In What Planet I Allow This To Happen 💃Part 1 By Elaine Elle Espinosa ©️ 2026

Dance....

Now, in the '80s and '90s, those were the years I conquered the dance floor. I was known as "The Queen of Dance." 💃 I was only 10 years old when I started dancing, and by the time I was about 17, I had won every dance contest known to man, from breakdancing, the Michael Jackson Moonwalk, and the Lambada to street dance and rhythm disco. I conquered it all.

From age 10 into my 30s, I managed to say to myself, "I still got it!" From Vogue to Mr. Roboto and then MC Hammer, I was on my way to really believing that dance could be my career. Maybe, just maybe, I could become a professional dancer. I knew I had it made. And like any teenager's dream, I wanted to be "Famous."

Well, I thought life was sweet at one point, until I got married at 21. That's when things took a turn for the worse.

It was as if you had purchased a plane ticket to New York to land in a Broadway dance musical, but instead, you landed on some remote, unknown island that you had never heard of, or even worse, one that wasn't even on the global map. Just call it, as one might say, "Damn, I'm in Jurassic Park!" That was the best way to describe my seven-year marriage, filled with agony and frustration.

That's when I said to myself, loudly in my mind, "ON WHAT PLANET DID I ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN?"

Dance was my only true skill, as if I had been born to become a dancer. All I needed was someone to guide me and point me in the right direction, but instead, I got a 99-cent road map that pointed south.

I had the perfect plan since high school back in the '80s. I would dance and dance until I had it down to perfection. My parents didn't have the money at the time to send me to these fancy dance academies, so I learned the best way I could, and that is what many teenagers called "Street Dance." 💃 That's where anyone could see the latest moves. You just had to be sure to watch out for your parents so they wouldn't catch you practicing your dance moves on the street.

At the time, breakdancing was in style, and believe me, those were the years when talent was being recognized and some dancers were recruited by talent agents. But I wasn't that lucky during my time. I was young, and I needed permission from my parents to sign up for any talent show or competition that came my way.

So, Hollywood, as we might call it, "the land of opportunities when it comes to talent," was something I dreamed about. But my parents had other dreams for me, and dance was not on their bucket list.

Knott's Berry Farm....

I remember one night when I found out that my friend had entered a dance competition at the famous Knott's Berry Farm. Back then, dance competitions were held almost everywhere, from the streets to house parties to major attractions. Of course, there were also ads in the newspaper: Hollywood was looking for dancers with amazing talent.

I received a good education at a private Catholic high school, where life was very strict at the time. If a nun caught you breakdancing in the school cafeteria, gym, or playground, you could be sure you would be at church on Saturday rewriting the prayers from the rosary. 📿 🙏 And as a teenager, that would not be a good idea, especially when Saturday was the one day you needed to practice your dance moves.

My friend invited me to watch him perform and compete at Knott's Berry Farm, and, of course, I wanted to join the following weekend's competition. Without telling my parents, I did, thinking I was smart enough to get away with it.

Uuuhhhh, NO! Or should I say, OH, HECK NO!!! WORD GOT AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD!

What was I thinking? And, like I mentioned earlier, "ON WHAT PLANET DID I ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN?!!!!"

PART 2 - CONTINUE