The UK Salsa Scene

It's not just Jazz at The Jazz Cafe - in fact it's not only live music! From Comedy Nights to Belly Dancing there's a whole variety of events here to keep The Jazz Cafe fresh. Our longest running (non live music) evening is our once monthly Sunday night Salsa evenings.

Now approaching it's second year anniversery, each and every single event has been full wall-to-wall with high quality salsa dancing and teaching. I've had the pleasure of being at all 21 events run jointly by Dance2Salsa and The Alchemy Dance Company and I'd be surprised if there was a more lively and eagerly attended dance event in the area.

With the monthly event being this Sunday 18th July, I asked Dance2Salsa's very own Basil Pinnock to give a unique insight into the UK Salsa scene:

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 The UK Salsa Scene - Basil Pinnock    

  

Salsa in the UK compared to other countries...

Salsa in the UK is going through a bit of an overhaul at the moment and in some respects (in my opinion) is playing catchup in relation to other countries. There is some fantastic talent now coming through and I think that in the next couple of years we are going to see some amazing dancers coming out of the UK.

The effect of the economic climate on Salsa...

These are indeed difficult times for everyone financially. The leisure industry can be particularly impacted because leisure is often something that a lot of people can do without if things become tight financially. There is no doubt that salsa has been affected but there are companies in the industry who are still doing well - Dance2Salsa being one of them. I believe (and I am reliably informed) that this is  because we excel in areas that are important to dancers and salsa attendees generally. As a consequence, the various party nights, including our night at The Jazz Cafe, and classes that we host are always well attended.

The popularity of Salsa in Reading compared to the rest of the UK...

I think the salsa scene is pretty evenly populated around the major cities and centres across the country. As with any capital, London probably has more salsa dancers than anywhere else with perhaps a greater diversity of styles, dancers and teachers.

Inviting and friendly...

Part of the reason Salsa is so popular is the social and friendly nature of it's community. Our classes are open to anyone of any age who are fit, healthy and are willing to spend a few hours a week learning a fantastic dance. We have regular classes that start every 6 weeks throughout the year at our respective venues - full details are on our website.

Quality teaching and syllabus are key...

Every company that carries on business are attempting to offer a Unique Selling Point. Our USP is a quality of service and delivery, supported by a well researched and tested dance development program. Some of the best dancers in the area have been taught by Dance2Salsa and we have some of the best teachers delivering the Dance2Salsa syllabus. Put simply, in the area of creating great dancers, we do this better than most.

There are a number of very talented dancers emerging from Dance2Salsa and it is my opinion that we already have and will continue to produce top dancers capable of performing at the highest levels. In the last few years Dance2Salsa have produced 8 different performance teams that have gone on to perform at the top salsa clubs across the country. We also regularly play host to some of the countries top teachers and performers at our regular monthly party nights.

The role of social media within Salsa...

As a promoter, I have been involved in and with various methods of marketing. At the beginning of my journey, there was a lot more legwork involved as I had to get around to other events, classes and parties etc. Spreading the word about my classes was very heavily based on flyer promotions at various clubs and vocal networking. Social media has absolutely revolutionised the marketing effectiveness of my business. Facilities like facebook, email marketing and website promotion, to name but a few, have enabled promoters like me to massively increase my effectiveness whilst going through fewer changes of tyres on my car! The biggest impact of social media is that I can now promote nationally and internationally; something that I could not do effectively in the past.

The Jazz Cafe as a Salsa venue...

One of my primary drivers in delivering the service that I do is to host classes, parties and events in high quality venues. The Jazz Cafe is without doubt one of the classiest venues around and is somewhere that encourages people to make an effort and dress up for the night. As a company, I am proud to align myself with The Jazz Cafe.

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The next Salsa evening here at The Jazz Cafe is this Sunday 18th July.

7pm Doors open

7.30pm: Cha Cha - Levels 1 & 2 + Salsa Beginners

8.30pm: Improvers, Intermediate and Advanced Salsa

9.30pm: Freestyle

Midnight: Close

Cost - £8 all night

Visit Dance2Salsa's website to find out more

See http://www.thejazzcafe.co.uk/ for up-to-date info on what's going on here.
0118 9681442.

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