Are all of your friends dancers (or musicians) ?

B

bailar y tocar

Son Montuno
I don't know if this is unusual. I moved to a new city (Minneapolis) about 5 years ago and it just dawned on me that all of my friends are people I met because of dancing salsa or they have some kind of indirect connection to salsa. And: the people that I am still in touch with in Chicago are the ones I knew from dancing. Plus: people I have met up with in far away places share the same interests in music and dance (or both).
 
For me it's a mix - I've met many great people through dancing and become friends with them. But I have just as many friends who don't dance at all. Actually, most of my really close friends don't dance.

It's always hard for me to balance this out - on the one hand I'd love to go dancing as much as possible, but on the other hand, I want to keep in touch with my non-dancing friends because I love them very much and want to spend time with them.
I've taken some of my non-dancing friends to Salsa-Clubs that offer beginner's classes but they never got into it :(

It's especially hard with friends who live far away from me and I don't get to see very often. For example, I have good non-dancing friends in L.A. and N.Y. I see them once a year or even only every two years when I'm on vacation (or when they come to visit). So when I'm there, I want to spend as much quality time with them as possible . On the other hand - spending a few days in L.A. or N.Y. and not go dancing? Not a nice thought either :(
 
I also have a lot of non-dancing friends, but as most of them live quite far away I don't see them very often.

I have met most of my close friends through dancing and I think it's great to have so many people with the same interests around.

I once had the idea to take some of my non-dancing friends to Salsa beginners classes, but not one of them really liked it :(

Like you Jolinia I made the experience that it's hard to balance between dancing and non-dancing friends. So I don't take friends who don't dance to Salsa Clubs anymore.
 
Most of my friends are church friends or dancer friends. The wwo main areas of my extracurricular life.
 
I have one (new) friend that dances!
I guess that is why it's hard for me to get out and go...

I've done the same thing w/ most of my friends.
Their reactions are surprisingly not all negative in spite of the lack of enthusiasm.

One thing that bugs me is that they'll look out at the crowd and say "Oh wow, I could never do that"
So I of course say:
"But of course you can! I'm learning and it's really easy!- {wink wink to all of you} -and it's really fun"

:twisted: Or B.) "Yeah, you couldn't" (commonly results in me getting elbowed sharply)

But they will refuse to try :evil: and keep saying it's too much for them- "all that hip shaking!"
HIp shaking!
 
hm... interesting observation. i would say that the majority of my friends are very into and involved with dancing and music or the culture of the two.
 
Plenty of dancer friends, of course..though they are more like acquaintances, since I don't do much with them outside of the dance floor. And the rest are all different sorts - I like to keep it interesting :)
 
sirenita said:
I have one (new) friend that dances!
I guess that is why it's hard for me to get out and go...

I've done the same thing w/ most of my friends.
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I think the success rate of converting non-dancing friends to dancers is pretty low (though nonzero of course). The bug either bites you or it doesn't.

I think a more optimal strategy is to keep doing non-salsa things with your non-salsa friends, and meet some salsa friends by going out dancing. Going out dancing by yourself is the best way to meet people.

Of course, the rate of conversion the other way is pretty low as well - I only have one or two salsa friends who have come 'off the floor' to other activities. But nothing wrong with that either IMHO - salsa with salsa buddies, other activities with non-salsa friends. Fine and dandy, no?
 
noobster said:
I think the success rate of converting non-dancing friends to dancers is pretty low (though nonzero of course). The bug either bites you or it doesn't.

I think a more optimal strategy is to keep doing non-salsa things with your non-salsa friends, and meet some salsa friends by going out dancing. Going out dancing by yourself is the best way to meet people.

Of course, the rate of conversion the other way is pretty low as well - I only have one or two salsa friends who have come 'off the floor' to other activities. But nothing wrong with that either IMHO - salsa with salsa buddies, other activities with non-salsa friends. Fine and dandy, no?
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That's kind of what I've noticed. I'm a slow learner though- it took trying a few times before it sunk in.:D
~I'm just really nervous about going alone for some reason.
 
I've been slowly luring as many of my friends as possible to salsa, but no one is as addicted as I am. But in the meantime, I'm making lots of salsa friends that are migrating into non-salsa life too, so I guess it all evens out in time...
 
Non-salsa friends? What are those?
Seems like I've been going to a party every 2-3 weeks, and they're all by salsa dancers, usually ones I met in class.
 
noobster said:
I think the success rate of converting non-dancing friends to dancers is pretty low (though nonzero of course). The bug either bites you or it doesn't.
Click to expand...

I think there's also some kind of mental block associated with the fact they are there because of you. I have a friend who I tried to introduce to salsa and she had little interest in it. Years later, she tried it again in a different scene and she is bitten!
 
After I broke up with my ex wife about 3 years ago I started dancing salsa - at the time I didn't really have many friends - maybe about 2 good friends total.

Nowadays the vast majority of my friends are into salsa and there are a good number who are into ceroc - in fact I live with one hard core cerocer and another hard core salsero! I go out absolutely all the time (social dance salsa 2-3 times per week) and really get along well with the majority of people I see out. I also do other non-salsa activities with the same people like BBQs, going to the beach, heading to other clubs, having dinners etc.

My life has changed 180 degrees since I started dancing - its freakin' brilliant :)
 
Add to my OP.

Nowadays when I meet people at work or other settings and the subject of music or dance comes up among non-dancers, I find myself thinking: these (non-dancing) people are weird. I do find any dancers (i.e. ballroom, square dance, tango, swing) and all kinds of musicians (i.e. hobby, amateur, semi-pro and professional) to be perfectly normal.
 
Wierd in what regard, bailar y tocar? You mean they don't share the appreciation for salsa music or is it their interpretation of what is good music?

A lot of non-dancers seem to think dancing in general is kinda wierd, but that's only because they don't "get it", I suppose.
 
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