During our stay in Gozdowo, right after the workshops started and we were slowly getting to know all the youngster better, it turned out that a group of girls has been really looking forward to dance classes. We had organised such classes the year before during our project Guide my Future that had also been based in Gozdowo. When the girls found out that Jacek and I knew a few basic steps and figures, they almost forced us to run a short salsa 101.

The class took place for 5 days, everyday right after capoeira workshops. At first we had a room at the firestation at our disposal, then we moved to a presbytery. It was quite a challenge: we had to start teaching something that we weren’t so good at to start with. Soon was the question asked: what is the purpose of this class, what would be their input to the project, what would they change for the girls and for ourselves? They turned out to be the space for individual expression, a space in which we could relieve the tension gathered from other activities. They also became a great meeting space where we could talk in a totally different way, on the margins of the project, asking for impressions and encouraging to try other activities.

Despite a very loose structure of the class we managed to present a short choreography at the final event, giving us the satisfaction of having an actual result. For Jacek and myself the experience became an inspiration for thinking of dance as a medium of cultural animation enabling people to meet and act together in a more informal way.  

[mygal=salsa]