Louisville Latin Locals

As of late, I've been in a Latin dance mood and have been researching the local places to get my groove on.

Facebook has a local dance group that sends out weekly places hosting dances. They send time, date, cover charge info and anything else about the event. Sometimes there are even ladies night specials listed.

Using their list I have compiled a list of the top three places I've been to and have included a list of pros and cons about each place.

In third place is Tequila Factory Bar & Grill on Bardstown Road. They rank third for a few reasons.

• The dance floor: Solid wood, flat and very nice, but quite small for as many people that show up on Friday nights.
• Cover charge: They charge $0-20 depending on the day and if there's a band or special event going on. The more expensive charges usually are when Cosa Seria or Ta2 are playing. These bands do play here frequently and can surprise an unaware dancer with a high cover charge.
• It's more a restaurant than a dance club. There are tables taking up valuable dance space and the bar is over half the size of the place.
• Age. You must be 21 and up to go here, because of the alcohol.
• Occasionally there is a free dance lesson before the dancing officially starts.

In second place is Saints Skybar off of Brekinridge Lane. While I've only been here once, it's already on my favorites list.

• The dance floor is huge and on a separate level of the building. It's a surreal experience for a dancer.
• Seating. There isn't much of it, but what is available is comfortable and close to the dance floor.
• Age. They card for 21 and up at the door. Be prepared.
• Food is available in the lower level if you wish.
• There are multiple bars in the building, if you're of age and enjoy that sort of thing while dancing. I'll say right now, that drinking while trying to dance is NEVER a good idea.
• Free group dance lessons before the dancing officially starts!

In first place is Flanagan's Ale House on Bardstown Road.

• Cover charge. There isn't one. It's free and lots of fun.
• Age. I've never been carded, but I wouldn't try drinking at the bar if you are. They do card there. Also, If you're twelve and looking for salsa places, don't try this place, you're sure to get in trouble. I'd recommend 18 and up for this location.
• Drinks. For 21 and up only there are usually drink specials on Sangrias and occasionally other types of drinks.
• The floor is the only bad part about it. There is a lot of dance space, but half of it is broken and cracked concrete while the other half is nice ceramic tile. I don't recommend the concrete portion if you are a beginning dancer.
• Get there early for the free dance lesson and claim your seat.

I hope these few places around the Louisville area give you the initiative to start dancing in public and maybe trying out those new Merengue steps! See you around.

Merengue, so easy anyone can do it. Part 2

The last post covered the basic of Merengue and the concept of weight shifting. Now it's time to start adding turns and arm patterns. If you are familiar with Swing or Salsa dance moves, then these moves might sound really similar.

To add a basic turn in Merengue, all the man has to do is raise his left arm up and continue the basic while doing so. For the lady, it's fairly simple to follow the turn. She continues the basic "bug stomp" step as she turns to the right. The turn is complete when the couple is facing each other in the beginning position.

For a more complex turn, the man turns while the lady is actually dancing a circle around the man. I call this turn the barrel turn.

To lead this the man raises his left arm, without the lady's hand, and turns his body inward toward her and the remaining connected hand hold.

The lady continues this turn by removing her hand from the remaining hand hold, and takes steps around the man as he turns inward, but never removes her hand from his waist. By not removing her hand, this ensures that the couple knows where each other is and that they won't turn or step into each other and that they will meet face to face at the same time.

Be sure to keep the same rhythm as the song when turning. There will be a strong temptation to just spin around on one foot, but the lady must be sure to count out the steps as she turns until this becomes habit. With the more complex turn, both partners must count the steps out to execute the turn properly.

Once you feel comfortable with the turning, you can feel free to add flair or experiment with adding arm patterns. Click here to check out a you-tube play list of some great Merengue dances and patterns to work toward!