooked for good. I hardly remembered a move I had learned in Madrid, but that didn't matter. I learned by dancing with others that had more experience. It wasn't unusual for me to be dancing several nights a week, and I was making wonderful new friends.

Moving to Indianapolis was another big change, and again, I thought I was leaving salsa behind. An evening at The Jazz Kitchen early this year reassured me that latin dancing was, in fact, alive in Indy . . . no matter how small the scene. It turns out the scene is growing, and I love being a part of it. The thing is that salsa dancing is not really just about dancing for me. I'm sure most people that are truly addicted would agree. I love the community feel that comes along with it . . the fact that everyone dances with everyone. There's a general feeling of acceptance no matter your past, your day job, your age, or your appearance. The openness is wonderful, and most of us are generally passionate people. We're passionate about people, traveling, music, and most of all, being free on the dance floor to express ourselves through the music.

At the risk of sounding over-dramatic, salsa dancing has changed a lot about my life. The experience has opened my eyes to a whole different world. Salsa has become an expression of how I want to live my life . . . forming close relationships, expressing my energy and passion, learning more each day, and not taking myself too seriously that I care what others think as they watch.