Tuesday 21 August 2012

Guest Appearance: My Wife Doesn’t Even Like My Dancing


There was a time when I thought I was a great salsa dancer. I used to frequent dance clubs with my wife before we were married, and from my own perspective; I thought I was a great dancer. Nobody ever told me any different.

After I married my wife, we still went to clubs on occasion just to dance and have fun together. Still, I thought I was pretty good. Whenever I danced at dull weddings or parties, people generally followed and eventually everyone was dancing and having a good time. I thought I was rhythmically blessed.

Eventually, I got into a conversation with co-worker from the Dominican Republic, who just so happened to be into salsa dancing. She laughed when I said I was a pretty decent salsa dancer. I was too embarrassed to start a dance with no music, and all alone, so I challenged her to call my wife and ask her. She accepted the challenge.

I was pretty excited to make the phone call since I was almost 100% positive she would respond in my favor. When she answered the phone, I asked her, almost jokingly:

“Hi dear, this girl is here making fun of me and telling me that there is no way I am a good salsa dancer.”

I should probably add at this point that I have never been formally taught in the art of salsa dancing. I just watched a few videos, had pretty nimble feet, and tried to mimic what I thought was quality salsa.
Anyway, I’m not sure what I did to deserve it, but my wife’s response verbatim was:

“Well, I would have to say, you have your own………………style?”

Any passers-by may have thought my co-worker had just won the lottery with her response, minus the maniacal laughter. I, on the other hand, was absolutely dumbfounded. Still, I cannot believe my wife let me tippy-toe around the dance floor, utilizing my own salsa style.

Later, I asked my wife what she meant by her definition of my dancing, and she said she never wanted to hurt my feelings, or have her opinion make me stop dancing. I guess I should be flattered that she had so much fun dancing with me, but there is still that image in the back of my mind of her snickering whenever she envisioned me doing whatever it was I did when I thought I was dancing.

What I learned from this experience can easily be broken down to a few items:

  • Never assume you are a good salsa dancer without proper training and a trusted opinion.
  • If you aren’t facing certain humiliation, your wife cannot be considered a trusted opinion.
  • If you are facing certain humiliation, your wife will not only tell the truth, but launch into a myriad of embarrassing stories causing irreparable damage.
  • Lastly, you can’t stop a heart that pumps a salsa beat from attempting a salsa dance!


Bart Vale is a writer for Sports Mall who enjoys writing about personal experiences to enrich others’ lives. Most of his leisure time is spent at this Salt Lake Swim and Tennis Club to stay in shape. He leaves the salsa dancing for when he is home alone, but is still quite the dancer in his mind.

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