Dancing from Love and Joy

"I want to reflect on various ways of dancing as forms not only of cultural resistance but of recreation of communal bonds in la Yunai." I wrote that several months ago in this Sauntering in America. But then I decided that instead of writing about it, I would just go out with friends as much as possible to dance in Brooklyn. When I go, I meet friends from Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the United States, and elsewhere. It is a way for us to be resilient, joyful, and loving in community. 

To get my Sauntering blog going again, here is a paragraph from Loving Immigrants in America (Lexington Books, 2017): 

"Dancing to Latin music in the Yunáited Estéits, I have strengthened relations with friends while establishing new relations with neighbors. Many times I have shared one or two songs and a delightful moment with people also seeking the joy of dance. Friends, neighbors, and strangers as dance partners—Latinas, Anglo-Americans, Afro-Americans, and immigrants to the United States from China, Nigeria, Spain, Russia, and elsewhere—have become delightful and meaningful partners with whom to live the present. In a variety of settings—apartments, dance clubs, town squares, and public parks—I have connected with them in contexts afforded by our shared enjoyment of Latin music, an aspect of Latin American culture in la Yunai. Over the years, dancing has offered me meaningful companionship and infused my life as an immigrant with happiness. Dancing with others, I have felt at home again in this vast land among its diverse peoples." 

And here is a song of resilience that has makes you want to sing and dance to it, “Zapata se queda” by Mexican artist Lila Downs.

"Si no bailas, no gozas"
"If you don't dance, you don't delight"