2008 Woodie Awards
Get your groove on!
Meg Townley
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People of the world... spice up your life!"
The Spice Girls may be a trend of the past, but salsa dancing is the new trend sweeping the nation- and it has made its way onto Saint Louis University's campus.
The Simon Recreation Center offers a six-week salsa dancing class in the multi-purpose room that costs $25 for members and $37 for non members. The classes last one hour on Monday nights starting at 6:45 p.m. Simon Rec will offer two sessions this semester. The first started Jan. 24 and runs until Feb. 28. The second session begins on March 21 and ends April 25.
Carmen Guynn and Caesar Cardona instruct the dance class at Simon Rec, along with many other salsa classes throughout the St. Louis area. Guynn and Cardona have been teaching as a pair since they started giving lessons at SLU two years ago. Guynn has been salsa dancing for seven years; she started at her 23rd birthday party and has been hooked ever since. In 2002, Guynn won the Miss Salsa St. Louis contest.
Salsa dancing is recommended for anyone who wants to have a good time and get an excellent workout, at minimum cost.
"It is more fun than other types of dancing," said sophomore Caitlin Rochford. "It is something that I can do while I am out. You can't exactly ballroom dance at a bar."
Rochford is extremely pleased with the instructors and the progress that she has made thus far in the class.
"They are very friendly and outgoing. The lessons are challenging, but also a lot of fun," Rochford said.
Guynn recommends that her students wear jazz shoes or socks and comfortable clothing. Full-length mirrors surround the classroom, allowing the student to critique his or her every move. The students step to a "training CD" that features salsa music with a man's voice that counts to eight throughout the song.
The size of the class ranges from eight students to a maximum of 16 students.
"We usually start with a warm-up, then we review our old turns, and learn a new move, then we practice it on our own, and then we practice with partners, and before class is over Carmen and Ceasar make up new combinations for us to try," Rochford said.
Guynn encourages her students to try out their moves at local salsa hot-spots, and she e-mails her students if any exciting events are taking place. The Web site www.saintlouissalsa.com offers a listing of clubs that feature salsa dancing in St. Louis for every day of the week. Two of the most recommended clubs for dancing are Seven and Club Viva.
Seven (3221 Olive Blvd.) plays salsa, merengue and Cha-cha-chá dance music, which is sometimes performed by live bands every Friday night from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The general admission is $7, but ladies are free before 10 p.m., and there is a lesson from 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. Club Seven recommends that you dress to impress.
Club Viva (408 N. Euclid Ave., (314) 361-0322) is located in the Central West End. Club Viva specializes in Latin music and offers free dance lessons before 8 p.m. from Tuesday until Friday. There is no cover for women, and the cost is $5 for men. Club Viva usually attracts a large crowd to the dance floor doing the salsa, merengue and the mambo.
Salsa dancing not only enhances social life, but is also a very beneficial workout. According to the Web site www.weightwatchers.com, salsa dancing can burn up to 1,000 calories in a three-hour salsa outing.
Salsa offers many benefits including weight loss and muscle gain. It boosts physical endurance and can burn about seven to 10 calories per minute. If learning to salsa in a classroom sounds intimidating, beginner step-by-step videos are sold so that people can practice salsa in the privacy of a dorm room or an apartment.
"Salsa is a great exercise for losing weight. It works the lower body muscles, the heart, and the collective cardiovascular system," said Pablo Romo, a salsa instructor in San Diego and Tijuana as quoted on www.weightwatchers.com.
Salsa dancing is not just a great workout and entertainment for a Saturday night-it's a lot of fun! So get out there and join the craze.