I Gave Him a Bloody Nose!

Written by Jessie Keller May 25, 2025

Sometimes when we are learning new moves or learning how to put style to our dance we make BIG mistakes. Sometimes we step on people’s feet, sometimes we get someone else’s high heel stuck in our shoe and the only way out is to take off our shoes to free the other ladies' shoe from ours. Sometimes we bump into another dancer or our leader leads us straight into another person or couple. Sometimes our leader is leading us through multiple spins and someone decides they should walk by and get too close and you elbow them in the ribs. I’m sorry but how can you really see or respond to someone walking by when you are spinning? Eventually, you can doge people even while spinning, it just takes some practice. The crazy thing, all of these and more have happened to me.

The worst mistake for me ended up with a bloody nose…

It was around 2005 and this really famous salsa dancer sold his videos worldwide. This famous person asked me to dance with him. I couldn’t believe it. I was nervous but wanted to show my “talent.” I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t dance. So I started adding my arm styling and showing my confidence. But then out of nowhere BAM I hit him! I was doing a turn and somehow I got too close to him, my arm must have been bent, and my elbow flew right into his nose. Our dance stopped there. I was so embarrassed and felt so so so bad. There he was holding his nose and walking to a chair. I thought he would never forgive me, let alone dance with me again. I’m not sure if I danced any more dances that night but I could have stopped dancing right there and then forever because the embarrassment was so much.

Yet the next chance I had to go dancing, I took it. Fast forward a bit and I started assisting that famous dancer with his classes. I thought he would never forgive me or want to dance with me ever again but he did forgive me and for many years we taught together. I learned so much from him though our personalities were completely off-the-charts different. Yet he knew his stuff inside and out. Frontwards and backward and was extremely humble about it.

Sometimes we make mistakes. Even huge ones. But it does not mean we have to stop. I think it means we have to change our mindset, forgive ourselves, learn what we can do better, and try again. Sometimes our way of thinking is the biggest barrier to our success. When we forgive ourselves and start again the outcome or resolution might surprise us. 

Whatever you do, keep going. You got this!