Show me your Sabor, would you?

All night I’ve been playing Vincente Garcia’s Dulcito e Coco on repeat. All night, each new listen stimulates a new understanding of how one’s movements may be merged with the soft acoustic vibrations of the song: how a 5-second cuddle would align gracefully with its chorus; or perhaps how Garcia’s guitar solo oozes ron de jambe feels. All night, I have sat and wondered how I’ve suddenly grown so attentive to the rhythm of this song, and why it feels so liberating. Salseros, Bachateros and other devotees of dance who may be reading this- has this been your secret all along? That one doesn’t merely dance to but rather with the music? On the 16th of November 2019, Columbia University's esteemed Latino dance group Sabor redefined everything I thought I knew about dance during their fall showcase, and I would like to share how their performances altered my perception of dance, music and family.  

Sabor’s fall showcase took place at Columbia’s Roone Arledge Auditorium, where the poised pupils performed many Salsa, Bachata, Meringue, Kizomba and Reggaeton dance routines in their dashing red and black attires. What I found particularly impressive about this dance troupe was not only how polished their double turns and dile le que nos looked, but in how they became storytellers on the stage. Their expressions matched the mood of the songs they performed to: In the traditional Colombian dance routine that mimicked a national celebration, the dancers wore bright red & white skirts and had brilliant smiles plastered on their faces. And then, when the mood turned into a more sultry one, like the passionate Kizomba routine choreographed by Mia and Mateo, the colours illuminated on the stage were black and red- and of course, we cannot forget the intense gazes that were held between partners to invoke that sense of deep passion. More interestingly, the dancers emphasised the subtleties of the music by aligning their movements to suit each pause or sudden change in rhythm of the song. The audience marvelled at the dynamism that Sabor displayed on stage that night. We remained glued to our seats until the very last dip (a move that typically signifies the end of a dance) was taken by the dancers.

In their most recent performance at the Glass House Rocks show held in the Alfred Lerner building, Sabor laid everything once more on the ramps - and this time, I got to be a part of it! As we floated between the Meringue, Bachata and Salsa performances, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for being welcomed into a team that cares for dance as much as (or perhaps even more) than I do. Though the cheering crowd and blinding lights made me nervous, I was thrilled. As soon as the music began playing, I hit my shine, gave Raph, my partner, a confident smile, and then glided into the routine. This was the only time I got to truly experience what being a Bachatera felt like- and I was not holding back.