Dancing (or lack there of).

For those who know me know I LOVE to dance. And yes, I busted out the shopping cart and lawn mower, but only for a moment.

Dancing in Costa Rica is a very different experience. I should say, going to a dance, because not many people actually dance.

They stand outside the club area on the street just watching. Than, when there is a promotion and you can enter cheaper for two minutes maybe a few will enter. However, that doesn’t mean they will actually dance. They will stand there, the entire night, and maybe sway a little, maybe. Where is the Latin lover dancing I have always heard about? I think I need to go to Cuba for that. Also, if they do dance a little they than stop to take pictures when the barley dressed woman start dancing on stage. You would think they haven’t seen a sexy woman before, but that’s not true. They can see them on the news, in the newspapers, or in public when a woman is breast feeding.

Now you may think the music is bad and that’s why no one is dancing. I do get annoyed with the VJ’s. They just talk and talk and talk killing the beat of the song. Also, they are saying the same exact thing over and over. A name of a local soccer team, who has to work on Sunday, where are the single ladies… This does kill the vibe, and the lack of music with a good beat is sometimes frustrating, but still. If there’s music you can do the sprinkler.

You might also be thinking they may be waiting for typical music, Salsa, Merenge, Cumbia. Some are. I will give you that. DJ’s, knowing some Costa Ricans prefer the actual technical dancing, play a good mix. Yet the younger generation urban males do not know the old school dances. What a shame. When you can find a partner who can dance, it’s fabulous. If you know the basics your in.

So, Valentines night. I couldn’t make up my mind to pay the ten dollar cover charge to stand around. I was going back and forth with my decision driving my volunteer friend and new Costa Rican friend crazy. Ten bucks is huge on Peace Corps budget and I really wanted to actually dance. Than I finally decided, so what? Money is only money and it is meant to be spent. Also, who cares if no one else is dancing? They’re on the dance floor and there are sexy woman to watch on stage. That way, I can dance without everyone staring at the random gringa in the middle of the dance floor alone.

The moral of the story is I had a great time. My feet now hurt, I was able to dance, and next time I will not let money or the lack of a dancing culture stop me.

Now I don’t want to say all dance clubs and parties are like this. In my experience, in general, this is how a night at a club will go.