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MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

Okay, so I hate to admit it... but there's ONE thing i'm petrified of about heading down to Mexico... and perhaps it is trivial... but asi es.

I am afraid of... dun dun dun... dancing. I've NEVER really enjoyed dancing... and it's kind of cyclic... it was definitely discouraged when I was younger, and it made me tense when people would almost try to force me to dance... so, that said...

My fiance loves dancing, and I really want to love dancing and dance with her... but I can't ... find *it*... and her being so good makes me really nervous about dancing with her...

Have any of my Anglo compadres learned to dance and dance well while in Mexico (or anywhere else, for that matter)? How do you remove that cultural "ighhh... dancing... bad... icky" feeling?

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

The best piece of advice I can give is this: findeth thineself a bar full of other white men and drink copious amounts of tequila. Then you simply hope that you are an indistinguishable white blur of gangly arms, legs, and thumbs in any photos that might survive the eve.

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

The good news is that as a dance crazy nation, there are loads of dancing schools. I don't know if you are coming to D.F. but here is a website to check out prices:

http://www.welshdancestudio.com

I was checking this out yesterday as I have the same problem and this is near my home. My wife says learn to dance rock 'n' roll and the rest is easy.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I can't dance either. Is this a worse thnig to admit as a female? The only time I remotely enjoy dancing is after a few beer and even then it's a short-lived thing. To each her own thing-and dancing isn't mine!

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

I love dancing, but was terrible at dancing with a partner when I got to Mexico. It would take a few tequilas and a lot of appologizing and I still managed to mangle everyting. After a year and a half, I was at a party, and then it just clicked! I could dance anything, and continued to do so. I think it's way easier for the girl though! Practice and palomas make perfect.

MELEE · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:16 pm Post subject:

There are a lot of different kinds of dancing popular around the country. Here's a run down from easiest to most difficult IMHO!

What we call down here Norte�os are the easiest. The group Tigres del Norte is a good example of this type of music. If you are coordinated enough to learn to ride a bike, or do a swimming stroke, you can learn norte�o.
Then there is pasito duranguenese which swept the nation last year, I personally hope it's going out of style. Not very different from norte�o, but a bit faster.
Next on the scale is merengue--it's actually hard to be really good at merengue, but easy to be passible at merengue. It's like walking but exagerate the weight shift from hip to hip. Where I live, this is the music they play when they want to get people out onto the dance floor.
Cumbias, I love Cumbia, and lucky for me I live in Cumbia-landia! Cumbia is like a cross between fifty's rock dancing and square dancing. It's not that hard to learn for us gringos because it's based on 4/4 time.
Danzon, Danzon is classic and still popular in certain circles in Mexico. It seems to be a popular class at many casas de cultura around the country. I wish I had time to learn Danzon.
Salsa, unfortunately most people where I live don't do salsa. You can take class at the casa de cultura and many English teachers have been in the class, it can be hard to get a handle on salsa because of the 2/3 timing. The basic step is not too, hard, but it gets more and more and more complicated from there. The good news for Mikey is that I know women who lead in Salsa and the general viewing public usually can't tell that the women is leading.
Chilenas I'm not sure if they do this outside of Oaxaca, it's actually a folk dance from the Costa Chica, but here it's also popular at weddings and the like and it envolves little stomping kicking twisting steps and a heck of a lot of endurance, people often hand out straw hats and bandanas as party favors (they are props in the dance) Consider myself a good dancer, but only up the list to Salsa (which I'm only passable at) When ever I attempt to do Chilenas, everybody usually ends up laughing

Quebraditas, the be all end all of Mexican dancing. If you can do this you can do anything--including getting a job in a circus Laughing

I've left Regaeton off the list because I don't really frequent anywhere were it's played.

Mikey, I've worked with a lot of gringos over the years, and many have learned to dance. Most enjoyed some sort of dancing before coming to Mexico however.

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

reggaeton is easy - you just watch what the Mexicans do but it's similar to US and Canadian club dancing. At least here it is.

I think we must have the Norteno dancing, I'm assuming that's the grupo music that incorporates the German polka beat?? I can't stand the music but it can be fun on a night out. We have been saturated with it from neighbors playing it at all hours I guess. I think I know the merengue you're talking about it and it's quite easy but I still can't look like the Latin girls doing it...damn.

I haven't had much chance to dance here but when we have parties I can always fall back on a good jig to prove I can dance. Being from Canada has it's advantages in that area...newfie music is great!!!

J Sevigny · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 161

Here's my advice:

In almost every town in Mexico, there are cantinas where women you've never met before, and never have to see again, will dance with you. You might have to pay them 10 pesos a song. Cheaper than a dance school, I think and more authentic.

So find a good cantina and just tell one of the working girls you want to learn the local steps. She will likely be very happy to teach you, no strings attached except for maybe a beer or some coinage.

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

Dont be afraid. To each their own. You cant compare maybe to a natural dancer in a culture that loves to dance, but neither can another compare to several of YOUR unique talents.

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

I'm canadian and...dancing is simply not in our blood. Or at least that is what I tell every mexican when they try to dance with me. When they ask why I say I can't dance, I simply say 'porque soy canadiense.' I took a dance class that was a free throw in with the spanish course I took and loved it...as I do really enjoying dancing but....I haven't been keeping it up.

The nice thing about being female is that I at least only have to follow. Just go out and enjoy it with your girlfriend and her friends...I'm sure they'd be more than happy to teach you!

Oh...and the worries about being laughed at...no one is really paying that much attention to you so fear not!

J Sevigny · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 161

I understand where you're coming from, man. But I don't think you need to worry about your reputation in a place as large as Torreon. In fact, your reputation might be far more damaged if you fail to dance at your own wedding, or if you step on your suegra's feet.

I would also think that your fiance might understand. My wife, who is Mexican, and in fact from the more conservative Coahuilan city of Saltillo, is very open. She understands that cantina women are cantina women but my heart and my loyalties are in our home, not any cantina.

But every relationship is different. Again, congratulations on your coming wedding.