for the salteños Lujan Celeste Herbas and Luca Santiago Gil20 and 21 years old respectively, Valentine’s Day is always an important date, but it becomes even more important now that they have “someone to celebrate it with.”
“When you are in a relationship, you give it greater importance. We already have thought about how we are going to celebrate it. It’s our first valentine together and we are not going to miss the opportunity,” Luján told Télam.
They were brought together by their passion for dancing, since They met about three years ago, when she joined the Raíces y Herencia caporal balletwhere Santiago already danced and who rehearses every night in the open air, in Plaza Gurruchaga, in the macro-centre of the capital of Salta.
There, during a rehearsal frustrated by a heavy rain, the young people said that they are “very happy” and “had been dating for eight months”, but that at first it was not easy for them to relate, due to Luján’s shyness.
“It was through social networks, through Facebook, that we began to get closer. A like or a love in the stories that she or I uploaded gave us the opportunity to connect,” revealed Santiago, who explained: “First we were friends.”
Hence the relevance for them of social networks in these times, because in this case they functioned as a uniting factor, although they assure that they are not always positive, because they also often generate disagreements and problems in couples and relationships.
“For me, social networks are very important because many things are reflected there. Even WhatsApp gives us the possibility of permanent contact, through which you share every moment,” Santiago explained, although he warned: “Equally, we understand each other better by talking in person.”
In this sense, Luján commented that it is “easier” for her to communicate through the networks, because she is shy and shy, but given the possibility of misunderstandings in the relationship, they decided to talk about important issues “in person.”
Luján and Santiago work during the day and they meet every night to dance caporal, a folkloric dance of the altiplano mainly Bolivian, which combines rhythm with showy choreography and bright and colorful costumes, loaded with sequins and bells.
Through the ballet of which they are a part, they participate every year in corsos not only in the city of Salta, but also in different parts of the interior of the province, and at the same time participate in performances in theaters and other stages.
“Dancing excites me. For me it is the most beautiful. I started as a child in another group, I love it and that’s why I continue,” said the young man, who stressed that, during the preparation for a presentation in the theater, both became even closer and it was the step prior to the start of their courtship.
“It was her first time on stage and she was very nervous. I was there, by her side, because I wanted her to dance. When we finished the presentation I went to hug her and give her a kiss on the cheek. It was the first thing that occurred to me“he counted.
Two days later, Santiago and Luján got together to talk in the square where they rehearse every day, where he made a formal proposal to be a couple: “we get along well and continue to have that beautiful relationship that we had achieved when we were just friends “, they said, smiling.
“He is very friendly. When I need it is there, to help me in everything”highlighted Luján, who maintained that he always wanted to dance foreman, although due to things in life he was only able to do it when he turned 18.
On that occasion, she looked for groups to join – in Salta there are many groups that are dedicated to the foreman – and she decided to stay in Raíces y Herencias because she liked the outfit they were wearing at that time and how they treated her.
For her, dancing was fundamental in helping her clear her head “at a time when it was wrong”, and sharing it now with the person you love makes it “even more special”.
