Andres ~ The man behind the dance. Memoirs from Ivana Echevarria

As last week was the 1 year anniversary of Andres Echevarria. I chatted with his sister Ivana, she shared some stories that I want to share with you so people that didn't know him that well could read and see the man behind Salsa. Who better would know. His sister Ivana.

"When it was seriously all about Salsa" by Ivana Echevarria

I remember like as if it were yesterday when he called me to his room and told me he wanted to give up his 2 jobs and do Salsa full time. At the time i was nervous cause he was new at it but when he started saying how it made him feel and I realized that glow in his eyes that love that was just yelling out just as he spoke it was like wow. I remember my answer to him was " Look I know you will succeed in anything you do I just want you to make sure of what you're doing" He said I am I want to do this and I know I can make it far" Since that day I always told him to reach for the stars" On his 21 birthday I called and sang to him for the first time in my life. It was a song by Ashanti. I don't remember the name but I remember clearly the words.
Andres would get up in the morning when he first started teaching, I would take him to work, pick him up and take him to Salsa class. Andres was dedicated and he would freakin be making breakfast and all of sudden he would drop the wooden spoon he was making eggs with and say OH MY GOD I HAVE A F***** SHINE I HAVE TO TEACH TONIGHT! Wow and to think that I won't hear him say that again until we meet again. That's just a bit of his life before you all met him. I will continue to share with you highlights of his life before he gave us that Legacy he left behind.

"Brotherly Love" by Ivana Echevarria

We were on our way back from Miami BTS Ileana had performed. We were hungry and it was very hot. We stopped at Wendys and I tell Andres I had a headache. We are in the drive thru and Ileana says "Oh I have some excedrin let me get it for you" She jumps out of the car in thin tennis socks. (remember the it's mad hot outside) Andres being the kind brother pops the trunk for her, she look thru the trunk slams the trunk closed and runs for the door. Well it pops back open even before she can sit back in the car. She runs back out and says "what the Hec" She slams it really hard and runs for it. The trunk pops open again. LOL It was the most hilarious thing I had ever seen. She's burning her feet and Andres was holding the open knob the whole time. She's standing outside the car slamming, and slamming and slamming and the trunk would not close. Andres and I were cracking up she sees us and gets in the car and says " You bunch of JERKS! Freakin Floor is hot" LOL. OMG Andres and I cried laughing.

We drove off and I fell asleep. Never fall asleep with Andres in the car. They got me back. Andres took a piece of Chicken nugget, squashed it and shoved it in my mouth. He had me thinking for awhile that he chewed on it. It was so nasty and boy was I pissed but at the end of the day we laughed and still loved each other either way.

Ileana went home and said her older brothers abuse her. LOL. It's another memory that will live with us.

Thank you Ivana for those stories we all know that Andres touched our hearts one way or another. Know that forever he will always be in us. Because when we dance if we were trained by Andres, it was from the heart.

Thanks for reading. :)

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