Salseros on a new swing

With torrid movements, energy-filled spins and an intense partner work that easily builds a steamy connection, salsa is the hottest dance form that has taken the city’s nightlife by storm.

Gone are the days when salsa was restricted to a handful of dance schools in the city. Today, a number of individuals who have been trained in the dance for several years with full-time careers are taking time off work to promote salsa in the city — be it in the form of salsa nights, salsa parties or weekend classes and workshops.

Take for instance, Latin Twist — a salsa night organised by Mary Lobo and Derek Spencer on Wednesdays in Shiro every week.

An executive assistant to the CMD at Shaadi.com, Lobo began learning salsa in 2007 with Salsa India. “I have been an addict since then. I started exploring more in the dance form and even travelled across countries to learn its nuances.”

She first began organising salsa events for Salsa India, a dance company, and later, decided to promote it on her own. “I wanted to keep my day job and, at the same time, open up an avenue where people can dance, practise, socialise and just have fun. It allows me to rejuvenate by the end of the day.”

She adds that people look forward to social nights more than dance classes. “People want to flaunt what they have learned on the dance floor in front of an eclectic crowd, socialise and have a good time after a hard day’s work. Dance instructors are busy teaching during the day and doing shows. So they are left with no time to really organise salsa nights; this is where people like us chip in.”

At Shiro, more than 250 dancers are part of the salsa nights that start at 10.30pm and go on till 1.30am. Derek, who is the DJ for the night, is a pilot. “I love salsa music and, when I travel, I collect music from around the world and play it here. I play Latin tracks that suit the crowd and the mood.”

He has been DJ-ing for the last six years and easily juggles between flying planes and playing music. “From theme nights, international performances to workshops, every salsa night has something different to offer salseros (trained salsa dancers),” adds Derek.

Chaiti Narula, a full-time TV professional, started her salsa night at Tote on the Turf in Mahalaxmi a year ago. “I got hooked on to the dance in 2006 when I attended a salsa boot camp. I travel a lot in my job and I’ve seen that places like Berlin and Singapore offer six salsa parties and nights in a given day and we had just one in a week. I realised that nobody was doing enough and decided to start a night at Tote at my individual capacity, using the network that I had established as a media professional.”

Although salsa does not fetch her bread and butter, she feels this is her way of giving back to the fraternity. Tote has nights on alternate Tuesdays. “The salsa culture has evolved. The quality of salsa parties we offer is also a notch higher. You don’t have to be a full-time dancer to make it to the salsa scene in the city,” she adds.

For Raoul D’Souza, an HR professional at Lupin Ltd, salsa is all about passion, discipline and dedication. “I cannot leave my day job as it is my livelihood and salsa, in a way, completes me.” He, along with his beau Sangeeta Mehta, started a dance company called RaSa last year which holds classes over the weekend at its Bandra and Worli centres.

“Discipline is very important when you are multitasking. So I prepare for my classes in advance: I research a lot on music and styles when I’m free at work.”

D’Souza also organises salsa nights at a club in Bandra. “It is very important for a salsa dancer to be part of social nights as it gives him or her the opportunity to learn different techniques and mingle with several dancers,” he adds.

His friend Chandan Guha, a senior executive at a reputed MNC, organises salsa parties for the whole fraternity at his abode in Bandra. “The salsa circuit is a close-knit one and we are always looking for places to dance. I decided to have a party every week at my home where all salseros come and dance for about four hours.”

Abhinav Tiwari, a research analyst, dabbles between salsa and research every day.

Besides handling operations for salsa India, he organises socials every week. “My everyday work becomes monotonous if I do not indulge in salsa. The demand for socials is very high across the urban crowd of the city. So we need more people who have been trained in the dance to take time off their routine life and do their bit for the dance,” he adds.