In high school as a basketball player, Jenni never thought in a million years she’d end up salsa dancing. She probably never even thought she’d find herself in a salsa club, let alone salsa dancing as part of a competitive team. Yet as an adult, she stumbled upon the hobby which led her to where she is today: a competitive salsa dancer with Salsannati, a competitive salsa group based in Cincinnati.
She sort of stumbled upon salsa dancing randomly and started doing it as a hobby. When she was out at the salsa clubs, she got to know some of the Salsannati coaches as they were also doing what they loved. A few years in, she expressed her interest in taking salsa dancing to the next level and was welcomed with open arms.
“From being an athlete growing up, I’ve always had a competitive side in me and even though I played basketball forever, I still loved being girly and feeling feminine,” Jenni said.
Salsa dancing was a great way to combine both things. Her love for dresses, however, started back in college. She also played college basketball, and would find herself feeling sweaty and gross afterwards. It would have been easy to just live in that space, but Jenni knew she didn’t want that. She still wanted to be able to carry herself in a feminine way, so she turned to dresses, heels and makeup. Today, she has between 50-70 dresses in her closet and lots of high heels to match.
“I feel on top of the world,” she says about wearing a dress. “I feel good about myself.”
The dresses Jenni chose for the shoot were a fun variety. A few were current or former salsa costumes. Others were fun pieces for nights out on the town. The common thread is that they are all tied to good memories. Every single one of these dresses is something Jenni feels good in the minute she puts it on.
We met up at her Hyde Park studio apartment on a cold and rainy Sunday morning. The top floor space, however, provided for a nice and cozy backdrop for all the photos we took. When I arrived, we instantly seemed to hit it off chatting about all sorts of things. She had her dresses all picked out on a rack by the mirror. Each one was unique in it’s own way.
First, she showed me her newest one. This dress is technically being debuted on A World of Dresses as she has not had the opportunity to wear it yet. The solid dark green and simple style makes it a perfect dress for when she’s feeling something a little more classic. However she also noted that she could dress it up with a pair of leopard print heels for a crazy night out with the girls.
These next few are our party dresses. As a salsa performer, Jenni spends much of her off time out at salsa clubs dancing and hanging out. This requires a fun wardrobe and she definitely has that!
She said her friends always poke fun at how over-dressed she often is. Whether it’s just a casual dinner or a late-night evening at the club, she takes every opportunity she can to go all out. She loves it.
“I always walk in like five stars, but it’s just how I am,” she said. “I feel most comfortable expressing myself through the dresses.”
Next we have the salsa round. I was especially excited for this. Her blue salsa dress was actually specially-made to fit her body measurements. It also came from overseas.
This white dress is what she considers to be a milestone dress. She wore it the first time she ever performed on stage with Salsannati.
“I remember the first time I put that on, I felt like I arrived,” she said. “I felt official. I felt confident and sexy, and just like I was ready to go out there and show all the hard work I had put in.”
This white one was worn at a Salsannati fundraiser. The team will actually host a fundraiser this Friday in Northside. Proceeds will benefit their trip down to Miami, Florida to compete in the Latin World Cup. She and the seven other members of the team plus a few supporting members will travel there December 15th. She’s excited for sure.
“When I salsa dance, I feel free,” she said. “I feel like I can just be myself and just interact with who I’m dancing with. I can just let loose and have a good time.”
