A Little Salsa Spices Up the Night : Merengue, Cha-Cha, Mambo Storm Clubs

For decades, Latin music has ignited people to move, to dance. And since the movie “Salsa” was released in May, there has been a renewed interest in Latin-style dancing and music, according to dance teachers, club owners and dance enthusiasts.

“Latin dancing in all its forms is hotter than in the ‘40s,” said Renee Victor of Van Nuys, a featured dancer in the movie who teaches salsa at Norah’s Place in North Hollywood. “There’s been a resurgence since ‘Tango Argentina.’ People are rediscovering it and having fun.”

Choreographer and dance instructor Doug Riviera sees this popularity spreading across the area.

“It’s something that inspires you to get up and move around, and people can’t move without smiling,” Riviera said.

Salsa encompasses a variety of Latin sounds and dance steps, including mambo, merengue and cha-cha.

Brett Gollin, leader of Cha-Cha-Charanga, a band that plays regularly at Glendale’s Carnivale Club, said salsa is based on the rhythm of claves--pairs of wooden sticks used as percussive instruments. But when it comes to the origin of that sound, there is disagreement. Gollin said salsa sprang from Afro-Cuban origins. But Riviera, a Puerto Rican who grew up in New York City, emphasizes a Puerto Rican influence.

“What you see in the movies is not authentic salsa,” Riviera said. “In ‘Dirty Dancing,’ they did exhibition ballroom mambo. The Puerto Ricans have taken salsa to its highest form.”

Origins aside, one thing is clear--passion is a key ingredient of salsa. Or, as Riviera says, “It’s sophistication with spark.”

What follows is a sampling of San Fernando Valley clubs that offer Latin-style dancing.

At Norah’s Place, a family-run restaurant and dance club, the patrons tend to be 35 and older, and their enthusiasm makes for a festive atmosphere on the small dance floor.

Julio Cesar Fumero, Jorge Ledezma and Beto Ramos play salsa and Cumbia (Colombian music) beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Thursdays, Victor gives dance lessons from 8 to 9 p.m. There is a $10 class fee.

Argentine singer Mario Bonnet, pianist Armando Patrono and bassist Oscar Lomoto perform tango music Friday and Saturday evenings, alternating with the salsa musicians. Tango classes are offered from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays by Raul Perotto and Robyn Adele. The fee is $10.

Like salsa dancing, tango is sexy and flirtatious but more precision-oriented.

“It’s a close, personal dance,” Adele said. “The man is the leader. He is the boss. The woman cannot do much. She has to wait for the man. But this can be very romantic.” Many of those who take lessons at Norah’s Place are married couples, she added.

Originally from Bolivia, owner Norah Lopez opened her supper club 4 1/2 years ago. Besides the various beef, chicken and fish dishes, there are also exotic items on the menu like mani (a soup made with peanuts), saltenas (juicy meat pies containing beef, potatoes, olives, peas and eggs), and quinoa (a grain used in puddings, pilafs, cakes and soups).

Saturday night, the club will offer a special New Year’s Eve program. Two bands will entertain starting at 8 p.m., and dinner will be served with champagne. Tickets are $50 per person. (Norah’s Place, 5667 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, 818-980-6900).

Four months ago, the Carnivale Club in Glendale opened its upstairs L.A. Salsa Room and the Latin beat is strong there every Saturday evening. You’ll find a mostly young, upscale, Latino crowd dressed to the hilt. Because the response has been so positive, salsa will also be served up Friday nights beginning in January. The cover charge is $8 Friday night and $9 Saturday.

The Salsa Room is a cool alternative to Carnivale’s crowded main discotheque. Murals of Caribbean beaches and a thatched ceiling offer an illusion of some faraway cabana.

Saturday night, KIIS-FM will broadcast live from Carnivale during a night of dancing to pop music. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the cover is $30 per person, which includes a midnight buffet of hot and cold entrees. (Carnivale Club, 223 N. Glendale Blvd., 818-500-1669).

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, El Sombrero in North Hollywood is open for salsa dancing. This club looks like a ‘70s discotheque with its blinking lights and spacious dance floor, but the music emanating from such bands as Los Equinocciales is strictly Latin-American Big Band. Saxophones, a trumpet and congas give this nine-member group a rich, full sound--one that keeps patrons dancing. The patrons, primarily Latinos, represent just about every Central and South American country. The cover charge varies depending on who’s performing.

Saturday night, Los Equinocciales will offer entertainment from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. The cover charge will be $25 per person. (El Sombrero, 4712 Lankershim Blvd., 818- 763-2588.)

Tropical sounds fill the air at the Moonlight Tango Cafe in Sherman Oaks 7 nights a week. Singers Don Lucas and Lenetta Kidd, accompanied by pianist Andy Howe, bass player Tom Fowler and drummer Tom Mendola, perform such tunes as “Besame Mucho” and “The Moon Was Yellow” as patrons dine on a variety of dishes. Although the club does not have a dance permit, every set includes two tangos and a conga line performed by the entertainment staff.

Saturday night’s festivities will include two dinner seatings. A cover charge of $35, plus tax and tip, includes a five-course meal and a show from 6 to 8:45 p.m. The second seating begins at 9 p.m. and runs until 2 a.m. The cover charge for the party is $99, plus tax and tip. (Moonlight Tango Cafe, 13730 Ventura Blvd., 818-788-2000.)

For those who are interested in becoming more adept at Latin steps, various studios throughout the Valley offer group and individual lessons. Here is a sampling of where to find such classes.

Arthur Murray Dance Studio (6363 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, 818-785-5433) features private instruction in a variety of Latin dances. Wednesday nights, students may participate in a dance party and practice what they’ve learned.

Individual and group lessons in salsa dancing are available at Betty Cates Dance Concern (21814 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, 818-882- 7583). A professional dancer for more than 25 years, Cates also teaches salsa dancing at Pierce College as part of the college’s Community Services program. The next session at Pierce starts in February.

The Fred Astaire Dance Resort (7350 Reseda Blvd., Reseda, 818- 343-6179) offers private salsa lessons and group classes in mambo. Dance parties are scheduled Friday nights.

Premier Dance Center (7127 Balboa Ave., Van Nuys, 818-786- 9922) provides individual instruction in a variety of dances from Central and South America, including the samba, cha-cha and mambo. Half-hour complimentary lessons are available to new students. Dance parties are sponsored by the center every 3 weeks, usually Friday nights.