Episode 12.2: Dancing Through Life- How Salsa Became a Practice in Presence, Trust & Joy

The BEAM&Flow Podcast

The BEAM&Flow Podcast
Episode 12.2: Dancing Through Life- How Salsa Became a Practice in Presence, Trust & Joy
Jan 04, 2026 Season 12 Episode 2
Chloé Cofresí

In this episode, I sit down with my wonderful dance teachers, Aaron and Gabriela from Salsa Oconee, to explore how following your joy can transform not just your Tuesday nights, but your entire relationship with yourself and your community.

What We Talk About

The Dance Journey

  • How Gabriela rediscovered her love of dance through Zumba and pushed through the terror of not being able to do a single turn
  • Aaron's origin story: from being too uncoordinated to dance at junior prom to proving his Panamanian cousins wrong
  • The moment Aaron finally said yes to bringing salsa to Oconee County (spoiler: Gabriela didn't give him time to change his mind)

What Dance Teaches Us Beyond the Steps

  • Why dance is the ultimate practice in healthy masculinity and feminine trust
  • How the panic of "I should already know this" shows up on the dance floor AND in life
  • The difference between toxic and healthy assertion (and how leading in dance taught Aaron the difference)
  • Why creating safe, boundaried spaces for expression matters more than ever

Building Community Through Joy

  • How Salsa Oconee became an answer to prayer and softened a skeptical heart
  • The moment it went from "this will last three weeks" to "wait, I have eight dance children now"
  • Why devoting yourself to what brings you joy—even without a plan—creates purpose you never saw coming
  • Finding your people in the most unexpected places (yes, even in Oconee County)

Real Talk

  • What it's actually like to practice a "romantic" routine (hint: lots of "I hate you" and "your foot is wrong")
  • Why the unsexy technical moments create the magic everyone sees
  • How dance becomes a fountain of youth and why older dancers are goals
  • The importance of making mistakes and getting comfortable with not knowing

Quotable Moments

"For these three minutes, you gotta trust me."

"We manifest many of the things that we are when we dance."

"When you follow joy and that path laid out for you from God, from the divine, whatever you want to call it, good things do happen."

"It is so good for the soul to have an art."

Want to join us? Salsa Oconee meets every Thursday at 7 PM at the Oconee Heritage Center (113 W. Main Street, Walhalla).

No partner needed. No experience required. Just show up and let yourself follow the joy.


Episode Artwork Episode 12.2: Dancing Through Life- How Salsa Became a Practice in Presence, Trust & Joy 35:04 Episode Artwork Episode 12.1: "Antennae of the Soul--Rethinking Hair, Health & Self-Love" with Joanne Starkman 47:46 Episode Artwork Episode 11.4: The Storyteller's Legacy - When No to Motherhood Means Yes to Your Truth 29:50 Episode Artwork Episode 11.2: From Cocktails to Community - Odette Orola's Recipe for Radical Transformation 27:36 Episode Artwork Episode 11.2: Muscle Testing Mastery & the Precision of True Healing with Ana Pereira 59:09 Episode Artwork Episode 11.1: Seeing Safety-How Your Eyes Hold Your Trauma Story 1:17:26 Episode Artwork Episode 10.4: The Path of the Heart with Anna Robinson 1:04:48 Episode Artwork Episode 10.3: From Boundary Violations to Body Wisdom - A Raw Conversation with Health Coach Dorie Chauncy 53:28 Episode Artwork Episode 10.2: From Fighting to Flow - Devorah Brinkerhoff on Soul Portraits & Creative Healing 1:10:22 Episode Artwork Episode 10.1: Following the Yes--Theta Healing, Embodiment & the Rooted Path with Erica Long 50:17 Episode Artwork Episode 9.4: Movement as Medicine--What Your Body’s Been Trying to Say 24:34 Episode Artwork Episode 9.3: Stop Sleepwalking Through Life--Wake Up with This 14-Minute Awareness Shift 14:54 Episode Artwork Episode 9.2: Why You're Exhausted--- 5 Hidden Energy Leaks & How to Refill 24:18 Episode Artwork Episode 9.1: Stop Overthinking-- How to Quiet Your Mind by Listening to Your Body 38:38 Episode Artwork Episode 8.4: How to Worship in The Temple of Your Body 36:15 Episode Artwork Episode 8.3: PRI Challenges Everything You Think About Health with Aleena Kanner 53:22 Episode Artwork Episode 8.2: Joy, Liberation, and Harriet Tubman with Candice D'Meza 1:01:14 Episode Artwork Episode 8.1: The Geometry of the Body with Flower of Life Chiropractic 51:12 Episode Artwork Episode 7.4: “The New Romantics” with Ayesha Ophelia 58:44 Episode Artwork Episode 7.3: The Life-Changing Healing Modality You’ve Never Heard of, Postural Restoration, with Neal Hallinan 57:53 Episode Artwork Episode 7.2: Creating an Inclusive Spiritual Community with Readings by Vida 1:21:57 Episode Artwork Episode 7.1: Drums as the Heartbeat of Community, with Christian Soberanis of Home & Abroad 35:24 Episode Artwork Episode 6.4 “Vedic Astrology: Your Blueprint Part 2” 56:23 Episode Artwork Episode 6.3 “Vedic Astrology: Your Blueprint Part 1” 1:06:53 Episode Artwork Episode 6.2: Coaching Millie-Creating a New Life & Business Post-Divorce 39:07