So Many Places To Dance, So Little Time to Change Clothes...
by Marla

• In the bathroom...
• While driving down the freeway, doing "65"...
• In dark parking lots...
• Behind a tree...
• In the back seat...

We truly, seriously do this! I feel like Batgirl in a phone booth sometimes!!! Here's Marla's tips on how to "quick change" - and get away with it!!!
- Edie the Salsa FREAK

So Many Places To Dance, So Little Time to Change Clothes...by Marla

What’s a Salsaholic to do when planning on spending the entire day dancing? You can’t wear the same sweaty clothes all day and night (and your clothes will be sweaty if you’re a true Salsaholic).

I bring a change of clothes for each place I’m going to be dancing. Sundays are always big days for me. My Sunday routine typically goes like this:

• Dance class noon to 2
• Workout at the gym 2:30 to 3:30
• Santa Monica Pier 4 to 6
• Steven’s Steakhouse 6:30 to 10
• Hollywood Athletic Club 10:30 to 1:30

I wear very casual clothes to my class (usually pants or shorts with an old pair of dance shoes). I think it is important to wear comfy shoes to class so my feet don’t get tired out before I hit the dance floor. Then I go to the gym and after working out, I change in the locker room to a slightly more presentable outfit for the Pier, still in the casual mode, however.

After this is where it gets tricky. With no more locker rooms to change in after the Pier, I have become an expert at changing in the car. This skill requires careful planning and true determination.

It is essential to have an entire outfit for each place. Don’t forget which undergarments you will need for each outfit. For example, your first outfit may not require a bra but subsequent outfits may so you must think each outfit all the way through. Don’t forget a couple of pairs of shoes. I, for one, always have at least four pairs of dance shoes and two dresses (one casual and one more upscale) in the trunk of my car at all times. I am always ready to dance.

It is easier to change in the dark than when the sun is still out so your first outfit should be something that’s quick and easy to change out of. I find halter tops to be really simple. You just pull the neck part over your head to the front and then slip your new outfit over your head. Then you slide the halter and pants or skirt out the bottom while your new outfit is over the top. You can do this with an entire crowd around you and nobody will see a thing.

Outfits where you can pull your arms out and still keep the garment around your body are also good. Then you can use the same technique of pulling the new outfit over your head and the old one out from the bottom.

Park in a dark spot when changing at night. You don’t want to be spotlighted. You must always just act natural. Don’t look around paranoid like someone will know what you’re doing. That will definitely attract attention. Valet parking can be a problem so you must pull over somewhere and change before you get to the valet.

With a little practice, everyone can learn to change in the car without anyone around noticing but after this article is published, I’m probably going to have to be a little more careful.

Happy dancing!

Marla Friedler

Marla can be reached at marla@salsaweb.com

"Beyond Being a Salsaholic - Confessions of a Salsa Junkie"

Marla Friedler

I have to confess that I am actually worse than a salsaholic. Add my obsessive/compulsive personality to that of the average salsaholic and what you get is a downright salsa junkie. Not only do I dance every day (and yes, I am the same Marla who changes in the car between clubs), but when I am not really dancing, I am either writing about dancing for SalsaWeb, reading about dancing on SalsaWeb, answering e-mail about dancing, or, believe it or not, dancing over the phone. Yes, it has come to this. You’ve heard of phone sex - now enter phone dancing.

I have danced over the phone with my friend César a number of times. It’s funny. I haven’t actually seen him in person for about two months but I still dance with him all the time. I was so excited about the way people dance in New York that I had to teach it to him, over the phone.

A typical conversation would go like this,

Marla: Okay, where is your right foot now?
César: It’s forward and I’m counting 5. Is that right?.
Marla: Perfect. Now break forward on your left. That’s 6. Got it?
César: Got it.
Marla: Okay, cool. We’re doing it.
César It was good for me. Was it good for you?
Marla: Yeah, I love dancing on 2.

Now, you have to realize that this conversation is a little ridiculous because we haven’t actually ever danced together on 2 but, since we virtually have, we think we love it.

So, I have to publicly admit that I have definitely crossed the line and gone beyond salsaholism to an all-time low/high of being a certified salsa junkie.