[Newspoetry] Latin Lady Goes Dancing!

[Charles Smith]

SHELIA E. GETS SALSA LESSONS FROM ARTURO SANDOVAL!

After years of being enslaved on the timbales and the congas and the
bongos, this
'first lady of Latin drumming' decided to herself, "I can salsa with my
sticks, but
to get the whole picture, I need to do salsa with my FEET!"

She once heard Arturo Sandoval and his conjunto at the Club Tropicana in
Las
Vegas, and was very astounded with his musical talents not just for the
trumpet,
but for the timbales. Once Arturo jammed on the timbales, Sheila moved
to the
beat and said, "Wow, I never seen timbales played like that since
Puente!"

After the concert, Arturo invited Sheila E. to the green room and gave
her some
basic lessons in salsa dancing. "I know that you are highly coordinated
with
your arms and wrists. Now you will be coordinated with your feet."

The lesson lasted about 40 minutes and he taught her such things as the
closed
and open holds, the forward-and-backward salsa basic, the fifth basic,
the
rotating basic, the New Yorkers, and the open break. The lesson ended
with
some basic turns (change of places L to R, change of places R to L,
outside
lady's underarm turn).

After the lesson, Sheila E. smiled at Arturo, and Arturo smiled back at
her.
They then embraced each other, and Sheila shouted..."Es la hora para mi
de salsar!"
(or, "It is tiime for me to salsa!)