Istanbul, Turkey. We had finally finished the performances, and I was looking forward to dancing with Irena from Bulgaria. I jumped at the chance when Polo Montanez' "Monton De Estrellas" came on. Jareau had the camera and the stage was the best space for us to be...

This song was first introduced to me by Lily Vasquez, who mentioned that Polo Montanez had recently passed, and I had to do more research to find out who he was. I purchased the "Guajiro Natural" CD and listened to the music on repeat for a while. The sound of his voice and expressiveness reminded me of being in a Cuban countryside, with an acoustic guitar and nothing to do but pass stories and smile when life gives you some moments to relax. 

I also like songs with varying "swings" to them, or mood switches that cause me to change up the style of dance. The part of the song that the chorus repeats to a strong clave makes me grin from ear to ear and really get caught up in the moment (1:28). We all have our cheesy feelings I guess. 

Irena is a pleasure to dance with, this was actually our first dance ever, and she wanted to make sure that we had a good connection before she let herself loose.  However, once we got going it felt like a dream. I'm looking forward to dancing with Irena again, perhaps in Bulgaria?

Thanks to Imu's Latin Dance Company based in Istanbul for giving us a chance to have this experience. Visit Imu's website at www.imudance.com for more information about the Salsa Scene in Istanbul.

-sGB