Side-by-side Salsa
In Johannesburg, salsa is a steadily growing phenomenon that brings together a diverse group of people who otherwise have little in common. In a city that still often parties along defined lines of culture and ethnicity, salsa is a common denominator for people who share nothing but their love of the dance.
Around the world, salsa is a small underground phenomenon with a fanatical following. Among the general public it may be better known than rave parties or Gothic rock, but not by much. Yet salsa and its culture have been slowly gaining ground for the past several decades. You can now find salsa clubs in any world-class city worth its salt – from London to Dubai, from Miami to Sydney, you can dance with like-minded souls almost every night of the week.
Salsa is a secret and instantaneous passport into an unfamiliar city, where you can walk into a club and start dancing with anyone without hesitation. You don’t even need to speak the local language. Whether in Tokyo or Shanghai, salseros are conversant in the common language of this Latin dance that sprang from the barrios of Cuba, Columbia and the Dominican Republic.
In Johannesburg, the salsa scene revolves around five instructors from diverse backgrounds, all with a loyal following.
They include Vincent Moyce, a Zimbabwean who studied salsa in New Zealand; Emmanuel Sowah, who hails from Ghana; Vicky McRose, a South African who studied in London; Anthony Yates, a South African who had initially trained in ballroom dancing; and 27-year-old Thabo Molto, a South African who has been studying dancing since he was 15.
Salsa is so addictive that people who cannot spend 10 minutes on a treadmill at the gym will go for hours on the dance floor.
About 60% or more of salsa students are female, a ratio that is similar around the world. Most women appear to be biologically wired to love salsa. When the music starts playing, they appear almost helpless in their attraction to the beat. Most guys are terrified they will make a fool of themselves on the dance floor and stay clear. But the few brave souls who stick with it become dedicated, invariably sharing their female partners’ addiction.
The music seeps into their bones. They hold their heads high. Their chests are puffed out. They usually sport a sly smile that seems to shout, “I’m having the time of my life!” Many testify to the therapeutic values of dancing, saying it is impossible to dance salsa and be depressed at the same time.
Salsa Instructors in Johannesburg
Thabo Moloto of Strictly Come Salsa (Bryanston)
Contact +27 73 749 9022, email comesalsa@gmail.com or visit the Facebook group: Sunday Afternoon Salsa.
Vicky McRose of Hot ‘n Spicy Salsa School (Fourways)
Contact +27 72 265 6101, email vicky@salsa.za.net or hnssalsa@gmail.com or visit www.salsa.za.net.
Facebook group: HNS Salsa
Vincent Moyce of AfroMambo Dance Company (Rosebank)
Contact +27 72 872 8582, email afromambo@wbs.co.za or visit the Facebook group: Afromambo Dance Company
Emmanuel Sowah of Salsa Spirit SA (Lonehill)
Contact +27 82 776 1027 or +27 74 288 1798, email dance@salsaspirit.co.za or visit www.salsaspirit.co.za.
Facebook group: Salsa Spirit SA
Anthony Yates of SalsAnt
Contact +27 84 501 3013, email ant@salsant.co.za or visit www.salsant.co.za.
Facebook group: SalsAnt Salsa School
Story by © Samson Mulugeta / mediaclubsouthafrica.com
