“Baile!” Or, as the English say, “Dance!”
Eastern’s Salsa Club–a mixture of culture, enthusiasm, free instruction and, of course, dance–has reemerged this semester.
The club, sponsored by Latinos Unidos, meets every Monday night from 8:30 to 10 p.m. in Gough Great Room.
The meetings are an hour-and-a-half long, and, according to some members, can get quite sweaty by the end.
“It’s a good workout and fun,” senior Wathira Nganga said.
The Salsa Club is being brought back after a three-year hiatus and is looking stronger than ever.
Attendance has grown every week since the club’s comeback, according to junior David Rios. Rios is president of Latinos Unidos and helps to lead the weekly Salsa Club meetings.
Rios said that the club’s focus is to “promote cultural awareness” of the Latino and Spanish world.
However, it is not just Latinos who attend the club: There are a variety of students from every walk of life.
The class starts with a warm-up of lively salsa music for students to rediscover the steps that were taught in previous weeks. This is followed by lessons from the student dance instructors who go over basic steps of salsa, merengue or bachata while the entire group follows their lead.
Although the instructors teach the basics of the steps to everyone, when they dance they do all sorts of twirls and footwork that clearly distinguish them as leaders.
First-year Amanda Mueller said that the instructors “could be professional dancers … They really push us.”
Mueller also wanted to make sure to encourage more guys to come out to the weekly dance club, saying that it gives them the chance to “meet some cute girls.”