Marielita's story...

HI, I'M KNOWN AS MARIELITA, OR CUBA. MY EXPERIENCE IN SALSA AND MERENGUE STARTED THE MOMENT I WALKED. MY FATHER AND I ARE ORIGINALLY FROM CUBA, SO TO US SALSA AND MERENGUE IS NOT ONLY A DANCE, IT IS OUR HISTORY. MY FATHER ALWAYS TOOK PRIDE IN TAKING ME TO THE DANCE FLOOR WHEN WE WERE AT PARTIES, FOR AS LONG AS I COULD REMEMBER. ONLY ONE THING WAS EVER LACKING, I NEVER FELT A PASSION FOR IT AS I GREW UP. IT WASN'T UNTIL I LEFT MY FAMILY AND JOIN THE NAVY THAT I STARTED TO MISS IT. LITTLE BY LITTLE I STARTED TO APPRECIATE WHAT ALL THOSE YEARS MY FATHER HAD TAUGHT ME. SOON I TOOK PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT I KNEW MOST OF THE TECHNIQUES. IT WASN'T UNTIL ONE YEAR I MET THIS MAN, VERY GOOD LOOKING. SOMETHING ABOUT HIM BROUGHT A PASSION THAT I NEVER NEW I HAD. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT I KNEW EVERYTHING THERE WAS TO KNOW ABOUT SALSA AND MERENGUE, BUT I WAS WRONG. HE INTRODUCED ME TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL IN DANCING. HE SOMEHOW BROUGHT OUT THE PASSION INTO OUR DANCING. I NO LONGER JUST DANCED WHEN I DANCED WITH HIM, I FLIRTED, I CALLED TO HIM WITH MY BODY, I INVITED HIM TO TOUCH ME WITH MY MOVES. THIS WAS A WHOLE NEW LEVEL FOR ME. AT FIRST I WAS SCARED BY IT BUT HE SLOWLY TAUGHT ME THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT. I REALIZE NOW THAT ALL THIS TIME I DANCED I WASN'T COMPLETE UNTIL I MET HIM. WE STILL DANCE TOGETHER AND TILL' THIS DAY I'LL SAY THAT HE IS MY FAVORITE PARTNER I'VE EVER HAD.

MARIELITA