Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Ahhh to dance! This is one of my greatest pleasures in life. It is my way of expressing myself and saying, "I feel great!" "I like you!" "I enjoy your company!" "I look great!" "What great music!" "Come on!" "Shall we dance?"

Dancing makes me feel healthy, happy, sensual, attractive, ALIVE!

Dancing, for me, is a gift that I appreciate and apply at any and every opportunity. Ever since I was a little girl dancing has always been my favorite thing to do. Let me tell you all about it...

In the mid-seventies, when I was six years old, my parents brought me to Puerto Vallarta. I had aunts and uncles that were members of the city's first Folkloric Ballet, called "Xalisco," which was based out of the famous restaurant, La Iguana.

My mother had a beautiful face and a gorgeous voice that was perfect for singing Ranchero music and taking on all the famous Mariachi songs and ballads. This, combined with her magnetic personality, resulted in a large and loyal following of enthusiastic fans. The audience would consistently ask for encore after encore and she would very happily sing another song for the wildly cheering audience. I remember feeling so very proud of my mother that I wanted to run up on stage and let everyone know that she was My Mother!

My father was former military with the general characteristic of always ordering everyone around, and now had to stand behind my mother as one of the charismatic folkloric dancers. After each performance, my father, with his charming smile and very masculine athletic figure, was always sought after by the audience to pose for pictures as mementos for the "turistas." I have to admit, that made me a little over protective and very jealous of the fact that I had to share him with the ladies in the audience.

As should be expected, after watching my aunts and uncles at their ballet rehearsals throughout my youth, once I reached the "height" requirement I very quickly joined the Folkloric dance company along with my younger sisters, who were a hit dancing other dances apart from the folkloric dance company, now called "Atemajac."

Our routines and dances entertained the tourists at the Mexican Fiestas at their hotels, where they experienced the buffets of Mexican food along with Tequila, Margaritas, Regional Costumes, and traditional songs from at least 4 different states in the Mexican Republic. All this led to learning how to quickly change outfits - from costumes and shoes to hair styles and makeup, everything down to the earrings. This puts me in a very unique category of wives who can get dressed faster than their husbands!

My father became an excellent choreographer, leading the entire repertory - the singers, the Floreador de Reata which is a lasso expert, the cock fights, and everything else, including dancing with tourists they would bring up on stage - to ensure that the joy and richness of the Mexican culture was conveyed to the audience.

Present day, my father is currently a tour guide, my mother actively sings, but solely at family reunions and with friends, I sell real estate, we all love Puerto Vallarta and have never left since I was a little girl.

In short, I danced professionally (with all my clothes on) until I was 22 years old and now I still love to dance, though now to different music it is still my favorite hobby. I enjoy dancing with my husband, who is a musician, and take every opportunity to do so with live music, especially outdoors where there is plenty of natural ventilation.

When I want to remember the "good old days" as a dance professional I quickly go and take a stroll by Los Arcos in the main plaza to see the wonderful show put on by the Xuitla Municipal Ballet. And when I hear the songs Jarabe Tapatio, La Negra, Los Machetes, La Culebra, La Bamba, El Tilingo Lingo, etc, my feet start to move by themselves and I have a smile on my face that lasts all night long!

The feeling I get after a great night of dancing is incomparable to anything else I like to do! Try it, you'll like it! You will not regret it! Dance as if no one is watching, or even better, dance as if the only person watching is the one you love. Shall we dance?

Translated for BanderasNews.com by Tropicasa Realty Agent Grace Ramirez.

Since 1997, Wayne Franklin and his team at Tropicasa Realty have been a trusted name in Puerto Vallarta real estate. Tropicasa Realty is the region's representative for "The Leading Agents of the World" and with over 100 years of combined experience in real estate, all agents of the company are affiliated with AMPI. Wayne Franklin or any member of his knowledgeable team can be contacted in-person at their Romantic Zone Office - Pulpito 145-A at Olas Altas or in their San Marino Office - San Marino Hotel at Rodolfo Gomez 111-4. While in PV they can be reached at (322) 222-6505 or by calling 866-978-5539 (Toll-Free) from the U.S.

Click HERE to learn more about Tropicasa Realty, or visit tropicasa.com.