What can I say about the last night at Hacienda Hotel... I simply dont recall having this kind of high energy and this kind of fun! Often after teaching two levels and being done with classes around 9:45pm I am kinda ready to go home. Yes, I absolutely LOVE teaching and have AMAZING classes and wonderful students, but when I teach my second class on the last dance floor while the music is already playing and there is a milonga taking place on the other dance floors, we (Bahram and I)have to work extra hard at keeping the attention and engagement level of our beginner students. We are so grateful for all our assistants who come every week to make this experience easier for us and for those taking the classes. Virgil, Asya, Don, Sara, Eva, it simply wouldnt be possibly without you! It all works great, but...it takes a lot out of me personally. Hence, I often need an hour to just catch my breath. But last night...the music was sooo good (DJ Derek ROCKED), there were lots of wonderful dancers on the dance floor, we had some special friends from out of town visiting, there were lots of hugs and smiles and supportive complimentary comments shared... AND I was totally spoiled by a few, but truly delicious tandas with Karlo, Harry G Bowens Jr., Fabián, Bahram and Larry, and even a super fun Salsa dance with Jesse Infante during the after-hours part of the evening. I ended up staying until 12:25am, not wanting the fun to end. And I wasnt alone... there were so many dancers that just kept on dancing. One of the biggest highlights from last night for me was meeting an amazing woman, an exquisite dancer, musician and teacher Mariana Lopez Cattini and her mother from Uruguay. She was visiting her sister Maria Elena Samper. I had a pleasure of sharing four dances with this lovely woman, and I am still buzzing... OMG, her lead was absolutely impeccable, her creativity was exquisite, her musicality was off the charts... I am simply in awe! These are the kinds of moments that keep me going...that keep me inspired to keep improving. There is no ceiling to how good you can be in this dance, there is always yet another mountain peak to climb. Whew! Thank you all for being a part of this exhilarating, ever-expanding and rewarding journey! See you all next week... Ilona
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:09:52 +0000