IS SALSA DANCE CRAZE DYING?

Bay Area’s salsa mogul Evan the Salsacrazy  has been lamenting salsa’s decline for years - if anyone would know it would be this former dancer turned promoter who traveled the world checking out salsa hotspots.  A recent Portuguese visitor who lives in Ireland confirmed the sad fact that kizomba is converting European salsa fans.

Here in the Bay Area we also had our share of turmoil.  A popular salsa club The Glas Kat closed awhile ago and the remaining salsa “church” Cafe Cocomo finally closed its doors for good.  With it we lost Taste Friday and other salsa nights.    Hot Bachata Nights lost its first venue, then, once again, lost its new home on Broadway. Tianne’s socials popular with dancers - gone. Old Roccapulco history spooked dancers who never really adopted this club as their own in spite of the new owners’ efforts to offer salsa competitions and boost attendance.  The new venue at 550 Barneveld is still trying to live up to the good old Cocomo, but $20 covers and $4 water deter many regulars.

So, for awhile, San Francisco salseros were “homeless” and things looked bleak.  It was a great opportunity to infuse new life into the salsa scene, but, one after another, new venues failed. Short lived Cesar’s Palace? Gone.  Club Verdi, a fabulous old club that has been home for swing dancers for years ($8-10 with a live band), could have become the new salsa “church”, but  overpriced cover deterred avid salseros who spend a small fortune to cover costs including gas, bridge tolls, drinks, dates etc.  So promoters who are milking the vacuum run the risk of losing them altogether.“Secret words” to get a discount fueled further resentment.  By the time reduced cover and free nights were introduced, it was too late to bring dancers back.  Lesson learned? If dancers don't get what they need, they'll create their own choices and the salsa scene will be further split into beginner venues and dancers' socials.

So what do you do? Promoters who think they must accommodate beginners first and foremost - after all they are the ones who pay for lessons - forget a simple fact: without advanced dancers on the floor who inspire them, beginners will take a few lessons and quit so the promoting process and expenses never end as you’re always chasing new faces. 

In an alternative business model smart promoters cater to regulars who can be accommodated with the good music, good  floor and free water.  Is it too much to ask?  But if you do win their loyalty, regular dancers will reward you with regular attendance and priceless free word-of-mouth promotions that will bring more beginners.  In Paris, good dancers are not only encouraged to attend with all kinds of perks, some are hired as taxi dancers and must invite beginners or those ignored by others.  They wear neon bracelets, everyone can see them and they cannot refuse a dance if asked.  As a result, dance schools are flourishing, beginners take classes for years, instructors are demanding, and the overall skill level is astonishing.  In a regular dance venue,  85% of salseros are advanced and the number of dance troupes is minimal.

But “revenons nos moutons" (back to our sheep) as the French say.  Here in the Bay Area we worried that bachata would destroy salsa, now the new threat of kizomba is looming, but, in spite of all the fears, there’s still a solid hard core group of salseros who will save the day once again.

A new dancers’ initiative, Palladium Mambo, is thriving on the last Friday of the month in spite of total lack of promotions.  Ricasalsa brought back its social, aptly named Deja Vue, to the Metronome ballroom. https://www.facebook.com/events/738514679573822/  Mentioned above Bachata Nights with 3 rooms of dancing will be held every Friday at 550 Barneveld.  Check http://www.dancefridays.com/  where you can print your free pass.  Moreover,  its promoter Corey The Sweetheart,  printed 100s of free passes to his new dance spot in Berkeley every Wednesday night - that’s how you attract a devoted following to a new venue, especially a pricy one.

So it looks like Bay Area salsa junkies have new choices now.  Moreover, while SF salsa congress has been steadily shrinking, the yearly SF Salsa Festival is thriving and is coming back on the first weekend in April with none other than New Swing Sextet - one of the dancers’ favorite bands from NY.  Salsamania’s John and Liz are current with changing music tastes and are keeping up with San Francisco’s mambofication.  Still, the remaining fans of Avance will have a chance to dance to their faves too.  http://sfsalsafestival.com/

Finally, let’s not forget  Cuban salsa that lives in a parallel world mambo aficionados rarely  visit.  Its yearly Salsa Rueda Festival is happening right now http://www.salsaruedafestival.com/ and in spite of expectations of being bored, I was pleasantly surprised at the festival’s opening Thurs. night - it was fun; the music was not as monotonous as I remember from Ritmo y Armonia days and many dancers were superb with varied and creative moves.  This salsa scene is alive and kicking.

One last note: behind all the successful venues there’s a people’s person or a group of people’s people who will do their best to please even the most demanding crowd and avoid aggravating anyone.  Corey and Ricardo and Tianne and John and Liz and Nick from Salsa Rueda Festival are successful largely because of their accommodating nature.

So is salsa dying? Decide for yourself.

DIP (Dance in Peace)