Salsa buffs make record with 47 pairs
Salsa buffs make record with 47 pairs
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Forty-seven pairs of salsa enthusiasts moved their feet and
swiveled their hips in a square rueda (Spanish for wheel), around
a basketball court in Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, South
Jakarta, on Saturday.
The dancers performed the rueda de casino, a group dance, with
pairs in a circle following simple salsa steps, from Cuba --
salsa's country of origin, where no party is complete without a
rueda.
"Whenever people get together the dance. Even when they walk
down the street," said dance director Rodolfo Salas.
"It's a great way to make new friends, as you don't need to
know a person to pair with them," added the 29-year-old Cuban.
Salsa hit Indonesia a few years back with the growing
popularity of Latin American singers, such as Marc Anthony and
Jennifer Lopez -- the latter is famed for her sexy moves.
"I wanted to learn salsa because I like the songs," said Wita
Ariani, a salsa fan. "It's a good hobby too. It makes you stay
young," said the woman, who claimed to be 37 years old but looked
like she was in her early 30s.
Over the years, salsa fever has infected mid-and-upper-class
society -- and looks to be here to stay. At least 180 salsa fans
all over Indonesia are members of a salsa community.
"We invited members of the community to take part in our
attempt to register a record for 59 couples dancing rueda with
the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI)," said Albert James Loing
of Salseros, a dance club in Mampang, South Jakarta, which
organized the event to commemorate the nation's 59th Independence
Day on Aug. 17.
Clad in training suits -- white with red stripes for men and
the reverse for women -- and sneakers, rather than high heels,
the participants took to the floor as soon as the band started up
to signal the start of the fiesta, almost one hour later than the
scheduled 4 p.m.
When the band took a break, they formed rows and followed
Rodolfo's lead -- which abruptly came to an end when the CD
player conked out.
The next victims of technology were Rodolfo and his partner.
The music paid no credit to their rather complicated footwork as
it paused for split seconds after every fourth beat.
About 300 spectators -- mostly relatives of the dancers, who
paid an entrance fee of Rp 25,000 (US$2.70) each -- were ready
for the event's climax, the rueda de casino, at 6:30 p.m.
The participants twirled and tackled the steps with no
hesitation, having practiced for three months. Although the
training outfits united the pairs as one group, the sensuous
swish of material and the glamor and glitter of salsa fashion was
a sad loss.
The show ended in less than four minutes. Some kept their eyes
on the arena, anticipating more to come, to no avail.
Although only 47 pairs were present, Jaya Suprana announced
that MURI had recognized the group as the biggest to perform the
dance.
Despite the shortage of partakers, James remained optimistic.
"We plan to make an attempt for the Guinness Book of Records next
year," he said. "We will start a program this year, whereby we
will introduce school students to salsa, to find more dancers."
According to James, the current record for a rueda is 32 pairs
in Barcelona. In the United States, a record of 173 couples
stands, but they performed in several rueda.