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Dance:
Salsa
Crazy I run in circles that include both punk rockers and hip hoppers, meaning I frequent bars and concerts, not "traditional" dance halls. When I dance, it's normally to the tempo of loud, pulsating house music, and usually involves completely unprecedented and indecipherable stomps, shuffles, hand slices and jabs — like a hippie version of the robot that I make up as I go.
I showed up at my introductory salsa class with an unkempt beard and disheveled hair, wearing a Navy pea coat. The sterile ballet studio atmosphere created by Studio B's blazing fluorescent lights and laminated wood floors was not the environment I expected for a salsa dancing class. I was hoping for palm trees and a dimly lit room, where no one could really see what I was doing and not doing right. I was surprised to see a full class of men and women of varying age and ethnicities, with disproportionately more women to men. That automatically meant I needed to stick around. Besides wanting to experience a new social setting, I loved the tempo and rhythms of salsa music. So I stuck with the hour-long class and didn't feign the ankle injury I was planning earlier in the evening. Jose Cruz Jr., one of Eugene's most prominent salsa instructors, started with the "basic step": a simple back-and-forth and side-to-side shuffling sequence. Synching my foot movements to a simple eight count was easy. I thought I was going to nail this whole salsa thing. But then we started doing the "basic turns," and nothing made sense anymore. I was dizzy after spinning around on my left foot a half dozen times. The night wasn't going too well. My ankle really did start to hurt and I was discouraged. The fact that everyone else in the room was also a beginner helped boost my confidence. "Some people say 'I wasn't born to do this,'" Cruz said to the class. "All you have to do is love it. All it takes is dedication." For the uninitiated, the term "salsa" is a generic label used to refer to several styles of Latin-infused music. The mambo, son, cha-cha-cha and charanga are all individual styles of music from different regions of Latin America and the Caribbean that often fall under the umbrella of salsa. Many musicians and critics agree that the style and culture of salsa originated in Cuba with son music, which initially thrived amongst the poor and working class. When Cuban immigrants landed on the East Coast of the U.S. they brought their music with them. It developed into what we now consider salsa. When Mario Mora's salsa event at the Vet's Club rolled around, I was not ready to dance. I attended solely as an observer. Mora, who has taught salsa classes in Eugene for more than ten years, holds monthly dances at the Vet's Club, which also includes a free one-hour instructional period before the dance begins. Festive white Christmas lights hung from the rafters as multi-colored lights in varying star patterns shot across the floor. Although I was not dancing I found extreme joy in watching others dance with very fluid, decisive and dynamic steps. It was inspiring. I was surrounded by Latinos, Caucasians, high school students, middle-aged couples, professional dancers as well as beginners; people of different backgrounds and abilities dancing together in the same room. Mora was right when he said, "When you see people dance, and the enjoyment on their faces, you want to be like these people." It made me want to continue my salsa classes and become a better dancer so I could be exactly that — one of these people. Salsa dancing really is fun, and the music is infectious. Anybody, regardless of background, can learn salsa and is welcomed by the local community. "When you go to the bar where they're playing hip hop, if you fall they won't pick you up, they might step on you" Cruz says. "In salsa, they'll pick you up." I've already enrolled in Cruz's intermediate level class, and will be dropping in on Mora's beginner class. José Cruz Salsa Dance Performance 8 pm, Cozmic Pizza, Saturday, 3/19. $5.
WHERE TO SALSA Mario and Jenny Mora hold regular salsa dances at Mac's at the Vet's from 10:30 pm-1:30 am with a free lesson at 9 pm. Upcoming dates: 3/11, 3/25, 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/13, 5/21, 5/27, 6/10, 7/15, 8/12, 9/9, 9/23, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18 & 12/2.
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