Salsa dancing takes over the Lowcountry

Salsa dancing takes over the Lowcountry

The first time I tried salsa dancing, the dance floor was packed, Latin music swelled out the doors and beautiful people were doing moves I had never seen before. The dancers were both local and from all over, but the only language being spoken was salsa. I was hooked and I hadn't even started dancing yet.

That was a few years ago, and salsa still draws me in every week like no other night-life experience in Charleston ever has. And I'm not the only one. The ranks of salsa dancers, or salseros, continues to grow in Charleston.

One such dancer, Jesse Vickers, is a familiar face at salsa nights and is passionate about the dance.

"It's liberating and free, raw and beautiful. The perfect outlet to express yourself in a passionate way without consequence," she said. "It makes me feel alive, the most alive I ever feel. I momentarily lose my little mind!"

Her sentiments are part of what has kept the word-of-mouth buzz about salsa going.

"When we started about eight years ago, there were only a few people who knew how to dance," said DJ Luigi Bravo of Latin Groove Charleston. "Since we've had Latin nights every week, people started paying attention to it. People who knew how to dance taught others and told their friends. Suddenly, salsa grew bigger."

The popularity and benefits of salsa included the special environment generated by the dancers, and the dance moves are a great form of exercise.

"Everyone respects everyone," said Silvana Bravo, dancer and instructor. "You can go out by yourself, women can go out by themselves and have a good time. Everyone is there to have fun and just dance. Plus, it's a great workout!"

It's not a drinking atmosphere, either, unless you count imbibing water.

"Real dancers don't drink much," Vickers said. "You're dancing, you're spinning. It dehydrates you too much."

A native of Cali, Colombia, DJ Luigi offered yet another reason for salsa's success. "A good thing is that it's like a bridge between the Latin community and other countries, not just Americans, but people who come from everywhere. We can share our culture through the music. That's the beauty of it."

The beauty of the music is key in salsa dancing. Harmonies of different instruments combine to allow dancers to pick up on a multitude of sounds. Holding these sounds together is the central beat, or the "clave." These elements create a musicality of the song that is reflected in the creativity of the dancers.

"It's very upbeat. It's instrumental," Bravo said. "When you listen to salsa, you hear six, seven, eight different instruments. You just can't keep your feet together when you hear it. You can't stay still."

Jesse Vickers certainly isn't one to fight the urge to sit still. "All I can say is, listen to a Hector Lavoe song and try not to emote, try not to dance, try not to be completely enamored. It's not possible."

Lavoe is one of the best-known Latin singers and one of the pioneers of salsa in the United States. He was part of the first salsa movement in the States with

Fania Mania and is considered one of its all-stars.

"Salsa music is a combination between African rhythms and jazz and Cuban influence," DJ Luigi

explained. "The movement started in New York with Fania Records. People started paying attention to it, and it became a big success.

That happened around the 1960s and '70s. Names such as Celia Cruz and Tito Puentes were huge, and still are."

Salsa music and dancing have not faded with time. With the throngs of people learning not only in Charleston, but all over the country, it appears it will only continue to thrive.

Here, you can find lessons, a party or both at least five nights a week, obviously a good bit more than when DJ Luigi started out years ago.

Learning is not just for beginners, though. One of the things that Bravo loves about dancing is "learning something new every time, but also being able to teach someone."

This give and take of learning and teaching between dancers happens casually on the dance floor, not just in lessons. It is one of the reasons salsa has gained such popularity.

"I like the lack of ego in the Charleston scene. It is very easy for people to take up salsa and progress with it," Vickers said.

Those new to the scene or still looking to try it out already have many fellow salseros eager to show them a thing or two.

"You just have to try. Keep trying until you are comfortable," DJ Luigi advised. "And have fun! That's the main thing. Don't try to be a master. The most important thing is to have fun and just dance."

Bravo echoed his advice. "Don't be afraid to try. The only way to learn is by trying. Be willing to try different stuff and be willing to learn."

Besides, everyone had to start somewhere. Even those you think are the best on the dance floor.

"I was terrible at first, but then it just happened for me," Vickers said.

Then she offered some more specific suggestions for beginners based on her own experiences. "Don't focus so much on learning routines. Learn the basic step and how to count to the music. Then start watching YouTube videos of dancers like Magna Gopal, Ismael Otero, Joel and Ana Masacote and Eddie Torres."

However you go about it or from whomever you learn, just remember that everyone on the Charleston salsa scene is there to have a good time and learn new things.

"The salsa scene here, we are like a big family," DJ Luigi said.

"It is like a reunion every salsa night. You are always welcome. It doesn't matter where you're from. If you want to dance, that's it."