Hips Don't Lie

I am an avid fan of Zumba, having taken my first class a few years ago while still living in New Jersey. It was love at first hip shake. The class was created by a Colombian man. I couldn't wait to try it here in Cartagena. (for those of you who have never heard of Zumba, it is an aerobics class that uses Latin dance moves for the work out.)
 My friend and I went to the gym early this morning and we found out there would be a Rumba class. (In Colombia the classes are called Rumba not Zumba. Not sure why the name change for the States, but I am guessing it might be a copyright issue.)
My friend couldn't stay for the class, so after working out on some machines, I stayed alone to try it.
It was unlike any of the classes I took in the States. First, I had never had a male instructor and here was a young man leading the hip shaking.
My friend did let the instructor know I don't speak Spanish and I would be able to follow along because I have taken the class before in the States.
Hahaha. I laugh now, because what I took in the States only loosely resembles REAL Rumba.
The class started simple enough with slow moves for a warm up.  I couldn't wait to show off my hip shaking abilities. (Being an Egyptian woman means I grew up learning how to belly dance among my aunts and female cousins. I have mostly belly danced in the States around my friends who are predominantly of European decent, so hip shaking was not something they did well and I was always more adept at.)
Well, humble pie was served a la mode this morning. I danced with a room full of Latin women and a Latin man leading the show. At times I felt like I was trying out to be an extra in a Shakira video and other times I felt like I was part of the scene in 'West Side Story' where Rita Moreno sings about how she likes it here in America while dancing exuberantly on a rooftop.
No matter which scene popped into my head, I was clearly going to be one of he dancers who was cut out of the show. I was never more grateful that I am an unselfconscious person than this morning. I tried to follow along as best I could and although I got some of the moves wrong, what I lacked in skill I certainly made up for in energy and exuberance.
The women around me were all thin and wearing matching outfits and knew how to shake their hips the way only Latin women know how. The instructor went from one move to another seamlessly and the group followed. In the States, instructors are measured in teaching moves, breaking down the dance into small steps then leading up to putting all the moves together for the dance.
The instructor here simply lead and we followed. We understood where he was going with the moves and we went along for the ride. 
Well, I have a lot more hip shaking practicing to do so I can even come close to dancing the way the rest of my class does.