Yanni's Story...

For me, I was dancing since I was nine years old. My father owned gambling casinos, then niteclubs and bars. When I was little, I'd go
visit him and he'd keep me behind the bar. I'd move to the rock 'n roll music by myself. I was terribly shy.

So to break me of that, he seen me moving and lifted me up onto the bar. I was only nine years old and frozen with fear as the drunks looked at me waiting to do something. My dad's voice boomed out, "Move, boy, move like you were doing over in the corner!" His sound jolted me out of my fear, which was probably his intention, and I did as he ordered.
The drunks were enjoying it, laughing at me and clapping to the beat of the music. After the song ended and so did my dance, they cheered and threw money onto the bar. I looked at my daddy with wild-eyed, drop-jawed amazement. He said, "Pick it up, fool ! It's for you ! Pick it up before they take it back!" I never had money back then, so I scrambled up every dime. It came out to be
seven dollars - a lucky number, indeed !

My father lifted me up off the bar and set me down. He knelt next to me and said, "See there, my boy, never be afraid of people." After that, I was OUTGOING! And everytime I needed money, I'd make my oldest brother take me to my daddy's club to shake down a few bucks ! Suddenly, I needed to see my baba (Greek for dad).

Now, my parents were good Greek dancers and my middle brother a good American dancer. He also played trumpet jazz for 20 years
in an orquestra that won the national title over 30 straight years. And oh how my brother could play that trumpet. So between my genes, the bar, and my brother's jazz, I always had a good feel for music and rhythm. I was always surrounded by it.

Then, in 1985, I went to NYC to see some of my Latin friends I met in Las Vegas. I was pursuing a movie script on a huge Latin sports star they were personal friends with - so I had an in. This fella was in NYC at the same time I arrived. We went out to the clubs - several in Manhatten, including the Copacapana. The
dancing was fabulous and the salsa music touched the jazz roots within me.

Through the Latin sports star, we went to a HUGE Cuban
Independence party. I told my friends that Cuban isn't free and they jokingly replied that this is a fund raiser that gives the Cubans an EXCUSE to party !
At the gala, or actually EVENT is a more appropriate term, I met Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, and other Cuban and Latin salsa heavyweights. I figured they were prominent in their field, but just never heard of them. If I only knew back then....
Anyway, the dancing, music, and attire was a sight to behold. What an impressive evening. And I could only watch...

But I didn't get interested in dancing salsa, or even listening
to it. My Latin friends moved from NYC to Miami. So in November
of 1994, I went to pay them a visit. They took me to South Beach, Art Deco area. We hit a club called Mangoes. I was stunned! The music, the beat, and especially the jazz, really turned me on this time! Beautiful people dancing. My friends showed me a couple of moves and made me dance with a few of their gorgeous amigas. They were kind and realized on the first
step I knew jack nothing about salsa dancing. Or even merengue! I'll never forget how many people were in that club - and yet how they were not colliding with one another, even though performing turns, spins, half moons, etc. That really impressed me.

Later, we went to Club Mystique, then a salsa club in
Coconut Grove. Forget it, I was hooked! And at the close of the night, my friends warned me, "Next time you come to Miami, you better know how to salsa because we are KEEPING you on the dance floor!" I knew someday I'd get into this.

But when I returned home, at that time Sacramento, I didn't
pick up on it. It was in January of 1995 when I went out to a local salsa club. I would only watch. A couple of friendly women would give me a dance out of pity !
But, I knew I'd get around to it one day.

In May of '95, I took a friend to watch what I thought was
a troupe of professional salsa dancers. They were a bunch of high
school and college kids, just beginners! He laughed at me, in a good way. While leaving, I met one of the dancers in the hallway. She told me where they practice and invited me out.

So I went. And there was this Columbian man who was teaching. He was not only a terrific dancer, but had so much PERSONALITY
you couldn't HELP but like him! Eduardo right away gave me confidence. I expressed to him I can't do this, but want to learn. He showed a move, had me repeat it best I could, and commented, "You'll be a good salsero someday because you have a natural rhythm. But, you have to practice! And you move
with the old Cuban hip motion - just that you don't know it!" We laughed and I was on my way of falling in love with salsa, merengue, and cha-cha-cha. He invited me to another place he teaches. I went. He had over 100 students ! Part was because of the music, most because of his personality.

He told me to play salsa in my apartment, in the car, on the
head phones at work - play it until you feel it as if it was your own music. Play no other form - only Latin. It will ooze into your blood steam and enter your heart and soul. Practice the basic step until you can walk up and down the street to it. The basic step to each and every song for every song has a slightly different speed ! So I did and got more hooked !

When I improved, I went to the clubs in SF. And once, some movie people in LA wanted to confer with me about a script of mine. They invited me there and I replied only if we go salsa dancing ! They laughed, but I was serious. So they conceded. We went out and one of them, a Latino actor, thought I was Latin by the way I danced ! I told him my teachers from NYC, Miami, and SF were Latinos, so that's the only way I know ! We had a blast, but they
didn't buy my script ! And when I seen my friends in Miami again, they were surprised ! I acted like I couldn't do anything until we got into Mangoes ! Then, I did a move THEY showed me years ago ! Wow, what a night we had !
They still are superior to me in Latin dance, but at least I can hold my own. And even get compliments from Latin men and women. That night I figured, if I could dance in MIAMI and hold my own, at least I belong in the salsa world. My apprenticeship was over.

Eduardo once told me, "If you learn how to salsa well, you can go ANYWHERE in the Latin world and you'll have a social tool to meet
people ! You'll never be alone, and you'll always have a chance at a good time !"

And you know something, he was right.

Yanni can be reached at yanni.ent@worldnet.att.net