Charles Brandt

I have always loved music. From listening to my favorite records growing up, to playing them at parties and clubs, music has been a constant source of enjoyment throughout my life. Until recently, that passion rarely extended to the realm of dancing. I'd occasionally dance around doing my own thing while getting into a tune I like, but I'm not sure if that really counts. When it came to dancing with a partner I was a lost cause. I was hesitant since I didn't know what I was doing, and on top of that I hadn't seen much social dancing that I thought looked fun.

In early 2006 a friend of mine was having a birthday party and wanted to go salsa dancing at the Vault. My first thought was something along the lines of "Salsa dancing?!? Oh no..." I didn't have high hopes for the evening, but I went anyway since I wanted to celebrate her birthday. When I got there I quickly realized that salsa was not like other dancing I had seen. The energy was contagious! It looked like an unspoken language was being used to communicate between dancers. I couldn't believe how dynamic and spontaneous the dancers were! A friend patiently taught me a few basics and I was hooked.

I could see that I had a lot to learn and signed up for lessons with Yang and Erin. This combined with the patience of many partners ("How about another basic?") has allowed me to add dancing to the list of ways that I now enjoy music. Thank you! A night of salsa dancing never fails to bring a smile to my face. I'm looking forward to learning more about salsa. It's an honor to be part of such a great and diverse community filled with so many wonderful people. See you out dancing!