Photogs Need Not Apply

Salsa is a Caribbean rhythm extremely popular among students. Filming this sexy dance during rough seas is a hilarious adventure. Lessons are given twice a week with 4 Spanish and Latino students showing off moves genetically impossible for me to repeat. Rico, the ship's hot-shot Stanford grad motions me to join him. Is he kidding? I'll bust a hip, break a bone, crash into him and crush his toes. He's Portuguese and I'm left-footed single white female. There's a reason I failed cheerleading squad try-outs when I was 12. But Rico refuses to take "no" for an answer. I'm 5 lessons behind him and his patience for my shakin' and shimmying in the wrong direction is exhausted in minutes. It takes an hour but I master the simple 1-2-3-4 step syncopation, the spot turn and the spin. I'm feeling confident, like a real pro, until Rico passes me off for a better partner. Where did I go wrong? I'm back to the "bumping and bruising trend" with a new partner, David. A new move is introduced that includes playfully running our fingers through each others hair. This is Salsa? I better stick to shooting this moves rather than practicing them!