Hot Salsa in Pheonix
by Ancil Marshall
posted July 26, 2005

Having lived in Phoenix for four months now, I can testify that Salsa is alive and well here! Six nights of the week, salseras and salseros can find one or more locations (often with live music) to dance. There are great dancers that provide an ample supply of partners. The size of the scene is comparable to Indy's which suits me just fine, since the opportunity for making good friendships is possible.

My top spots are Mythos (Thursdays) and Pepins (Saturdays). Mythos reminds me of the Red Room. By this, I'm referring to the ambience, floor space and ethnic diversity of the crowd. The salsa purists in Phoenix make this their preferred destination of the week. On the other hand, for the Jazz Kitchen lovers of Indy (which I am), the place to be is Pepins. Just as crowded as the J.K., even though there is a larger dance floor, I've often found myself making room near dinner tables, the foyer of the club, or just outside the club (not too far to not hear the music though). The crowd is predominately Latin, and they in turn, make this their top choice of the week. Other great places that I should mention here are Axis & Radius (Wed.), Sky Lounge (Fri.), and Paragon (Sun.).

Overall, I am pleased with the scene here and impressed with the skill level of the dancers. Many of them have performed at Salsa Congresses, and a small group of very talented dancers (who are also instructors) give performances at the local clubs. I will always miss the people and the scene in Indianapolis though. But in the end, it's good to have salsa to turn to when moving to a new city.