Salsa dancing on Long Island heats up, thanks to Bad Bunny
Jennifer Samaniego, 23, grew tired of watching from the sidelines as her boyfriend, who's of Puerto Rican descent, dances salsa, a Latin genre that developed in New York from Spanish Caribbean rhythms. Samaniego, a physician assistant student from Patchogue, is not Latina, and didn’t grow up dancing.
"When we go to parties, he dances with his mom," she says at Salsa Sensation studio in Levittown on a recent Thursday. "He took us to a salsa festival and I could not dance."
The situation could have stayed awkward, if not for two events.
One: Her bestie, Lilly Rattien, 23, of Medford, embarked on "a year of doing new things," which included salsa lessons.
Two: A January album drop that has Latinos and non-Latinos alike suddenly signing up for salsa dance classes.
Grammy-winning reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) known for his explicit lyrics and hip-grinding tracks, spent some time back in his native Puerto Rico, mulling over his roots. The resulting album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" (DtMF; "I should have taken more photos") is a love letter to — and a history of — the island and its diaspora, set, not just to reggaeton, but to older dance music traditions like salsa that generations of Puerto Ricans grew up with, but that have become less fashionable.
Bad Bunny's latest album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" incorporates dance music traditions like salsa. Credit: AP/Marta Lavandier
DtMF has made salsa fashionable again. It is featured on several tracks, most notably "Baile Inolvidable" ("Unforgettable Dance") which quickly became the first salsa song to hit number one on the U.S. Apple Music chart and Billboard Global 200.
That album was all Samaniego needed to hear.
"I always wanted to learn salsa," says Samaniego. "Then I heard the new Bad Bunny album and it was the perfect time to start."
They found a beginner class at Salsa Sensation in February and five classes in, they were thrilled with their progress. "We want to start going out now," she says.
Others want to connect with their own families. Renné Bautista’s Colombian family dances to Latin music at parties, but he doesn’t. The 33-year-old electronics technician and reggaeton fan from Patchogue says he "always wanted to take a salsa class, and the Bad Bunny album was the catalyst to do it. I would love to be able to go to a salsa club and have the confidence to dance." He just finished his first lesson. "I am hooked," he says. "I will be here every Thursday."
Salsa can become a lifestyle. Salsa Sensation instructor Omar Bato was a beginner once too. As a Filipino American growing up among Latin culture in Brooklyn, he had to learn salsa to keep up. "Salsa has done so much for me," says the 45-year-old from Huntington. "I found my wife through salsa. I had health issues: congestive heart failure, arthritis. But I keep my heart active. Dancing helps so much. And meeting wonderful people, learning the salsa culture."
Dance instructors Omar Bato, left, and Shanill Bato do a salsa demonstration for a class at Salsa Sensation in Levittown. Credit: Morgan Campbell
At Dance With Us Long Island in Syosset and his private studio in Amityville, instructor Bryan Perez, 29, is also seeing a Bad Bunny-fueled surge in interest.
"Two salsa songs, "Baile Inolvidable" and "La Mudanza," are blowing up on Instagram," Perez says. "He tapped into my generation and younger generations that love reggaeton. Putting the songs on there made salsa cool. Salsa had kind of died down, but every once in a while you get a banger salsa song and that’s what’s happening with this album."
Perez says beginner salsa classes that typically drew 10 to 20 people are now attracting 25 to 30. "There’s a 20-50% increase of people inquiring and joining." He says much, but not all, of the new interest comes from Latinos who want to reclaim their heritage. Perez himself is Dominican and Puerto Rican, but only came to salsa to recover from a sports injury, so he gets it.
Mariel Salamanca, of Baldwin, left, and instructor Bryan Perez dance together at Dance with Us Long Island in Syosset. Credit: Morgan Campbell
"If we don’t hold on to our culture, it won’t be preserved. Puerto Ricans are going crazy for this album, but it resonates with all Latinos," he says.
Longtime La Fiesta 98.5FM DJ John G (Gutierrez), 44, is seeing the Bad Bunny effect in callers to his daily old-school salsa show. "The first track, "Nueva Yol," starts with a sample from [salsa legends] El Gran Combo, but the younger generation didn’t know that song," he reports. "Now I am seeing a spike in requests for it and now I am getting younger kids asking for it. It’s about a 25% increase."
Back at Salsa Sensation, three back-to-back sessions are packed with people getting to know one another through dance. Folks start dancing in pairs right away, With everyone constantly switching partners, instructor Omar Bato sets strict boundaries for partners dancing with strangers, so everyone feels comfortable.
Alyssa Lampros and Isabella Rivera, both 25, met at the studio a year ago and are now fast friends. They are both part Puerto Rican and started salsa as a way to connect to their heritage. While Bad Bunny didn’t bring them to salsa, the message resonates. "I’m not much of a reggaeton fan, but Bad Bunny really caught my attention with this album," says Lampros. "It is so refreshing to hear him break out of his genre and bring salsa back."
Rivera agrees, "My grandmother was born there, but she didn’t teach her kids Spanish; I wasn’t encouraged to learn about my culture," she says. "I think it reminded a lot of Nuyoricans about their roots. It makes them want to become better dancers, learn more about the culture, and learn Spanish." Nuyorican, a blend of New York and Puerto Rican, refers to New York-based people of Puerto Rican heritage.
Alyssa Lampros, of Huntington, left, and Isabella Rivera, of Westbury, dance at Salsa Sensation in Levittown. Credit: Morgan Campbell
The next step for new salsa dancers, say Omar Bato and Bryan Perez, is to attend social dances hosted by the studios. These typically all-age pop-up events allow new dancers to practice in a sheltered but social environment where everyone is there to dance, no matter the age or the background.
It is important that people understand that absolutely everyone can be taught to dance.
- Bryan Perez, a salsa instructor at 375 Dance Studio in Carle Place and his private studio in Amityville
"It is important that people understand that absolutely everyone can be taught to dance," says Perez. "Learning to social dance is healthy; it’s social networking. If you are a couple, it definitely spices up the relationship. The community is so precious with so many walks of life, so many rich influences. The world can seem toxic and negative, but dancing puts that away and you have a good time."
And no one has to watch from the sidelines.
JOIN THE SALSA MOVEMENT
Salsa Sensation
WHERE 3000 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown
COST $99 for one month, one class per week. No partner or experience necessary. New sessions start on rolling basis.
MORE INFO salsasensation.com, 516-731-4400
Bryan Perez at Dance With Us Long Island
WHERE Dance With Us Long Island, 235K Robbins Ln., Syosset
COST $15-$100, depending on package selected and number of participants.
MORE INFO Bryanperez529@yahoo.com, 516-532-1106
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