Strictly Salsa

The next time you find yourself moaning that there’s nothing to do after work, just stop and consider one fact: there’s no such thing as a ‘boring town’; only a ‘boring you’. And the perfect antidote to this lack of get-up-and-go can be summed up in one word: Salsa.

From July Urban Promos

Originating among the Spanish-speaking people of the Caribbean, this sexy fusion of African and European dance moves has conquered the world’s major cities in the last few years. It’s getting more and more popular in Shanghai, and every night offers the opportunity to indulge in what has to be the ultimate high-energy workout. With the annual salsa festival around the corner, We spoke to the salsa community in Shanghai about what exactly turns people onto Salsa.

{xtypo_rounded2}HOW TO SALSA EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK
Monday - Mural Bar. Highly recommended venue with Live band and great atmosphere, always packed with a good mix of dancers, mostly Cuban-style salsa. Free Entry.

Tuesday - The Box: A more relaxed party with a few good salsa teachers. RMB 30 per person

Wednesday - Kathleen’s 5. A new salsa party venue with a swing party that starts a little earlier and overlaps in a separate room.

Thursday - Malone’s Bar: With a free salsa lesson before the party for beginners, this party is quite popular among salsa lovers. RMB 40 per person (Includes one drink)

Friday - City Hotel: Suitable for beginners, this party is more for fun than for practising technique or showing off. Free entrance

Saturday - Club One: With a huge dance floor and live salsa band, this new venue is getting more popular among salsa lovers. Free entrance

Saturday - Grand Shanghai cinema restaurant: Probably the most professional dance place with all the best dancers. RMB 40 per person (Includes one drink)

Sunday - Brown Sugar: With Live band, this party is more for show and hanging out. Free entrance.

Also Sunday - Zapatas: With a salsa lesson before the party, this is more suitable for beginners. RMB 20 per person (Includes a small bottle of water)

All salsa parties start around 9.30pm and last until late. {/xtypo_rounded2}

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Chatting with ... Aficionado Manuel Paucar-Bahrs:
You describe yourself as a ‘salsa fanatic’. What exactly turned you onto it?
Good question. I think the reason I’m so crazy about Salsa is simply the rhythm, the drums and the way the percussion makes your whole body sway. You just can’t help moving along in time to the music. And dancing alongside your partner, with all the quick steps and turns, makes this even more exciting. I find salsa helps me to relieve a lot of stress and to forget all my work and personal worries. In fact I am so fanatical about Salsa, that I refer to myelf as “El Salsero”. If you watch people salsa dancing in a bar, they are almost always happy and smiling. This is not what most people in those places look like! It’s also a great way to meet new friends.

Is Salsa the sexiest dance ever?
I believe Salsa has to be one of the sexiest dances. Not only is the rhythm very hot, but so are the body movements, especially of the hips and waist, which is very erotic. Also, the outfits of the dancers give the overall style a very sexy look. Furthermore, the way the partners dance in very close proximity, gives the appearance that they are trying to seduce each other. I personally feel a lot sexier when I am dancing.

Who is your dream partner?
I don’t have a dream partner as such. I do appreciate dancing with different people, because everyone expresses themselves differently to the music. Of course, it is always a nice experience to dance with a professional dancer at a professional salsa meeting.

Who make the better dancers: men or women?
I don’t think I can make a judgement on that. But I believe that for a good team, it’s important that both partners relate to each other in terms of rhythm, technique, style and a sense of fun. So, if the dancing couple has all of this in common, then the result will be very slick and natural. You could say that it’s the result of perfect chemistry between the two.

Have you ever seduced anyone with your technique?
Actually this has happened several times, and in different places and countries. It is interesting because I think this is indeed proof that Salsa is a very sexy dance.

Any embarrassing experiences while dancing?
Of course. When you do a lot of dancing there are bound to be embarrassing incidents. When I first started, my glasses would invariably get knocked off my face during a routine, which had me scrambling around on the floor looking for them. But one of the most embarrassing experiences was when I was doing a show dance for a friend at a birthday party. Unfortunately the floor was so slippery that we couldn’t concentrate on our choreography and had to abandon our routine. We just continued with a social dance along to the music.

What do you think about Salsa's development in Shanghai in contrast to Germany or other cities abroad？
I would say the level of the dancers is pretty similar. In Germany, however, you can find many more Salsa venues than in Shanghai in proportion to the population. This can be traced back to the fact that Salsa is much more well-known in Europe than in China, due to the far stronger Latin American influence there. It’s also because of several famous Salsa movies made over the last few years.