Saturday, March 7, 2009

From Banking to Ballroom: Part II

Once you enter the corporate space, you cease to have a life. A ten hour workday, add to that about two hours of gruesome travel. Day in and out. You’re a living machine with bottled up emotions, frustration and dissatisfaction….I found respite in Salsa. After months of contemplating and research I finally walked into a studio with a friend and took up Salsa Classes. Gradually, Salsa became indispensable for me. I would rush from work in order to reach class in time. It became the highlight of my week. Over a period of time, I moved from someone who was just learning Salsa to someone who started teaching Salsa. I became a weekday dancer and a weekend teacher. I found a lot of pleasure in teaching and dancing. Unlike other days, I was up and enthusiastic on Sundays. That was a day when I taught, from morning to evenings…some people catch up on movies, some people read, most laze…. I unwound with Salsa, on my toes all day long.

For someone who was so aimless and relatively short on enthusiasm, I surprised myself when I realized two years passed by and I was still as enthusiastic every Sunday. Teaching Salsa gave me the satisfaction that I desired…I changed jobs, sacrificed sleep and socializing, but Salsa was the only constant. I guess that was the time when the seeds of rebellion started taking root…

This was compounded by the fact that I had started stagnating as a dancer. I was thirsty to learn more, still am…I hope to continuously push myself. Improvise and innovate. It is important for me to add value to each and every student of mine.

Salsa wasn’t a hobby anymore, it became a passion. So I decided to take things to the next level…

For months I analyzed, studied, I tried to pick up from the best that was offered and that was desirable, using others stumbling blocks to pave my way. It was all there in my head…but no execution.

How could I ?

A ten hour workday, add to that about two hours of gruesome travel. Day in and out………..

MBA’s today are bred like domestic animals. We were supposed to be the fierce breed, the people who took charge, the innovators, the non conformists.

No, we’re just a bunch of hungry cows who want to get to the greener pastures without getting our feet wet in the stream.

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