People come to the Mudanza Movement classes for many reasons. Like Trevino’s mom’s case, sometimes it’s to get moving, but other times to heal more than the physical.
“I would say one of the more common reasons is because they just want to, sometimes it’s actually therapeutic for people,” Cortes says. “A lot of times people are struggling with personal issues, and they just want an escape.”
Also, Trevino says people are drawn to the music and how salsa looks.
Some people even want to learn salsa because of Bad Bunny or because it has become more popular in our culture too, she says.
The students at the first beginner class of the month include a variety: a pair of mother and son, some affectionate couples, two teen girls that could be sisters. Each has their eyes glued to Trevino and Cortes as they go over the counts of the basic salsa step: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 with a pause on 4 and 8.
“Right, left, right. … Left, right, left,” Cortes says.
Trevino had been volunteering occasionally to teach salsa workshops at the center since 2023, sometimes with a grant from her university By planting that little seed of salsa in the center they requested more, she says.
“I didn’t graduate and be like, ‘I want to teach dance.’ It just kind of happened,” Trevino says.