RABAT, Morocco – If the Mother Earth herself were to bestow a dance challenge upon an unsuspecting country, she could have hardly chosen a better candidate than Morocco. The land of captivating belly dance and haunting Gnawa music was confronted this weekend with a vigorous 'Salsa' routine via an unexpected earthquake. Late on Friday, the world's hardest taskmaster, Mother Earth, glanced at her watch and decided it was time for Morocco to display its nimble-footed salsa moves. At exactly 11:11 p.m., amid the tranquil slumber of most Moroccans, she sent forth a rather startling cue for dancers: a preliminary magnitude-6.8 earthquake. As buildings in major cities from Rabat to Marrakech heaved rhythmically back and forth under the moonlit sky, reality dawned on the occupants - Mother Earth was initiating a daring, late-night dance-off. Soon enough, the quaint streets and alleyways of Morocco transformed into makeshift dance floors, with residents spilling forth to test their mettle against the planet's sudden rhythmical challenge. Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network, the official adjudicator or equivalent of the 'Simon Cowell of geological phenomena', awarded the seismic sashay a stunning 7 on the Richter scale. Of course, some were quick to note the discrepancies in the scores, pointing to the notorious nature of early measurements to waver like a rickety cha-cha-cha dance step. "We are all fine," reassured Mustafa, a local business owner as he tangoed with an errant kebab skewer amidst the tremors, demonstrating typical Moroccan ingenuity. "It seems Mother Earth really appreciates our unique choreography. We are embracing this quake as just another step in our intricate dance with life." While we await official word on casualties, the people of Morocco continue to accept this seismic salsa challenge with courage and grace, proving once more why they are the unrivaled contestants on this unexpected episode of "So You Think You Can Dance: The Seismic Edition." As Mother Earth continues to be the most unpredictable DJ in the cosmos, we are reminded that one must always be prepared to sway, whirl and twirl, whether it's to the rhythm of life, or a mighty earth-shaking jive. So, folks, lace up your dancing shoes and remember the wise words of Confucius - or was it Shakira? - "Hips, much like tectonic plates, don't lie."