Jamin's blog

I had danced myself into a state of extreme exhaustion. It took a whole week to recover! Normally I don’t get to dance that much but this time I made sure to steal a lot of them. My thanks and apologies to the team for covering for me while I was out there dancin’ it up! I don’t know what got into me, maybe it was all those insanely awesome salsa tracks that Saif was spinning all night. I just could not stop moving!

Anticipation! It seemed like an eternity since the last social but it was well worth the wait! After almost a 6 week break, the July salsa social drew in about 300 people from every corner of Michigan. As we always say, the YA Salsa mission is to help expand the Detroit salsa scene, and after seeing all the new faces on Sunday, I have to say that it is working. Thank you all for coming out to dance with us and thank you for helping us spread the word by telling our friends about salsa!

 

This social was certainly a hot one! I think we all lost about 10 lbs of water weight by then end of the night. People often ask if the American Legion has air conditioning and if it is even on.The answer is YES and YES. Unfortunately the AC is no match for 300 people dancing salsa for 4 hours straight. We do our best to help the AC keep us cool by adding the fans, ice cream treats, and face towels at the front desk, We even try to play slower salsa tracks! I guess the only thing left to do is to dance less… Come on, who are we kidding. That is simply not an option!! Maybe we should all wear less clothes? (evil grin)

 

I thought this was pretty cool. It ain't salsa but it is cool to watch :)

I actually made it down to Berts Marketplace last night. Rarely does my schedule allow me to make it out dancing on a Monday night but it just so happen that things worked out for this once a month event. It is nice little place to hang out with a patio and tables set up out front. Inside they have a small stage directly across from the bar with a small area for dancing in between. About ten tables are set up off to the side where a waitress will come by to serve food and drinks. I had the catfish dinner with a couple sides and it was very good.

When I walked in I had already missed the first set. While the band was taking a break, the floor was completely filled with about ten people taking a beginner salsa class by Rico from Energetic Soul. There were some new faces, a few familiar ones, and everyone was enjoying the class. Immediately following the class, La Inspiracion performed a final set with a few salsa songs, a cha cha, and wrapped up the show just before midnight. It was just enough for me to get few dances in and was back home by 12:30. It was a nice relaxing time.

Overall it was a nice night and nice intimate place to chill at the end of the day with chance to get a salsa or 2 in. The only down side for me is that it is too far away for me to make it there every time on a Monday. But if you happen to live downtown then it is definitely something you should think about making into an occasion with a couple of friends.

Some came to the social after visiting their Mom, others brought their Mom with them! Mothers Day at the YA Salsa Social turned out to be another great occassion with a special suprise. Raul came up with the idea for a serenade and he executed flawlessly in front of 250 happy salseros. It was awesome! You are the man Raul!! It's that type of creative spirt that makes our little dance much more than just a dance. Outside, the weather was gloomy but when it is time to salsa, the sun shines on you 24 hours a day! Especially on mothers day :)

As we said last month we want to make sure to recognize the many great volunteers who make all this possible and without whom things would never run as smoothly. Aside from the usual suspects, a big hug goes out to:

• Jhoanna for getting there early to set up the food table and help lead the beginner class
• Manuela and Ben for holding down the door
• Heather for capturing all the cool moments on video and doing the editing
• Lisa and Albert for the hundreds of pictures taken
• Valerie for always being ready to do anything!

We also had a guest DJ -- DJ Mambo Yo Yo who has been coming to our events for years. He played a great set and we were honored to have him.

Photos are online. Click here!