"Would you mind helping me for a moment?" Gloria agreed readily. The other teacher took Gloria into the standard closed dance position and started leading her down one side of the room and back up the other side.
They went whirling, twirling, spinning, dipping, weaving, and executing move after move. I almost switched to Two Step right then and there. It was almost like watching a choreographed routine in a stage show. But they were spontaneous and alive. They radiated that special energy.
All I could say was, "Wow." The other student was speechless.
One might conclude, from seeing her teach and dance, that Gloria has never done anything else in her life. But somewhere in the past, Gloria has worked in fields such as marketing and real estate. Of course, I'm glad she found her niche in dancing.
One might also conclude, from reading the class schedules on Gloria's Web site, that most of what she teaches is Salsa, Cha Cha, or Merengue. Not so. In fact, one night I asked for an impromptu Two Step lesson. It was an hour well-spent, as I had fun dancing (relatively simple) Two Step later that week.
I've also seen Gloria work with many couples. In fact, she tells me that she teaches a lot of couples how to perform their wedding dances. The demand for wedding dance instruction has become so great, she recently added a wedding dance class to her schedule.
I asked Gloria about that, and she said, "I realized, from teaching so many wedding couples, what they are looking for and [concluded that] most instructors give the wedding couples what they want them to have rather than what the couples want."
But though traditional weddings have become very expensive, many couples simply cannot afford private lessons. So, Gloria has developed a basic Wedding Dance class. "While the class was designed primarily for wedding couples," she added, "we have a lot of married couples that just want to be able to dance together for fun."
And just this year, Gloria added a Hip Hop class to her schedule. The teacher is Chris Woodard, who has a professional dance resume. Hip Hop comes in two flavors: the kind you see the professionals do and the kind the rest of us do.
"Chris contacted me, asking if I was interested in starting a Hip Hop class," Gloria told me when I asked her about the new class. "In the back of my mind I had been considering starting a Hip Hop class. He was just so personable and really talented, he made the decision easy."
Flexibility is one of Gloria's strengths. In private lessons, she adapts her instruction to fit the individual's needs. But Gloria observes each student, each class carefully. She learns as she moves her students through her curriculum and she makes adjustments.
"Everyone learns in a different way," she says. "Some people need to see it, others need to hear it explained, while others just do it. I'm always looking for better ways to explain or demonstrate the patterns and techniques."
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Advanced Salsa
This class is ongoing with new and challenging amalgamations every month. Dancers at this level are very accomplished salsa dancers and have all developed very close friendships as well.
Michael's take
It's not easy being anyone's advanced dance student. I moved away from Houston for a few months when there was only an Intermediate/Advanced Class. When I came back, Gloria invited me to join the Advanced Class which she had just introduced. I like to died that first month. I seriously considered just staying with the Intermediate class, even though I pretty much knew most of what Gloria was teaching there.
Advanced students are expected to know their Salsa. Basic timing is extremely important. You have to be able to execute difficult moves. Men need good arm and body strength. Everyone needs a good sense of balance. Gloria works on refining dancers' techniques as well as difficult moves.
The challenge is fully worthwhile. Wherever you dance, stay with it.
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