Spicing up the Fowler Out Loud series with Salsa Night
Fowler Out Loud will present Salsa Night in conjunction with the Salsa Society at UCLA and the Latin American Student Association.
By Melissa Martin
May 19, 2010 9:00 p.m.
While popular dance shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” have helped revive the feisty and flirtatious salsa dance to a hot dance floor genre, few of us actually know the first thing about the Latin art form.
With Latin American, African and Caribbean roots, the term was coined in the Bronx in the 1930s. Salsa refers to the variety of musical and performance styles the genre encompasses, and the spiciness and energy it exudes like the Latin sauce.
Tonight, the Salsa Society at UCLA and the Latin American Student Association’s salsa troupe plan to demonstrate the uniqueness and charisma of the dance at the Fowler Museum at UCLA as a part of Salsa Night in the Fowler Out Loud series.
The two organizations will perform their latest pieces, followed by instructional salsa lessons for the audience to enjoy.
“I know that there are a lot of salsa dancers in the UCLA community,” said Fowler Out Loud coordinator Sara Stranovsky. “I think it will be a really fun way of celebrating spring by getting out and about and moving, as well as incorporating a dance performance into the series.”
Stranovsky said she believes Salsa Night will be a more interactive use of the Fowler Museum, turning the courtyard into a dance floor as opposed to solely a performance space.
The forms of salsa prevalent in America are heavily influenced by Cuba and Puerto Rico. The dance form has spread throughout the country, acquiring distinct styles in different regions. Los Angeles-style salsa is characterized by immense speed, precision and flamboyance.
“There are a lot of different salsa styles. There’s romantic salsa, there’s also the very energetic salsa. So there’s a very wide range of musical styles as well as dance styles to it,” said third-year psychology student Brenda Gonzalez. Gonzalez is one of two coordinators for the Latin American Student Association salsa troupe.
Gonzalez noted common characteristics of salsa dance such as being flirtatious, intimate, lively and intricate.
Salsa Night will be unique to both Fowler Out Loud and the salsa groups, as neither get the chance to showcase instruction over performance very often. The performers, who are not professionals but simply enjoy the dance, will teach the audience salsa techniques such as basic style, partner work, timing and combinations.
Though a notably complex and well-practiced dance form, tonight’s feature aims to foster an appreciation for the arts and culture of Latin America through an art form rooted in the Latin community.
“My biggest thing every time we have a performance is like when you watch a great movie or something, that it should be something you enjoy and have a lot of fun,” said fifth-year mechanical engineering student Alex Franceschi, Gonzalez’s co-coordinator for the Latin American Student Association salsa troupe.
“A lot of times, especially in Los Angeles where (the performers) are so good that it is almost intimidating … I want them to think: “˜That looks like a lot of fun. I want to try it.’ I want them to enjoy it, appreciate it and get involved in it, too.”
With all the energy, flirtation and rhythm packed into Salsa Night, Stranovsky said she hopes it will be a warm welcome to spring and a powerful performance before the series finale next week.
“I hope (the audience) will get a taste of other groups on campus,” Stranovsky said. “I think the salsa performance will set up the final performance in a really great way. They are heating up the music.”
