Traveling to Colombia to dance salsa had been a distant, but persistent thought in my mind. ViveLa brought this thought within reach in an instant. I have always loved dancing salsa, and once I started dancing salsa in a studio I began to grow more curious about Cali style professional salsa. There are few to no professional Cali Style salsa schools in the U.S., and I knew that in the future I wanted to travel to Cali to dance. I never thought that the opportunity would present itself so quickly. I had not traveled to Colombia since I was about 6, and had barely any memory of what Colombia was like. It seemed unreal how seamlessly and quickly everything was organized. I was going to travel to Cali, Colombia for two weeks in a Salsa Immersion program.
I had intensive salsa practice 2-5 hours a day. I was conditioned in Cali style salsa. My footwork skills became better than I ever thought they could be. It was painful at times, my clothes would be soaked in sweat after practice, but as a salsa dancer, it was amazingly rewarding. I was also able to explore dance beyond salsa by taking few tango and jazz dance classes. I was able to see the culture of dance in Cali, see the connection that people have with music in a different part of the world, and experience first hand the hard work and restless hours that salsa dancers in Cali dedicate to attain the title of “Capital de la Salsa”.
Cali, has an unbelievable amount of salsa clubs. It was astonishing how much people loved to dance. I was able to practice what I had done in class in a social environment, nightly.
My trip to Cali however, did not just involve dance. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself completely with Colombian culture. I was able to travel within Colombia and explore its beauty and people. I went to Popayan, a historically rich city in the outskirts of Cali. I also visited Cali's main tourist attractions like el Gato de Tejada and ate traditional foods such as Cholado, chontaduro and aborrajado.
I also went to finca in the mountains and to a waterfall in el Rio Pance. Both these trips were breathtaking. I had never been surrounded by such vibrant colors. I was also able to go to a few local concerts and live the excitement of the U-20 World Cup, which was being hosted in Colombia. I knew Colombians liked soccer, but i did not know to what extent. On game day all of Cali was dressed in yellow and blue.
The most amazing part about traveling to Colombia was the people. I made more friends than I can count. I was able to meet and bond with a wide range of people: college students, dancers, people from outside of Cali, people visiting from the states, distant family members etc.
I am grateful that ViveLa gave me the opportunity to travel and dance in Colombia. It was truly a life changing experience.
