Cultural Dance-Off

"Is it true that Europe people mostly dance alone, not in couples?"

I’ve been asked this more than once. It’s evidently a big deal.

So, to pass time, practise my Spanish and attempt to improve my footwork, I sign up for the unavoidable salsa classes. My days now go like this: spend morning feeling like a moron for not being able to talk, then afternoon feeling physically substandard for not being able to move more than one body part in sync at once. It’s humbling.

In bars and clubs, music is generally a mix of Anglo/American and Hispanic. During the Spanish numbers, everyone dances with everyone, like being at a British wedding, only much, much closer together, and with a lot more rhythm. A dance is no commitment. I stand at the bar and pretend it isn’t annoying not to be able to join in. But then the electro/ techno/ cheesy euro house comes on, and the European comes into her element! Several other foreigners I’ve met have, like me, been asked to demonstrate ‘how to dance solo’. So, from zero to goddess in a few electro beats...

Still, I’ll probably carry on with the dance lessons… It is actually quite nice dancing in pareja.