With a Spin

A nightclub crammed with bodies,drenched in sweat moving to the pounding beat of congas. Thanks to a generation of Hollywood dance films,thats how we have come to perceive Salsa.

A nightclub crammed with bodies,drenched in sweat moving to the pounding beat of congas. Thanks to a generation of Hollywood dance films,thats how we have come to perceive Salsa. The dance form,however,has changed dramatically since the heyday of 1970s New York when hundreds of clubs throughout the city were packed nightly with Puerto Ricans,Dominicans,Cubans and other Latinos swaying their blues away. Today salsa has traveled beyond the worlds most famous island and has found diligent admirers in our own country. So much so that Bangalore is hosting the 4th edition of Annual India International Salsa Congress. We are bringing together salsa lovers from as far away as the USA,Canada,UK,Australia,Colombia,Spain,France,South America,China,Indonesia,New Zealand,Hong Kong,Thailand,Taiwan,Singapore,UAE and other parts of the world, says Luord Vijay the organiser of the festival.

The festival will host a number of international instructors who are coming down to hold special workshops. These workshops will help all the fledgling salsa schools around the city. The instructors will also help participants prepare for the All-India Salsa Championship which is to be held in the congress, adds Vijay.

Kolkata will be represented by the members of city-based Salsa school Vive La Salsa,which is headed by Aditya Upadhya which has been operational for more than four years now. We have participated in all the four editions of the Congress and we are really excited about this year. Its wonderful to interact with fellow dancers from different parts of the world, says Aditya. With a contingent of 26 members,Vive La Salsa is one of the largest groups in the congress.

Salsa is experiencing a revival in popular culture,thanks to the moves spotted nightly on television shows like So You Think You Can Dance. Even in a city like Kolkata,which is considered to be conservative and skeptical about new things,the dance form has gained acceptance. We hold regular shows in nightclubs like Roxy and Venom. People are genuinely interested and our student strength grows exponentially every year, says Aditya. Interestingly,as India embraces salsa as a trendy lifestyle choice,salsa is being perceived as a serious dance form around the world,and is alienating young clubgoers. Today salsa is kept alive by an ardent band of semiprofessional dancers in its birthplace New York.

Yes,its true that salsa is mainly patronised by youngsters in India but there is a gradual shift in demographics too. Even a few years ago the average age of our students was 21 but today the average age is 28,which means even older adults are taking this dance form seriously, says Vijay. Hopefully Vijay,Aditya and their likes will help us recapture the true feel of the dance-form,which is a genuine physical manifestation of the energy of the streets.

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With a Spin

A nightclub crammed with bodies,drenched in sweat moving to the pounding beat of congas. Thanks to a generation of Hollywood dance films,thats how we have come to perceive Salsa.

A nightclub crammed with bodies,drenched in sweat moving to the pounding beat of congas. Thanks to a generation of Hollywood dance films,thats how we have come to perceive Salsa.