After I had moved to Cambridge in October 1996 I have developed a passion for Latin dancing (Salsa and Argentine Tango) - here is the full story how it happened:

At the age of 16 all my classmates and I were supposed to learn dancing - this is sort of tradition in Austria. We should all know how to waltz, samba etc.. Nothing wrong with that - I thought - and maybe I get to know some girls - since there were none in the technical school I went to...so I gave it a try. After all, my mother was European ballroom champion before I came along.

I always felt comfortable learning a new sport, but to think in steps, listening to the music and leading a girl - all that at the same time - was just too different from anything I have done before. Hence, progress was slow with one lesson a week and more practising with a reliable partner turned out to be troublesome. Dancing was one of these activities I didn’t seem to be made for. I was more into martial arts, chess, table tennis, billiards - where I could easily train as many hours as I needed to get good at it.

While my friends and schoolmates seemed to enjoy going to the numerous balls we have in Austria over winter and spring - I found it more fun to ride a unicycle, juggle balls and clubs or to build electric devices like a remote controlled sphere.

Juggling (dancing with my hands..?), however, was something I found much easier and more fun when playing the right music with the right rhythm..

I gave ballroom dancing another chance with 25 at the university and I was trying really hard, writing down all the steps and comments I got from the teachers. This time - much better prepared - I was learning fast and began to have fun. However, I was lacking the passion for it - the sort of thing that has always been giving me the energy to practice while making me feel alive with so many other activities in my life.

Around the same time I discovered other dance forms which were fun to watch and which neither require a partner nor a large floor for practising. I joined a "funky jazz dance" class despite being the only male there but it was worth it. I soon moved on to African Dance, Hip Hop and Break-dance which I found highly enjoyable.

Shortly after I moved to Cambridge (UK) to do my PhD, I had my first Salsa lesson. Thanks to my freshly acquired dance skills I experienced fast progress and I felt the rhythm, freedom of movement and ..the passion - for the first time in a partner dance. That was dangerously exciting. I took as many dance lessons as I could effort and went dancing whenever possible.
It has become a habit to check out the local dance scene/clubs whenever I was visiting another country which is a very social and exciting way of getting to know a country and it's people.

Three years later I began teaching Salsa in Cambridge giving birth to the - now very popular - Salsapassion dance classes. At about the same time, one of my Salsa dance partners asked me if I was interested in learning Argentine Tango since she thought I would enjoy it and ...besides, they also need more male dancers. I thought, why not and gave it a try. I have never heard of such a "thing" like Argentine Tango and could only imagine that it must be similar to the European ballroom tango. Hence, I was expecting a similar kind of music and dramatic head movements etc..

I was ..very surprised when I saw Argentine Tango the first time. It was so different from what I was expecting: Very different music compared to the European Tango - no drums, no obvious rhythm instruments but still rhythmic and extremely colourful. The dancers seemed very relaxed moving smoothly and rather subtle. It looked very passionate dancing mostly in the close embrace. With the exception of the familiar Spanish lyrics everything was different to Salsa - except, there were even more opportunities for improvisation and free movement. After a few lessons I began to understand what makes it so special...and I got hooked again. Both Latin dances Salsa and Tango have enriched my life considerably.