Salsa Dance Scene?

Question

I was told that some NY Salsa Instructors are prejudiced of black people. I even seen it for myself at some of the classes/salsa socials here in NYC. If you notice, most performance teams are not even diverse - its like you have to be 100% latino/latina to be part of a performance team, or not "look black" for that matter. And if you are black or "look black", the prejudiced people will try and stop you from suceeding in any salsa dance endeavor you embark on, meaning they attempt to shatter your dreams in obvious and subtle ways. This is the message I got from my experience in the salsa scene and boy is it sad.

I'm a brown-skinned woman of mixed nationalities, and being Hispanic is one of them. I cannot believe the prejudice going on...100% Latinos/Latinas from the Caribe have African origins too. Why act wrong toward someone who enjoys dancing salsa and "looks black"?

I just do not get it. If someone has the answer to this one, please do tell.

It is so hard to pick the best answer!! Grrr! lol, but I will choose one. All of your answers were wonderful by the way :). Thanks for understanding, and I won't let this bother me from here on out.

Answer 1

It is unfortunate that some people have prejudice against "other" people that don't fit their description. Here on answers, I hear it often enough that "white people can't dance". Some people are shallow, what can I say. They seem to derive their joy out of it, probably because they don't have a life. But you know, not all dance groups, especially amateur groups, are formed through audition process. Often enough, it's people who hang out together start dancing together. So they tend to be exclusive of everyone else, not just based on the race, but based on who are they friends with.

Not all salsa groups are like that. My school has a salsa group. They are quite good, they perform everywhere, and they have very competitive audition to get in. They usually have 8 people, sometmites they're down to 6. I never noticed that they have any racial prejudice. They have black people dancing with them too. It seems like their requirement on appearance is height and weight, which is understandeable - they want to look alike, it looks better on stage.
Try to find a better club or group. Not all salsa groups are bad that way.

Answer 2

I don't know about NY but I can speak for Houston. There is no prejudice over here. There's a diverse group in my Salsa class ranging from blacks to Asians. I can't believe all of NY can be so descriminating. Try to see if you can find a different group or atmosphere where you will feel welcome. If you cannot then don't let this bother you. Just keep on dancing and enjoy yourself. Also try to see if they truly are discriminating or if just hard for you to get the right steps and turns. I know for a fact that each level you move up gets more difficult and not easier.

Answer 3

That's sad to hear. As you point out, the mambo experts of the fifties, from Cuba, would find such a situation hard to fathom. Oddly, the performance teams I've seen here in the deep south, where racism is still common, are quite diverse.