Soy un BOOM!
Me with the directors of BOOM, Robinson and Francis! @somosboomlatino on instagram
Throughout my entire life dance has been my favorite hobby, it's been my therapy, it's been my passion- it constantly brings me so much joy. Even though I always make time for solo dance parties, during my last super busy years of college, I really didn’t get to dance as much as I had hoped in terms of dance classes, socials, or workshops due to time constraints, and due to the pandemic before that. So, when I learned that I was headed to Colombia, a country with strong musical and dance traditions, I made one of my goals during my grant to dance as much as possible. I definitely succeeded with this and experienced a lot of beautiful, joyful, heartwarming moments through dance. BOOM Latino was integral to the joy that I experienced, and I wanted to share a little bit about that with you today.
Soon after settling into my first long-term housing arrangement in El Campestre, I got to work searching online for a dance school or dance group that I could join. For a little while I had no luck, as I couldn’t find anything from Google searches nor anything on Maps, but finally one day I received an ad for a salsa dance group in Cartagena called BOOM Latino. I got their Whatsapp from their Instagram page, reached out and arranged to join class the following week. When I spoke with Robinson, one of the directors of BOOM, he let me know that there were only beginner or advanced level classes available at that time, and because I wanted a challenge, and figured I would be able to keep up due to my background in dance, I chose to join the advanced level.
My first clase avanzada with BOOM. I was in awe at the dancers’ talent… this choreography was not easy!
I showed up to class and realized immediately that I had my work cut out for me! I have practiced different genres of dance that are popular in the States (ballet, modern, jazz, etc) for years, even learning some latin dance styles while in college, but this was something way different from what I had done before. Trying to understand the explanations and details of salsa technique in Spanish, keep up with all the choreography, and actually dance and enjoy the movement rather than just hitting steps was a level of difficulty that I did not expect! I realized I had never taken a dance class in Spanish until that day and whew! Talk about a challenge.
We started with salsa suelta, dancing without a partner, so it wasn’t a huge deal that I was behind, and tripping over myself quite a bit as I learned. However, once we moved into dancing salsa en pareja (in couples), my missteps became an issue not just for myself but for my partner as well. My balance, footfalls and arm placement were all off, and I stepped on my partners’ feet wayyyyy too many times. I was trying my best to keep up, but the music was fast, the steps were complex, and I did not understand all of the instructions. I apologized a million times for all the feet I trampled and was absolutely certain that I would be asked to not come back the following week!
Salsa suelta. This was one of my favorite pieces of choreography that Robinson taught us!
However, to my surprise, I actually wasn’t not thrown out of the class! I was warmly welcomed back the next time, and I kept on attending class week after week from the beginning to the end of my grant. Don’t get me wrong, I was lost big time during that first class, but I truly had a BLAST. I dance for enjoyment, for health, for growth, and not for perfection, so I didn’t really mind that I sucked because it was fun to be challenged, and it was so inspiring to watch the other dancers in my class who moved to the music so effortlessly, so beautifully, and con tanto sabor! What I eventually learned about my classmates was that many of them are professional dancers (!!!) who perform in shows in hotels, boat cruises, special events, and that some own or teach in schools or other dance studios throughout Cartagena. Everything made so much more sense after learning that, and I was A-okay with being the worst in class! I was just so happy that everyone was really kind and patient with me, and that being in this group offered me a great opportunity to grow with such talented dancers to dance with and learn from. BOOM Latino became my dance family, and I am so glad that I found them!
The weekly advanced class was a challenge AND such a treat for me. I had a blast grooving while improving my salsa technique, refining my Spanish language skills, developing connections with my new dance family, learning about culture, engaging in cultural exchange, and listening to music I really enjoyed. It was really a blessing to find BOOM. We spent each class learning new chunks of choreography to different songs, mostly dancing salsa suelta and en pareja, but also dancing bachata, cha-cha, salsa rueda de casino, and Afrocuban palo dance. Every week was something new, challenging, complex, and a ton of fun. We would record videos at the end of class to document the choreography and to post to social media, and at first, I was never certain enough about the choreography nor confident enough to be in them, but as I improved, I danced in a handful of them, and I cherish those little clips!
Bachata
In addition to the advanced classes I eventually also took a Ladies Styling class taught by Francis, a truly dynamic dancer and teacher, and the other director of BOOM. This class really complimented the advanced class well because we went through the movement at a slower pace and with more explanation. We focused on the shape of the fingers, placement of the hands, circling of the arms, movement of the hips, and angles of the body that come together to give women salsa dancers that uumff of charisma and sensuality when they dance. With time I learned enough to dance the role of the Follow (the dancer who takes cues from the Lead in a partnered dance, and usually the woman) well, so once they created it, Francis and Robinson allowed me to help demonstrate in an intermediate level class where they needed more Follows. I helped the Leads learn their cues and got a review of the basics that I had never learned in great detail myself, having jumped immediately into the advanced class. I also learned more dance vocabulary this way, and realized the importance of really understanding directions rather than just following the movements based on how they look. There is a lot of work happening within dancers’ musculature that can’t be seen by the eye but is key to a dancers’ salsa technique.
After realizing the importance of the technique and wanting to learn more I took a set of private classes with Robinson in order to go over it in detail. For a month he came to my house in Los Almendros each week and we danced together on my beloved balcony. It was the best way to spend an afternoon after work, and I finally had the time and space to ask as many questions as I wanted about certain steps like preparations into turns, the different types of turns, changes in arm placement, musicality, and the differences in body movement and counts for different types of salsa like en línea, caleña, on2, Cubana and more. Robinson is a phenomenal teacher and dancer. He is so patient, yet he pushed me to really focus and to grow. I really appreciate his kindness and I think that really makes a difference and is part of what makes him a great teacher. That along with the fact that he is an award-winning dancer and choreographer, who travels to teach, perform, and compete in salsa and bachata congresses and competitions all over Colombia!
Class with Robinson! @salsaencartagena on instagram
I remember one afternoon during one of my private classes, Robinson mentioned to me that he was looking forward to finding a home for BOOM. For the majority of my time in Cartagena, and for a few years before I arrived, BOOM used the studios of Bailarte, a different dance school for children, afterhours when the children’s classes were done. For this reason, my private classes were domicilios, but Robinson told me that he and Francis had been saving for a long time, had navigated a lot of challenges, and had finally found a place that looked promising. He said that they would open the new studio before I had to leave Cartagena, and I crossed my fingers and prayed that this would be the case.
Toward the end of my grant in March I had to take a break from dancing because of a random, mysterious knee injury that lasted for quite a while. One day during that period I received an invitation for a “cita con el baile” that I was meant to show up for and not ask any questions about, but I had a pretty good idea of what it was about. To my joy, when I arrived at the mysterious location it was the opening of BOOM’s new studio, and the gathering for it was touching. All of the BOOM family was there, and I was surprised to see that it wasn’t just one studio, but three! I was sooo happy for Robi and Francis, and still am. They have created a beautiful space for dance in the community, and with the opening of their studios they have now opened up many more levels and types of classes for adults and for children.
The opening of the BOOM studios
I was really happy to witness the opening of the studios, but at the same time I was sad that my knee was hurt pretty bad with seemingly no end in sight, keeping me from dancing, and that I would be leaving soon without getting much time to dance in the new studios. The opening event was in the afternoon on a Tuesday, the day that we had las clases avanzadas and my classmates urged me to come just to hang out even if I couldn’t dance. I returned that evening and I took a chance and danced because I had been resting for a while and really missed dancing- I couldn’t help it! I was out of practice and knew my knee would probably hurt the next day, but I took it easy and as always, I had a blast. It was such a treat (that my knee held up well enough) to dance in the new home of BOOM!
The next day my knee wasn’t swollen as I feared it might be, so I returned back to classes and made sure to properly warm-up, cool-down, stretch every morning, and ice my knee every night, for it to heal and be well enough to be able to continue to dance! I was so happy to be healing from my injury right on time to get to enjoy the new studios before the end of my grant. I was also able to be in the ladies avanzadas formación group, where the women of the advanced group met on Sunday mornings to continue to refine our technique under Robinson’s direction, and we also learned a bachata piece that we performed in the very first show during one of the Friday social dances, a new fixture at BOOM. I felt so happy and so honored to be able to be a part of all of those things!
The flier for the show I performed in with the BOOM Ladies
BOOM Ladies in costume! Our performance was wedding-themed!
Throughout my grant I truly had a blast with BOOM. In class, going out dancing at salsa discotecas in the city, celebrating each other's birthdays, and more; it was a central part of my experience in Cartagena. At the end of my time in Cartagena my dance family threw me a beach despedida, a goodbye celebration. It rained that day, but we still swam, tried to surf, ate snacks, danced, and enjoyed ourselves! It was really sweet. Thank you soooo much to my BOOM family and I want to thank my friend Caitlin, the only other person from the States in the group, because she really encouraged me and helped to explain things to me or for me when I didn’t understand or couldn’t express myself fully! I can’t wait to go back and visit- something that I am absolutely certain I will do, and soon! Soy un BOOM!
All smiles!
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