It’s a little after eleven pm, and it seems like I have been dancing allll night long! 🤣 My legs and thighs are tingling, but I have some new favorite moves that I’ll most likely break out when it’s time to work that Thanksgiving turkey off…

Salsa dancing is a workout, do you hear me?! 😆😣

Here’s whathadhappened: Southwest Mississippi Multiplex for Early Innovative Intervention Studies hosted a salsa lesson/date night for members of the community. People of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, and levels of dance experience were invited to come out and learn from professional salsa dancers.

The whole experience was a pilot event for my nonprofit’s monthly meet-up initiative. Ideally, the monthly socials will be designed to help members of our community network, achieve mental balance, improve productivity, and strengthen relationships. They’re all about making connections/connecting with people!

The instructors from Salsa Mississippi Club and Studio in Jackson are the best! I really liked how they had us to switch partners as we learned the dance moves. Not only were we strengthening our current bonds with our partners, we were also establishing new ones the entire time. Partner rotations are cool because by the time you make it back to your partner, you end up appreciating them more!

We learned about how leadership, and allowing someone to lead is important in salsa dancing. Every great leader also needs a committed follower.  This is why partnership in dance is intended to be intimate, powerful, and affirming.

What I love about salsa dancing is how it’s not about who’s more or less skilled. It really comes down to being the best leader or follower that you can be. And that’s it! That’s the secret of to the fun and energy behind the art of salsa-ing!

It’s intuitive in that you have to feel yourself being led. Otherwise, you have to recognize that you’re overstepping or trying to control the situation. It’s all very relevant in regards to maintaining healthy relationships, business or personal.

As I center my heart and mind on what all I am thankful for this holiday season, I have to say that the evening I spent with my community reminded me of how beautifully diverse we are as students of the human condition. This Thanksgiving, I am reminded of inclusivity and the beauty of human connection! And I thank God for the opportunity to experience both right here in my local community! ❤

Clinnesha is a writer, wife, mom, meta-artist, and social entrepreneur who feels most accountable to southern, black citizen-artists, elders, children, and families. Her work is at the intersection of arts, culture, innovation, and community.