The London Salsa Scene - A Kiwi perspective

By Louise Strother : 30th May 2007

After taking a few months off dancing to settle in ie. find a job and a place to live.. I began to get itchy feet and yearn for the soulful sounds of salsa. An internet search revealed an overwhelming number of salsa clubs in London so as to completley confuse me as to which one to attend. So I took the easy option, 10 minutes away on the number 14 bus was Fiesta Havana with free salsa lessons Monday to Thursday. In a city that charges you to sit on a chair in Hyde Park, free lessons are unheard of. The club-style of salsa lessons taught at Havana is quite unlike anything they have in NZ. Jostling for space in a smoke filled club where the teacher struggles to be heard over loud music is not how I am accustomed to learning salsa. Being the entertainment for the non dancing bar patrons also takes some getting used to. My frustration at this venue ended once I accepted Havana for what it was - a place to go and have a good night out while doing a few salsa combos and not really learning anything.
My weekly attendance here continued for months until I met Martin- the fill in instructor for the beginner class and self confessed salsa addict. With a 2 year head start on me, Martin had already experienced the frustration of 'club' salsa learning and had sought out and found the best non club studios and salsa parties around London.
My first venture outside of Havana was to Mambo City's Friday night party in Ealing. Similar to Wellington's Salsadrome, the party is held in a large 3 storey hall and starts with a lesson offered in beginners, improvers, intermediates and advanced level. I paused briefly at 'advanced' and promptly kept on walking after hearing the instructor say 'you should only be here if you can do 5 spins in a row!'. The class suffered from the same overcrowding as the clubs but I guess you get that in a city of 10million and at least you could hear the instructors and werent inhaling lungfulls of smoke. At the conclusion of the lesson, the lights dimmed and the dj started up. While not yet being in on the Ealing salsa crowd where a lot of people appeared to know each other, I wasnt overwhelmed by dance offers but was pleasantly surprised by those I did get. Even the unlikely looking tubby balding white guy could dance! While on the top floor I gazed down on the ground floor, unwritten territory of the 'advanced' dancer. Now these people could dance! I stared in a jealous stupor at their sharp LA style and precise, controlled spins and decided then and there that my days at Havana were over and it was time to get real lessons!
I am now a regular at the Latin Dance Academy as directed by Susana Montereo and 'Supermario' both teaches of extreme notorioty not only in London but the world. The courses there are exactly what I'm after - no fancy combos, simply basic moves , technique, footwork and styling explained in detail. My next salsa outing was to 'Salsa on Sunday' held in a giant hall in Russel Square on Sunday nights. Again, classes are held at 4 levels followed by social dancing. The overcrowding at this event prevents it from being a really good night out and after suffering a painful elbow to the face while on the dance floor, I haven't been back. The 'Latin Collective' class on Thursday then came as a welcome relief - a spacious hall and only a handful of people. I can understand why the class numbers were so sparse, even after Martin told me about the place, a google search took quite a while to find the address and I still wondered the streets of Holloway Rd for half an hour and asked for directions twice in order to find it. With only 6 of us to the instructor it was almost like getting private tuition. To my dismay, the class was on New York style on 2 but after an hour and a half I came away with a new found appreciation and enthusiams for this style of salsa. It seemed like my salsa experiences were getting better and better and my next event was no exception - a salsa party with Salsa Fusion in Great Portland Street. Being stuck in a stationary tube at Earls Court for half an hour meant I missed the lesson bu the event was worthwhile for the social dancing alone. Again, the standard of dance was excellent, I only had one dance where I grimaced and willed for the song to come to an abrupt early ending and that was due to the difficulty of dancing with someone 6" shorter than you. While a lot of people appeared to know each other, I still had a lot of dances and after 4 hours of social dancing, I had had the best workout for months! I had such a good time there that not even the 1 1/2 hours of night buses home will deter me from coming back! When not dancing, it was entertaining just to watch all the forms of dance on display; from the simple, natural style of the South Americans to the multiple spins and shines of LA, even Boogaloo was being danced -like Salsa on speed, looking somewhat like the jive, it lacks the sexiness of salsa but makes up for it with energy.
One thing that contrasts with home is the Londoner's love of shines. Most lessons will include a shine routine at the beginning and the good dancers will always incorporate it into their social dancing. If I keep up my current daning regime, I'll have no excuse at all for returning home at least twice the dancer I was when I left!

Going to London? Contact and meet up with Louise Strother