|
Sultry
music is background for sensual steps |
|
|
|
September 9, 2006 ENCINITAS – The first
time Stephen Keyes saw a couple salsa dancing at a party, his jaw dropped.
The vibrant, sultry
music seduced him, and that night he made a commitment to learn how to dance
like his Cuban friends. “Salsa has this
sensual, sexual edge to it,” Keyes said. “The music is so rich, and dancing
to it feels wonderful. It's like this great, illustrated conversation. You're
communicating back and forth.” Keyes soon learned that
even the shyest of wallflowers could master salsa's basic steps.
In 1999, he hired Juan
Carlos Blanco to teach a beginning salsa class on Friday nights through the
Patricia Rincon Dance Collective. Keyes is the managing
director of the collective headed by his wife, Patricia Rincon. For the first two
years, the class attracted 20 to 30 students each week. Blanco left in 2001,
and Keyes' longtime friends Tony and Maria Caligagan stepped in to teach.
About that time, a worldwide salsa renaissance began to take hold. “Once Tony and Maria
came in, time was getting ready for this boom, but we didn't know it or plan
it,” Keyes said. “Salsa was already getting into our culture, but now
interest is really growing with all the reality dance shows and movies about
dancing. It keeps reinforcing in our culture.” Since 2001, class
numbers have increased to between 60 and 80 students per night. A weekly
salsa newsletter goes out to more than 2,000 people, Keyes said. Tony Caligagan said a
large part of the class's popularity can be attributed to its informal,
low-pressure atmosphere. But he also believes that the phenomenon is
indirectly linked to recent changes in San Diego's political and economic
climate. “Salsa has always been
an outlet for society,” he said. “We are in a time of political and economic
recession, and people are getting sick of worrying and paying bills. They are
looking for a way to enjoy life and do something different from the normal
routine, so they go to class, or to a club and socialize with great people in
a positive environment.” The Caligagans teach
Los Angeles-style salsa, known for its showy moves and Hollywood influence. The
focus of the beginning class is on the basic steps. Students in the
intermediate and advanced classes learn to incorporate more complex footwork,
dips and spins. Caligagan said a
beginner may feel behind for the first couple of weeks, but within four to
six months he or she can expect to advance to the intermediate class. “If you are someone who has wanted to do it
and never had the guts, you just have to give up your fear and your ego and
do it,” Keyes said. “You want to enjoy your life. You don't want to have 'I never learned how to dance' on your grave.”
|
