I'M FINALLY GOING SOUTH!

At last, after twelve years I am going back to South America to finally make my dream come true and compete in that famously acclaimed Buenos Aires ballroom dance competition. This trip needs to be an unforgettable and rewarding experience for personal as well as professional reasons. Just a few years ago, I lost the opportunity to participate in the competition because of my legal status in this country.

Equally important, I need to find a way to reconnect with a part of me and my own identity. I have been feeling lost for a long time by spending most of my time in America dedicated to work, work, work; forgetting important aspects of my Latin culture that connect me to something bigger than myself and make me appreciate the small simple things in life.

My dream never faded, and finally, fate comes into play about three and a half years ago when my new prospective client Bonnie walks into the dance studio. She already has a very clear reason about why she wants to learn to dance. She has two items in her bucket list: First, to be proficient enough to dance the Argentine Tango. She has being attracted to the sensuality, passion, arrogance and intricate footwork that make this an amazing dance style; two, and most important, she wants to dance it there in Buenos Aires.

As she shares her goals with me and I hear that last comment, it immediately becomes music to my ears. Could this be a potential opportunity to eventually go to Argentina after I have waited for so long? I almost cannot believe it, but since I am an over analytical, extremely type A-Personality, well organized, goal oriented person, I am also determined to make it happen.

Bonnie falls in love with dancing, and we begin to work together on tango. In addition I introduce her to other dance styles that would bring out her different personalities, feelings and emotions. Partnership dancing is a form of expression and communication between two people on the dance floor while they tell a story. This is the main reason why she finds the Argentine tango so interesting and appealing; she loves the story told by the dancers. It is my desire to help her embrace this new journey even more. We work on the sophisticated Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers foxtrot, the dreamy waltz, the sexy cha-cha-cha, the dance of love, rumba, the romantic bolero, the hot and spicy salsa and the well-known American icon, jitter bug.

After hundreds, maybe thousands of rehearsal hours, a few competitions and shows under our belt as well as a great desire to explore new horizons, we are ready to take on a more exciting challenge. We commit to participate in the Buenos Aires event in 2014, and here I am, once again, in front of the opportunity to be in that great city. Bonnie and I have a strong desire to experience as much as possible from this mind-blowing encounter with the argentine culture.

Every detail of the adventure has been planned to perfection: first class plane tickets, outfits, shoes, daily activities, meals, tips, tango lessons, Milonga parties and hotels… Even though I absolutely despise to feel cold, I honestly did not care about the hard winter season. Nevertheless, I am willing to deal with it, as I would not let anything keep me from enjoying my time.

From the moment we get outside the airplane I begin to feel comfortable and almost around family, as everyone is speaking my native Spanish language. There are many people talking loudly and arm gesturing at each other in an interesting way… must be their Italian heritage I think. It is not until we step outside the crowded airport and get inside a taxi to what would be our new short-term home that I realize this event is happening after all.

“The coldest day in Buenos Aires Yet” reads the title in the local newspaper as I grab it from the back seat of the car and hand it to Bonnie. My excitement is such that my body temperature keeps rising as we get closer and closer to the city. At some point, it becomes overwhelming to absorb everything that it is being presented to me while we drive into the Argentine capital. I find myself sweating and embarrassed for the situation. I try to hide my odd behavior from my student. I slowly begin to take off pieces of clothing and crack the window to get some fresh air. I stop listening to the driver’s tales and tips about the history of the city. I look outside the dirty window to the millions of contrastingly different style buildings that we pass and wonder how many hidden stories are left untold.

A detour around an extremely crowded protest reminds me that South Americans wear their passion, love, and hate on their sleeves. Argentines are willing to throw themselves on the streets to show their support, or in most cases rejection, for a cause. Finally, while arriving to our destination, I give myself a minute to listen to an old tango tune in the background. Suddenly tears come out of my eyes, run down my face, and then I understand what I have been truly missing.