Spicy Salsa Sundays

I am no dance machine but every once in a while I feel the need to get my groove on.

My weekend was particularly slow so I decided to spice it up and expose myself to something new. Then I thought of a dance that is vibrant, electric, sensual and rhythmic all-in-one: Salsa dancing!

After some investigating online I came across tucsonsalsa.com. This is a fabulous website that lists everything you need to know about Salsa dancing, such as places to go and different Salsa events happening around Tucson.

Then I discovered an event called Tucson's Sunday Salsa Social. This is a salsa event held at The Arizona Ballroom Comany, located at 5536 E. Grant Rd., every Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. The first hour is solely dedicated to Salsa lessons. Anyone who is interested in learning how to conquer this dance can come at 5 p.m. and receive an hour of dance lessons starting with the basics. After 6 p.m., the floor becomes open dance and a Latin band plays music for the dancers to groove to. There is an $8 entrance fee and children 12 and under get in for free.

Unfortunately I was stuck in Phoenix this past weekend so I did not get to the social until 7:30 p.m. When I got there I could not believe how much dancing was going on! There were probably around 25 couples scattered on the spacious dance floor. At the front of the crowd was a band called Señor Q playing live music.

After standing in the corner for all of five minutes by myself, I was greeted by Mike Maliner, a Salsa instructor. He’s only been in Tucson for five years, but is an avid Salsa dancer. He told me he learned his Puerto-Rican techniques at the Copacabana in New York. He also became my personal Salsa instructor… but we’ll get into that later.

Then I ran into Gerardo Armendariz and his wife Lupita, the hosts of Tucson’s Sunday Salsa Social. They welcomed me with smiling faces and bubbly personalities. Not meeting these people before, I could already feel the passion oozing out of them. They are serious lovers of Salsa and want to share their love with everyone around them.

Gerardo, originally from Sonora, Mexico, came to the University of Arizona nine years ago. He and his wife founded Ritmos Latinos, U of A’s salsa dancing club. They also teach choreography and dance lessons.

The couple decided they wanted to expose and promote Salsa dancing in Tucson while creating a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

“We wanted to push more for a family atmosphere here in Tucson. Most of the Salsa clubs around are only for 21-year-old people and older. So we target a group of people that can’t go to these places,” Armendariz told me.

I also ran into a fellow Wildcat who loves Salsa.

His name is John Calvo. Even though he is 21 and can get into local Tucson Salsa clubs, he still enjoys coming to the socials.

“I started out dancing Swing and Hip-Hop and then I got involved in Salsa, and I love it!” he said.

After talking to John, Mr. Maliner found me again and told me that if I wanted to report on Salsa dancing, I needed to first-hand experience it.

At first I laughed it off and told him I’d be better off on the sidelines, but he persisted and pulled me on the dance floor. Fifteen minutes later, I knew the basics of Salsa and now I am craving more!

If any of you feel tempted by the Salsa experience, I highly suggest you spend your next Sunday night at the Salsa social, and do not be surprised if you see me there twirling and twisting to Grupo Señor Q. Even if your feet are like concrete and you have no dancing skills, Gerardo assured me it is a simple and fun dance for anyone to learn. Come as a couple or come by yourself, either way you will be greeted with smiling faces, loud music, delicious food and a dance floor with endless possibilities.

Make sure you check out other Salsa clubs such as El Parador Restaurant and Monsoon Nightclub at Desert Diamond Casino.

***Check out this introductory video to Salsa dancing I found on youtube***