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Labor of Love Salsa Night Continues to Grow

When a group dedicated salsa dancers got together to create a night that was just about salsa and just about dancing, no one was sure if it would really work. Salsa clubs that were popular in hot spots like New York in the 80's and 90's fell on hard times as dancers became more technical with spins and performance quality social dancing and started consuming less alcohol. Just as the dancers thirst dried up, the dance venues did too. In November 2007, the Copacabana in Manhattan closed, due to subway expansion, ending an era in New York City where the American style salsa dancing originally took shape. However unlikely, the Detroit salsa scene has not only survived, it has become resurgent with clubs like Harem showing that not only can it work, it can thrive. Sky MAMBO team member Samer Georges recalls when he first was introduced to the salsa scene "Back in 1996 we had one club. Now we have a new club opening every week!"

Article published Jan 6, 2008

SALSA GURUS SHARE DANCE, FRIENDSHIP, ENERGY
By Stacy Jenkins
STAFF WRITER Eccentric/Observer

A dozen or so inches of snow, icy roads and frigid temperatures set the scene for a smokin' hot evening of salsa dancing.

Despite the early December snow storm, the self-proclaimed salsa junkies took to the wooden dance floor at the American Legion Post 346 in Farmington. The group of about 150 on that night wouldn't miss the monthly YA Salsa Social.

The music and the dancing attract a mix of people from all ethnic backgrounds and people from their teens to their 70s and every age in between.

"The music, the people, it's inter-generational and it's international," said Suzanne Geldys, of Dearborn Heights, who is a dance instructor at Eastern Michigan University. "It's great fun."

Read the whole article on hometownlife.com

FARMINGTON, Mich. -- One Sunday each month, hundreds of people from all walks of life file into American Legion Post 346, transforming it into a hot house of dance and culture. This December marks the fourth anniversary of the YA Salsa Social, which has grown from a small group of volunteer organizers hosting 30 or 40 dancers, to a headline event hosting between 300 and 400 dancers each month.

"When we first started hosting socials, we had no idea that four years later it would become such a popular event. We have so many committed people working hard to keep this going month after month. Because of the organizers and local salsa dancers, it keeps getting bigger and better," says Jamin Williams, YA Salsa volunteer and one of YA Salsa's original organizers.

Originally intended to provide dancers with a little extra practice time so that they could improve their dancing for the clubs, the YA Salsa Social now draws salseros from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario and beyond. Many may associate salsa dancing with popular TV shows and movies or with Caribbean culture, but salsa has become popular the world over, across all cultural backgrounds.

FARMINGTON, Mich. -- Expect Jan. 13 to be a lot warmer when YA Salsa transforms the American Legion Post 346 into a United Nations of dance. The event marks the return of Grupo Salvaje and live music to Detroit's biggest dance social.

"Our Detroit roots and the international flavor of salsa and dancers make for a fantastic combination of soul and flair," says musical director Eduardo Caraballo. "What makes Grupos Salvaje unique is that we are Detroit's only 12-piece tropical Latin orchestra. We feature a full horn section with powerful arrangements, enthralling percussion and swing, rhythm and harmony reflecting our deep Latin roots, and African and Taino heritage." Taino heritage refers to Indian tribes of the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, some of whose descendants later migrated to New York City where salsa really got its name and established itself as an international dance phenomena.