PE students move to spicey sounds of salsa

Latin-American music will be booming from the gym’s speakers for the next three weeks, thanks to new salsa classes being offered during freshman P.E.

Rob Hilario and Rachel Lidskog, salsa instructors brought in specially for the classes by teachers Steve Scoville and Ken Weinberg, are leading three periods worth of lessons, but other students are welcome to participate.

Freshman Liv Scott preferred the salsa lessons to the more traditional P.E. activities. “It was definitely more fun than doing the pacer,” she said.

According to the instructors, the benefits for students go beyond having fun. “There’s some really cool confidence that comes out of it,” Lidskog said. “For a lot of them, it can be positive, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”

Both Hilario and Lidskog are long-time teachers, with nine and 26 years of teaching experience, respectively. For Hilario, the passion was unexpected. “I learned totally on accident,” he said.

But for students who don’t take quite as well to the art, there’s no judgment.

“They won’t know if they like it unless they at least try it once,” said Hilario. “If they’re not into it, they’re not into it,” he said. “Rocket science isn’t for everyone either.”