Salsa Dancing

I would first like to advertise Tuesday night salsa dancing at The Rio, starts at 7:30pm costs $3 and is a barrel o' fun.
Second, I would also like to explain why salsa dancing is no longer as fun for me as it used to be...
When I first started salsa dancing, roughly Aug. 29, 2006, I was searching for a place and an activity where I could feel accepted, beautiful, talented, and confident. Swing dancing didn't quite do it, they're way to clichy for that:) Anyway, Salsa was so fun because I could be surrounded by guys who thought I was all of the above, and it was great for my confidence and probably a bit of an ego boost as well. Plus I got to dress up in all my cute skirts and tops and wear heels, normally I'm not the type of girl who ever dresses up like that. Sometimes it's fun to act feminine and let the guys ask you to dance, and not be offended when you're treated like a woman. I would go dancing, then go grab ice cream at Walrus and walk around Old Town by myself. I used to call this "taking myself on a date." I enjoyed it, it was a way for me to get out, away from Blaire and Agatha (two ex-friends) and I truly enjoyed being alone, watching people, just thinking about stuff. Now, however, I have great friends, and a great boyfriend, I don't need to "take myself on dates" anymore. I don't need to show off for all the slightly creepy dudes who go to salsa every week, I don't need all the extra attention from strangers to boost my confidence (although I still do struggle with self confidence a lot...). The people I care about most aren't there to share the fun of dancing, so suddenly I feel alone and unfulfilled by an activity that used to bring me so much enjoyment.
In any case, if I could ever get some of them to go with me it could be good again, but for now, it just reminds me of a time in my life that was pretty hard. I had to try so hard to convince myself of my worth-while-ness (not a word I'm sure), it's almost painful to remember.
That all said, I encourage anyone to try out some salsa dancing for themselves. Especially if you're in need of a little confidence boost!:)
ciao,
Megan