It is indeed time to discuss this elusive ingredient that makes our dances unique. We touched on it briefly in the last article, "Mind vs Body". Now let us go into more detail.
The inner dancer is something within you that brings your personality into the dance, letting your body feel and express your emotions. It gives you what people call flair, flavour, style or sabor - a singularity of sorts, something that sets you apart and puts you in a category of your own.
Flavour and Style
Being well versed in patterns, styling moves, or footwork does not mean you have flavour. If it did, dancers would not chase it so vigorously. Likewise, just because somebody learned to dance on the street does not mean they have flavour. Nor would I say a person who has been listening to salsa all their life has flavour. Nor do they have it "in their blood" just because they come from a Latin country. I have met people from all over the world who have danced salsa for years without ever taking a class, and could not look more lifeless.
There is a credence that personal style comes with knowledge and years of experience. Many believe that a set of rules must be followed before the flavour develops. That belief, however, is but a limit we place upon ourselves. As you go on, you will notice that many advanced dancers only have the style they were taught in class. Very few have a flair of their own. Those who do find this flair after years of training fool themselves into thinking the knowledge is what got them there. It was not. It was letting themselves sink into the song and bring that flair out from within. If you can break out of what you are taught and find yourself on the dancefloor, you will have flair. However, if you rely only on classes to discover it, you will find precisely what other people have found - imitation.
Teaching and Learning
So how do we get in touch with this inner dancer of ours? Can dance instructors help with that, and teach you to move not the way they would, but the way you, yourself, would? We are taught patterns, steps, style, yet many move the same. The good old "guess the school" game. Have you ever been asked after a dance: "Are you this teacher's student?" It is a credit to the instructor, but it leaves a strange feeling inside. This happens to dancers when they are never taught to let loose and move their bodies as their inner selves would. Not like me, or him, or her, but you. We can spend the rest of our lives dancing, and we will remain flavourless if we never get in touch with our inner dancers. We will inevitably dance from the head, and the head is all about limits, correctness, and rationale.
Is it beneficial to teach people how to run when walking is still a struggle? Perhaps part of every class should go to getting to know our inner dancers - like making sure students understand the clutch, brake and gearbox before letting them drive. These dancers might not pick up footwork or patterns as quickly. But they would move the way the music calls for, each with a personal style that comes from within, looking different even when doing the same moves to the same songs. How would their leading or following be? Just going to a school and learning steps does not equal a good lead or a great follower. That comes from experience, and from going to socials regularly. With experience, these dancers will lead and follow as well as anyone. We are not machines; we are all different, so should we not display our true selves on the dancefloor?
Dancing is an art, and in salsa that means self-expression, with only one limit - staying on the beat. Beyond that, it comes down to how well we connect with our inner dancers. Then, and only then, will we have our own flavour. When you think of flavour, do not think of the thousands of good painters out there, but of Picasso, Van Gogh or Leonardo da Vinci. Think of Einstein, who did not let what he was taught limit what he discovered. Think of those people who took what they knew and became more than they were taught.
The only time not to worry about flair is when you are learning a new technique. After that, if you have flair, you do not need anyone in the world to teach you style, because whatever you learn will come out your own way. Taught style leads us to move like someone else does - be free!
Imagine grabbing a piece of paper, a pen, and doing anything you want to. Some will be limited to writing and figures; others will create art, and art is simply the ability to show the outside world what is hidden inside you.
Mindset
To awaken your inner dancer, you first need to work out what salsa is about for you. For me, it is simple - salsa is about passion and love. It is about letting each other know that you two are one, even when you are apart. Not by control, but by movement, call and response, and catering to each other's needs. Salsa is not about girls or guys, and it is not about patterns or moves. It is not about partying, and it is not stepping. It is about love, a lifestyle where salsa is your world and your partner is the subject of all interactions within that world. That is where the flavour comes in.
I want to see your true self out there. Not a smaller copy of your teacher. I want to see you. I do not want to see how many moves you can pull off in a three-minute song. Nor do I want to see how many lucky nights you get at a festival. I do not want to see how much you know or who is looking at you. I want to see you and your partner. I want to see you two become one and show that love the way it makes you show it. It is a lifestyle and nothing less.
It may be difficult to connect to such a level with every person in every dance to share this passion and love. However, love is abundant, and you can feel love in every interaction. People will naturally open up to you if you are willing to be open to them. Love is not a limited resource; it is about sharing moments, interactions and experiences that leave everyone feeling good. The more comfortable you become with allowing those moments, interactions, and experiences to happen, the more loved you will become and the more loved you will feel.
Not just in your dance, but in your life.
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