Jennifer Lydon

When I was young I would spend my summers in my grandparent's house and would often watch my grandparents move across the 'dance floor' (aka their living room). I never quite was able to find the rhythm of the music and often felt as though I had two left feet. Even though I could recognize my own awkwardness I loved what I saw between my grandparents as they danced and the world that they seemed to create with only their bodies and the music.

I came to Indianapolis in the summer 2002 and during the next two years some of my friends and I would occasionally go dancing. It was certainly fun, but I felt awkward, often inhibited, and sometimes just glad to move so slightly so as not to draw attention to myself and watch the others on the dance floor. Somehow salsa changed this, eventually helping me to have a greater understanding of what my grandparents may have felt on the dance floor.

Some of my friends and I started to go to the Jazz Kitchen or Madame Walker with little idea of what were doing. One of our friends, Farbod, tried to teach me the basic repeatedly and I am sure that he must have thought that I was a lost cause after the first several tries. Despite the little that I knew and the growing evidence that I was not meant to be a salsera, I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the music, and the joy that was so clearly evident on couples faces when I saw them dancing. With my roommate having a very strong desire to learn even more, I took a leap and joined her for lessons under the tutelage of Erin and Yang. I have been dancing salsa now for well over a year and a half and have come to love it even more, and thankfully (for my partners) I have also improved!

Dancing has become so freeing. The dance floor is a place where the pressures of daily life fade away to only be left with the music and the presence of someone who also has a passion for the movement. Many people have said this, but it is incredibly true. Dance is an equalizer. It brings people from different cultures together and enriches the people so fortunate to be part of a dance community through the diversity and possible friendships that form. I am so thankful to have discovered the salsa community in Indianapolis and will forever be grateful with those who were patient in the early stages of learning.