Nothing heats up a night out like salsa dancing. A Juice.PH reader tries it out for herself, and her experience will have your hips swaying before you can say “Bailar”.
By Mika Santos

When a friend calls and says “Let’s go dancing!” on a night out in Manila, the first image that comes to mind is a dark club with pumping hiphop or house music, in a sea of people basically bumping around against each other, bobbing their heads to the “toogs toogs” music, and screaming into each other’s ears as an attempt to verbally communicate. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy that scene, and I choose to stay truthful to myself by avoiding it.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy dancing, that type of gimmick just got tiring. I needed something different.

And then I watched Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights.  How I wished I could dance like those Cubans, with a real life Diego Luna, moving to the sexy beats of the Latin American world.  It’s called Salsa Dancing, and I wanted to learn it.

In most countries of Latin America, salsa dancing is the norm, just like hiphop or techno is here.  Even in major cosmopolitan cities all over the world, you can find a salsa club where sweaty bodies heat up the dance floor moving to the unique beats of Latin music.  And so I asked around and discovered that we do have salsa nights right here in Manila!  And I’m not talking about Café Havana (Greenbelt, Makati (Map) & Malate (Map)).  I met a group of people who call themselves Salsa Fanatics Entertainment, and yes, they organize salsa nights in the metro.  A bunch of self-confessed salsa addicts and instructors, they live for one purpose: to promote salsa dancing and all the fun that comes with it.

The evening starts with free lessons for beginners, where you learn the basics and the men can learn a new combination.  The rest of the evening is Latin music all night, where men pull women to dance the common Latin dances—cha cha, bachata, meringue, and especially salsa.  I learned the basics, danced with complete strangers, and eventually got the hang of it.  Being a female has its advantages because like in many traditional social dances, all we have to do is follow the man’s lead.  In salsa, it is the man’s job to make the girl look good, and 80-percent of the dance depends on how well he can lead.  Thankfully and surprisingly, there are a good number of men who can salsa in Manila, both local and foreign.  And no, they are not DI’s that you have to tip afterwards.  Everyone is there to dance—not to be paid, not to pick you up—just to simply dance.
      
I fell in love with it instantly.  Maybe it’s the challenge of having to create perfect harmony with a complete stranger.  Or perhaps it’s the variety of creative combinations and styles that spice up the dance.  Whatever it is, it makes me feel absolutely liberated and downright sexy.  I’ve never had so much fun on the dance floor, and it keeps getting better and better the more skills I acquire.

Who can get into it?

Anyone and everyone.  It’s a lot easier for a girl to get into it, as her dancing will highly depend on the man’s ability to lead her.  Admittedly, it’s a lot harder for men to learn, but with the right amount of coordination and more importantly determination, he’ll be leading a girl in no time.

How to get into it?

Salsa Fanatics Entertainment organize salsa nights on the best days of the week. Every Wednesday night at Tabu Lounge (Map) is CLUB SALSA, where salsa is taught club-style for the 21st century, just like they do it in the states. Think new school salsa with a fusion of hiphop. The original salsa nights are Thursdays and Saturdays at La Dolce Vita Bar and Restaurant.

No cover charge, free parking. Dancing starts at 9PM with free lessons for beginners at 10PM. For more information, contact them at +63915-9264007. Venues change from time to time, so it's best to find them online at http://www.facebook.com / salasafanaticsentertainment.

For lessons/classes, you can contact Jonathan Picayo (+63906-3751570) or Farida Laura (+63919-2543221). Some dance schools offer formal lessons like Studio 116 or Asian Social Institute (Map).
      
Need something refreshingly different?  Honestly, what have you got to lose? Vamos a bailar salsa!