Post #18: Salseros Brasileiros

It seems like it is useful to pick a couple of things that you do as a normal person and to continue with those things you enjoy in a new setting. It is a great way to make local friends, for one. It also maintains your identity as a person and not just as an itinerant. One of our things has been dancing, and, after doing so much dancing in the DC area, we are hoping to be regulars here in Brazil. So far, almost any social event has involved dancing, which is a good sign that this hobby will be easy to pursue here.

We tried to tap into a community and organized with a group of people to go out on Friday. The information was not all that clear, but we were committed to giving it a go. However, just as we were about ready to leave the house, one of the members of our group sent a message to let us know that there was no music at the venue and there would be no dancing. 

We were all dressed up with nowhere to go.

So, we looked up a recital flyer we saw earlier for a dance group associated with the university. We took an Uber there and arrived more than half way through the performances. Nevermind, we were also only charged half price. The recital was mostly young people from the university who were learning a variety of Latin dances. It was excellent. The mood was positive and there were a range of different levels and abilities of dancers. At the end of the performance, the emcee invited everyone to go dancing at the venue we were originally supposed to go to.

Of course, we went. And we found a really nice group called Corazón Salsero. One of the members recognized me from another event with the embassy (we are discovering that sometimes this city of 3 million feels like a very small place). We are now in the loop and hope to do some more dancing in the weeks that come!