Dancing Salsa - So you think you are famous?

“I wanna be rich, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in the movies.”
Oh! Yes!Salsa can get you there.
Movies?? Really?? Yes!!
Magna Gopal was in Mano.(But then you have to be on par with her and work at being the best.)

But what your grandmother didn’t tell you about is that the Salsa Social Scene is a jungle out there. It is inhabited by all kinds of social animals. The Biatches, the Wannabes, the Dance Preachers, the Sulkers, the Gossipers, the Superhero Dancers and their posse, Silent Mercenaries, Shadow Hyenas, the Beginners, Vampires that target only the beginners, Minding-my-own-business Marthas, the Rascal DJ packs, the Social Butterflies, the Photographers, the Facebook Salsa paparazzi and not mention other sub-animal categories of Desperate Flirts and the Mentally Disturbed. I told you, it is a jungle out there. It is nasty, biatchy but it gives you such a rush to be a part of it.

It is where Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest comes into play. So let us see if you satisfy the below mentioned Darwin’s theory.
1.You are strikingly handsome/beautiful that heads turn when you enter the dance floor. Some people even faint looking at you or by inhaling your killer pheromones.
2.You are one fantabulous dancer that when you dance, you have a crowd gathered around all the time.
If your answer is ‘Yes’, you are already there. So, skip Part A and go Part B. And as for the rest of you whose answers were a resounding ‘No’, don’t give up yet. There are other ‘HONEST’ and slightly ‘SHALLOW’ ways to be popular. I’m being honest here. Lol.

It is OK to be wanting to be famous or popular. Everybody loves the attention and everybody loves to soak up in how much ever attention that they could get. However, before you start taking my advice on how to get there; you have to ask yourselves some questions.
“Am I in the right jungle seeking fame and fortune? Do I really enjoy Salsa dancing? And because I enjoy Salsa dancing, do I want to increase my social net-worth and popularity?” If you think that you are in the right jungle, let’s start right away with your lessons.

PART A: I wanna be famous. Make me a star!
1.Dance! Dance like no one else is watching. But not literally, watch your space. Constantly look at ways of improving yourself on the dance floor.
2.Be regular to all the Socials. Do not even dare to skip one. Remember that the best things happens on the nights when you are not there.
3.Dress the part. Being stylish and trendy always helps. Wear the clothes that compliment your body type.
4.Smile at your partner during the dance and after. Look only at your partner’s eyes.
5.Shyness and coyness must be thrown out during your first few months. Gather all that courage and ask people to dance with you. Ask the pros. There is a very good chance that they might decline you, but on the brighter side, if they agree to dance with you, it will be taking football lessons from Pele.
6.Men, it is OK if you can’t speak much but do not deliver priceless gems like “Nice legs” or “ I like your tits.” as compliments. Be assured that you will die a social death even before you get started.
7.Women, do not sit in the darkness, hoping for Prince Charming to come and ask you to dance. Be in the most visible spots for men to come and approach you for a dance.
8.Small talk. Clean small talk, with EVERYONE. Talk about things that you have in common. Music and dancing to start with.
9.Always remember and address people by their names.
10.As a Social Dancing novice, you might just have 2 dances the entire night. You might feel like crap but you have to go back and keep dancing.
11.If your home is big enough to host Salsa parties, then for heaven sake do that. Make sure that you create enough hype about it and invite all the people whom you need to mark a spot for yourself on the social scene. It better be one helluva party that everyone will be talking about.
12.Be photographed. This might sound shallow and superficial but you have to do what you have to do till you get there.
13.Know all the gossip. Gossip will take you places because gossip travels faster than light. And gossip is all the more interesting if it is built around you.
14.Be active on Facebook. Be very active!

PART B – I’m famous, now what?
1.First of all; stop being such a biatch.
2.Do not stop dancing because you have reached there.
3.Every now and then, think about how you were when you started out. Humility is a good thing.
4.Do not try to put down others just because you attained a little popularity.
5.Do not feel insecure, instead find your own identity on the dance floor.
6.Do not have such a fragile ego that it gets so easily punctured by some random comment. Don’t you know who you really are?
7.Do not speak lies and half truths.
8. Do not take credit for the achievement of others.
9.Do not deliver dialogues like “Come up to my level, then I will dance with you.” Because eventually, no one will give a rat’s ass about dancing with you.
10.Respect the other dancers; both beginners and the pros.
11.Real popularity lies in being in the good books of everyone. You can’t please everyone but try to get into some.
12.And listen ‘Famous Dude’, we know that you write such fabulous status messages and post intellectual or pseudo intellectual stuff on Facebook. People will respond to those but if you really want them to keep coming back, you need to acknowledge everyone who came to your page. If you sit like a pricey arse and do not respond to anyone or respond only to a certain few, be assured that you will lose your fan base. Respect people, their time and their feed back no matter how insignificant it may seem to you.
13.Finally, just finally, you are not that popular as you think you might be. Fame is an illusion. It is like hair today, gone tomorrow. Oh! Wait a minute! You are already going bald.

Mazel Tov and Happy Dancing!!

Copyright (c) 2010, Thangasurabi Bright Raj
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