Reflection

Since I moved to Indy last May, a lot has happened. On one hand the year seems to have passed quickly, and yet each week felt long in parallel. I am proud to be on my way to graduation May 3rd at Indiana University in Bloomington, majoring in Latin American and Caribbean Dance - History and Production through the Individualized Major Program. I figured as a conclusion to my current academic career, I would ponder not only on my college experience, but with my recent accomplishments in the "real world" as well.

First and foremost, inspired by my approach to my Final (thesis) Project for my degree (my first dance production), I decided to create my first business, Elegancia Productions and Promotions, LLC (commonly known as Elegancia Dance). When I moved to Indy, my plans and my dancing were interrupted with a severe case of Mono. But even in my slow recovery, I still managed to pair up with Marques for the local competition, do a bit of dance related travel, and became a business partner in SalsaIndy (now you might know why I am so busy all of the
time!)...

Alongside preparing for and finishing my first dance production (and all of the school work that went along with it - which I wanted to quickly mention that I have received two grants for the project as well as a nomination for a departmental award), and alongside managing, teaching and performing for SalsaIndy - Marques and I, along
with 7 other dancers in the community, decided to create a Non profit
in Indianapolis, Salseros Unidos, for the benefit of the salsa community, in which I was later elected Treasurer.

I can only hope that the year to come can continue on the same road to
achievement, with dedication, hard work, practice, and somehow trying to make
enough money to cover my bills as a full time dancer. I know it is a
tough decision, and everyone I know is begging me to get a "real
job"... but I really feel that this is the path I should continue on.
My heart would not take to any other job at this time in my life,
because for me...even though dancing, teaching, performing and
business IS hard work - I love it! And that makes all the
difference...

In Transit - It is never easy to say goodbye

Whenever I invite a friend for their first night of salsa dancing, a typical question I am asked is what should I wear? I tell them that it depends on your mood. If you are in a casual mood then wear jeans and shirt, if you are feeling ‘sexy’ then put on your hottest club clothes.

Dance attire for most salsa clubs are never homogeneous. I guess that would make sense because salsa it self is not homogeneous. Salsa dancers are given the freedom to express themselves though both their interpretation of the music and though the clothing that they wear.

For women finding the ‘right’ dress is easy, there are hundreds of clothing stores and thousands of choices, but what about the guys? While we have a selection of nice shirts and pants, our selection is somewhat limited.

For myself I like to be very expressive (surprise?), and I felt that a majority of men’s clothing stores in Indianapolis are too conservative. That change when I came across a store call In Transit. In Transit carries clothing that could be classified as metro-sexual. The best way to describe what this means are shirts and pants with unique artwork/design and have a more fitted look. I really liked the fitted look because a boxy shirt can mask body movement and isolations. Also In Transit carries a limited supply and refreshes their clothing line every other week, which limits the likely hood that someone else in the club will have the same shirt or pants as you.

To my disappointment I recently found out that In Transit closed both of its Indianapolis locations and the only evidence left of this great store is their company profile I found on the web. I never like to shop for clothing till I found this store and now it is gone. As I wipe the tears from my eyes, I say goodbye. I am not sure if I will find another store like this one, well at least here in Indianapolis. For now I will take my shopping online. Here are a few links that I have found, but I know there better links out there.

http://www.metroparkusa.com/fashion/men/tops/wovens?showall=1&page=1
http://www.twintaylors.com/Fashion-Shirts.htm

Possibly the worst salsa performance EVER! (April Fools)

I came across a video clip that I would like to share with my readers. This could possibly be the worst salsa performance ever. I posted the video clip below so that you can be the judge.

Update: For an explanation of the video for those who are not internet savvy click here.