Dear Raul,

Most of us know how tough it is to be a teenager, no matter our cultural background. As the world develops access to more and more dangerous toys, the experience increasingly becomes more and more a world of many choices for our average teenager. But, no matter what the world has to offer our new life graduates, there will always be two means of communicating at their disposal: music and dance.

In a city like London, popular for its metropolitan lifestyle and famous for its music industry recognition, you'd be forgiven as an ethnic minority for not following the music or dance traditions of your family. I myself can remember thinking salsa, cumbia and any Latin dancing was to be reserved for family parties within four walls and certainly not to be performed in front of m hip-hop loving friends. Well, the other Latin kids weren't doing it! And it felt wrong to be the only kid dancing with my father, or worse mother! So, I'd go to another room (usually at the back or in the corridor) and mess around with others my age to our imaginary R&B disco heaven. Whilst I don't think there is anything wrong with busting moves to music that is "in" with your friends, I do think we were missing out on something I discovered later. It wasn't the fact that we weren't making our aunts, uncles, cousins and parents happy by dancing with them to their favourite track and their "forever a child grin", it was the fact that we were fighting what was born within, nurtured by these parties and spoilt by our parents and family.

Of course, this is a different story today. The Latin music industry has not only massively developed in its own right but it has expanded to influence other music genres one would never thought could be mixed. It is now easier to acknowledge your interest as a Latin American teenager in traditional (but modern) music and dancing. Now, every week on a Friday in a church in the heart of Streatham, I get together with a group of 'young adults' aged 16 and up. They come in with their tight jeans or baggy trousers and cool walk (however corny that may sound its true!), initially as if they are there by default, looking around to see if the others look cool to be dancing with…and they are, and we begin. I take them according to their mood (this varies as they invite new non-Latin American friends to our 2 hour sessions) but 2 hours could involve anything from Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Cumbia to Merenge, Reggeaton or even Street Dancing. Anything is in, as long as it looks and feels cool to do, and my younger friends do not let me get away with anything less. But what we do is more than just this. We are celebrating these dances with a view to sharing them with the rest of the UK. I didn't ask them to invite others, but they did; I didn't ask those new ones to stay or come back, but they do. And so it's not about isolating ourselves in tradition, but mixing and tailoring that tradition with other music we enjoy, other images we've created and other friends that share an interest in music with us - full stop. Under supervision by a team sponsored by the Millennium Awards, these young adults learn to have fun safe within four walls and work as a team.

When these teenagers go to family parties, I expect them to be up on the dance floor, proud to be representing their generation - everyone's music and their individual version of it. "Rock on, Guys!", I'd say if I were there….NAATT! Now you know that wouldn't be a cool thing to say.

Regards

Alexandra Pereyra (dance tutor)

Classes are every Friday 6-8pm at English Mardyrs (left side of the church), 2 Mitcham Lane, Streatham, SW16 6NN.
Although they are targeted at Latin American kids of London, everyone is welcome to come and join in. Classes are free and taught in English. You can bring along your favourite tracks for Alexandra to use the following week. Soft drinks and snacks are provided.
You can join on the day but if you need more information contact  fedrachata@yahoo.co.uk