Sylvain's Salsa Party
by Erin Salona
posted June 22, 2004

As the warmth of the sun dissipated and the cool air settled along the extension of night, the movements of dance brought warmth to Sylvain's home on Saturday, June 19th. We transformed a quiet home in a peaceful neighborhood into a celebration of Salsa, friendship, and the birthday of our friend Marques who turned twenty-four. Once Sylvain's furniture was removed from his living room by the strong arms of men and my watchful eyes as I enjoyed my first glass of wine, 400 square feet of dancing space were revealed. . . but not for long.

Although we did not have an actual deejay, our favorite Salsa music swept through the house continuously due to Sylvain's extensive cd collection. And once that music started pumping, the bodies began their untamed pulsations across the dance floor! Our new friend Borris showed us some new moves and we tried out some new Erin and Yang patterns, and lucky for us they were there to abandon their teaching mode and show us the real stuff equipped with the attitude, neck drops, and multiple spins of the pros. The intensity of dance was broken up, however, by a more humorous--but no less skilled-demonstration of 'follow the lady.'

Now Ancil and Yang are good looking guys, but how do they handle the pressures of womanhood? With grace, dignity, and a little shake and shimmy of course. Yang's Erin unexpectedly metamorphosed her usual follow status into that of a lead, and damn did she make those guys look pretty! Thankfully she understands that it is the lead's responsibility to make the woman look good at all times. The highlight of the evening-which was met by a standing ovation and good-hearted applause-was Ancil's waist-high side-kick at the grand finale of his elegant shines. (But then again, what's a guy to do when the woman puts him in a T-stance?) A second distinguished move which you typically do not see in the elite dance clubs was the head-lock opposed to the dip at the culmination of the dance--but Yang appears to have recovered well. After a couple hours of dancing, we took a break to wish Marques a happy birthday.

Blowing out the candles on the cake does not suffice for a salsero-he requires the attention that only a salsera can give. . .make that salseras. All of the women at the party formed a circle around Marques who danced with each salsera for thirty seconds. Unfortunately for the some of the ladies, an abrupt finish due to the time constraint left them high and dry, but we ladies must remember that it was Marques's birthday. While we enjoyed the birthday cake, our Turkish friends assembled themselves for a belly-dancing treat, and they soon had many others out on the dance floor gyrating their hips and proving that they're more than just Salseras.

Salsa parties are more than Salsa music and dancing; they bring together lively and social people who know how to become fast friends in under five minutes. For many of us, we were immersed in our jobs and adult responsibilities before we found this passionate dance and learned of its intricacies. But as we learned and are still acquiring its numerous patterns, we discovered friendships with wonderful people from Cuba, France, China, Trinidad, Turkey, America, and the list goes on. Let us extend our gratitude to Sylvain for his hospitality and hope that he will host another Salsa party this summer, but until then please Salsa if you know how and learn if you don't; it's time for everyone to shut up and dance!