Monica's Story...

Well, I knew what Salsa, Merengue, Cha-Cha, Swing etc. was
since my family at least 95% of them dance to it, well they are
from Costa Rica. But I was never interested on dancing to it, I
actually did not care for because I was not raise in that
atmosphere, I loved dancing to English music, well none of my
friends danced to Salsa or anything like it. I did not know what it
was like to go to a Salsa Club, until one time my mom took me to
J.C Fandango in Anaheim and I like it.

So I ask my mother to teach me but she did not know how to
teach, she will put music on and will start dancing and I could not
follow, that piss off!!! Specially because my younger sister could
dance and NOT ME. Any way my other sister also younger than
me started dating this Colombian guy who was teaching her how
to Dance, and she will tell me about the Mayan how great it was,
but still, I was not going to go there because I did not know how
to dance!!! Plus between work and trying to get my EET Degree I
had no time, until about 7months ago I finally decided to go there
with some Co workers.
I was amassed to see those people dancing. Then, after that day I
went a couple of times more, just to watch. There some guy that
look kind of Oriental ask me to dance, I told him I could not really
dance, he said it's O.k. So there I went, I could not follow him. I
felt like and Idiot, but he was nice and I told him I wanted to
learn how to dance Salsa, he told me he teach and he could help
me. I took 3 basic lessons with him, I really did not have time to
be taking lessons so I stop the lessons. I keep going to the Mayan
to watch this people dance, and one day while I was watching
them dance, a guy, who is now a great friend of mine, (LUIS F)
ask me to dance. It was a merengue song, I told him I did not
know how and he said me either, but I knew he could dance
because I use to see him almost every weekend with his friends
dancing and they all look great!! Any way, there I went and try,
he was very nice and every time I see him at the Mayan he will
dance with me, then he introduce me to his friends who also
dance great, little by little I started meeting all this regular
dancers from the Mayan, and they started to help me practice and
learn more and more.
I started to eat Salsa, sleep Salsa, work Salsa, Salsa, Salsa,
Salsa. My whole life changed, and got base on SALSA. Now I been
dancing for about 3or 4 months only, but I know I have improve a
lot thanks to this great guys.
When I first met them I was even fat for my height. I am only
5'feet tall and at that time I was over 145lbs thanks to all this
dancing I lost a lot of lbs. Now thanks to Salsa and the Salsa guys
I am 120lbs, well I still have to lose at least 5-8lbs more, but now
I make time to go dancing, to the Mayan of course, Stevens,
Rodolfos, El Monte Carlo and well I have to make more time so I
can go to this other clubs my friends tell me about. Any way now
I have new friends since my old ones do not dance to Salsa. Most
of my friends are going to compete in the Mayan contest this year
in March. Good luck to all of you guys. I hope by next year to be
competing there too.

Monica Alvarado