Rachel Chen says taking salsa dancing classes as a university student sparked lifelong friendships.Rike/Getty Images
When Rachel Chen, 28, was accepted into the University of Toronto from her hometown in Texas, she put together a bucket list of things she wanted to do while at school. At the top was learning to dance. So, when she saw a post advertising free salsa dancing lessons on Facebook, Ms. Chen dragged along the friends she had made during frosh week – and they were hooked.
Since then, Ms. Chen’s salsa classmates have become lifelong friends. At her wedding this past summer, she and her salsa pals wowed the other guests by taking over the dance floor for ‘salsa rueda,’ where couples form a circle and execute moves called out by a leader. While the friends still meet up to dance, their relationships have also grown into social networks that make Toronto feel like home for Ms. Chen.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here is more from Ms. Chen about how salsa sparked enduring friendships:
When did you first start going to salsa?
I was in an ‘Accepted to U of T’ Facebook group before moving here and a kid posted that he was going to be hosting a free salsa class every week. I made a note of it and when I moved into residence, I brought all these people who I had met from frosh week to the class.
That’s when I met the two teachers, who had gone to high school together in B.C. where they had a massive salsa club at their high school. They also brought their friends – people from other programs and residences. We had a really good time that first class.
Rachel Chen, in wedding dress, with her husband Tom Yun and salsa dancing friends.Supplied
How did you all start to become friends?
It was a bit awkward at first, [because] you’re just attending this class and then you leave. But one of the teachers and a few of the students lived in the residence hall next to where my friends and I lived, so we’d all walk home together.
By the time we got to second year, we did two classes a week, an advanced class and a regular class. But the advanced class was really just us hanging out and chatting. One class was on Friday, so we’d often go out afterwards to continue hanging out. Sometimes we’d go to El Rancho on College Street and do rueda at the club. We would stay until the very end and beg the DJ to play our song.
The interesting thing about rueda is that it’s in a circle, so you need a big group. And it’s a bit of a rare skill, so if we wanted to continue to dance, we had to stay friends. It definitely helped us keep in touch. Salsa was an excuse to see my friends.
How has learning to salsa enriched your life?
It’s a really fun skill I have. I can drop in anywhere and dance. Like, the summer after first year, I lived in Vancouver and they had salsa in Robson Square and I could join in. Or we sometimes go to [Toronto outdoor festival] Salsa on St. Clair and dance in the streets. Usually, when you go to these events, they feel so awkward. But [when you dance], you can meet strangers and know what you’re doing. It opens up the city to you in a new way.
Ms. Chen, in red, and friends dance salsa rueda at her wedding, where a leader calls out moves for the group to execute in unison.Supplied
I’m very extroverted, but even for those who aren’t, you can make friends [in a salsa class] because you’re dancing together and interacting and touching one another – in a way that’s socially acceptable. It’s a way to connect with people that’s different from like, dancing alone at a club.
What does it mean to you to still have these close friendships?
It’s not as common now for us to go salsa dancing. It’s a whole ordeal and some people have moved away. But when we do get together, it’s a great time.
When I got married, I invited my whole salsa group. I got a fourth dress so I could dance in it – I had a ceremony dress, a reception dress, my qipao [traditional Chinese dress] and a dancing dress. Our original salsa teacher was the DJ at my wedding, so he called the moves for us so everyone knew what to do as a group.
Friends later told me that the salsa was the coolest thing they had seen [at a wedding] and I think we inspired some other people to learn to salsa for their weddings too.
