I lovelovelove dancing. Among all artistic and creative expressions, I find it to be the purest and the one that I appreciate the most. I could dance for hours. Even if I were total rubbish at it, I wouldn’t care. I’d still dance.

My favorite television show is “So You Think You Can Dance” and I totally envy the training available to those dancers. I wouldn’t be able to cut it in a million years, but I’d certainly kill myself trying. Not that I’d ever want to work as a professional dancer (- work?), I just want to be able to move that beautifully.

Rewind to Madrid, 2005. I was having one of those this-could-only-happen-to-me kinda nights and ended up at a salsa bar in the wee hours of the morning. It was amazing! I felt like I had wandered onto the set of some music video where everyone could really, and I meanreally dance.

One woman in particular stood out on the dance floor. She was impossible not to watch. She made salsa sexier and hotter than I had ever seen it before. I asked someone who she was and I remember him replying that she was “Cubana”. As I continued to watch her, I told myself, “I’m going to have to learn how to salsa in Cuba.”

Fast forward to Manila, 2013. I still haven’t been to Cuba, but I’ve finally found the next best thing: salsa lessons from professional Cuban dancers living in Manila! And I’ve had a few salsa lessons before. This is the real deal. Including the Cuban terms for salsa moves like dile que no and enchufe , which, I am proud to say, we learned on our very first day of class. Together with the basic step and the side step, of course.

Beginners classes are every Tuesday at 6:30 PM in Makati. Advanced classes are every Wednesday. Classes are supposed to be an hour long but can run up to two hours. Please send me a message if you need more details.

I tried a class for the first time last Tuesday. There were four women and three men in attendance, and we all had a blast! One of the guys hadn’t danced a day in his life and, by the end of the evening, well, he still didn’t have the rhythm, but he could maneuver his partner around successfully. He was very pleased and I think he’s hooked. We all are. They made plans to meet up again this week. I’m going to have to catch up. I’m now in Siargao, but I’ve already reserved every Tuesday in April for salsa classes after I get back.

By the time I get to Cuba, I’ll be ready for the salsa clubs.

Salsa Checklist:

• Closed shoes – To protect your toes from clumsy partners.