Salsa & the City: The Salsa scene in India

I’ve been following the Indian Salsa scene since I introduced it back in 1997. Then it was a small, backwater activity for middleclass men and women, working and living in Bangalore, the IT capital of India also known as the garden city and the pensioners paradise.

Although the pensioners market wasn’t exactly captured with this new dance that started to spread slowly through word-of-mouth, it certainly got the IT professionals, looking for a way to de-stress and probably also find some real life contact with the other sex.

The rest is as they say history. By the year 2000, when everyone was talking about the Millenium bug, Salsa was another topic on people’s lips. This dance, originating from another part of the world, had made its conquest of the Indian peninsula. And so the dance kept on spreading, first to the big cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, and then across the rest of the country, to cities, which besides the Indian population, only backpackers have heard of, let alone experienced. I’m talking about Chennai, Kolkota, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Pune and Chandigarh.

The Salsa Scene turns into an Industry
Several Salsa Festivals and Congresses has sprung up over the years, and nowadays India is playing hosts to Asia’s largest Salsa congress – the India international Salsa Congress, as well as a number of other festivals such as the Goa Salsa festival, the Bachata festival, the Chennai Salsa festival and a few other festivals across the country.

But any sport is not complete without its champions. The people that holds the banner high and gives it a name and a face. So when international Salsa Champions Richard Tholoor and Sneha Kapoor put India on the international map by winning the Cabaret divisions of the European Open Salsa Masters 2007 and the Australian Salsa Classic 2007, as well as representing India at the ESPN World Salsa Championship 2007, we knew that Salsa had finally made it.

Since then I’ve had many girls and boys walking through my doors with one wish only….Make me dance like Richard and Sneha. …A challenge I’m always willing to take on!

The Salsa scene in certain pockets, especially Bangalore and Mumbai has since grown to meet international levels. The competition between dance studios is rife, and both classes and clubs are full 7 days a week. What started as a hobby one had to plan around is now readily available for anyone that wants his salsa fix. And considering the fact that music and dance are an integral part of every Indian’s life, I dare say Salsa is here to stay and grow for generations to come.

 

Salsa Socials in India
There are regular Salsa nights being hosted across the country:
Here is a city wise index of salsa socials being hosted across Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai for all Salsa enthusiasts in India and visiting India:

Bangalore:
1st Sunday of the month: LV Dance studio Socials, Opus, Palace Cross Road | Entry free | 8.00pm onwards
Friday’s: Amnesia, Chancery Pavillion, Residency Road | Rs. 200/- cover charge |
8.00pm onwards
Sunday’s: Casa Del Sol, Residency road | Rs. 100/- cover charge per head | 8.00pm onwards

Chennai:
Sunday’s: Havana, Raintree Hotel, Alwarpet | Entry Free | 2.00pm -7.00pm

Delhi:
Tuesday’s: Urban Pind, GK 1, M Block Market | Entry free | 8.00pm onwards
Friday’s: F-Bar, The Ashoka hotel | Entry free| 8.00pm onwards

Mumbai:
Sunday’s: Zenzi, Trafalgar Chowk, Bandra | Entry free | 8.00pm onwards



Lourd Vijay
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About the Author:
Lourd Vijay is the principal Promoter of Latin culture, music and dance in the Asian Region. He recently stood 10th at the “most Popular Entrepreneur of the year 2009” amongst 180 nominees from across the country. An innovative choreographer and a very able instructor, he is the director of the Lourd Vijay’s Dance Studios (www.lvds.in) in India.