No, this isn’t the beginning to another corny riddle.  Instead, these temps describe the excitement that awaited Team Brick when we ventured out to “Sexy Salsa Thursday” last week at Infuzion Lounge in Richmond.

That night, we attempted our own version of “Dancing with the Stars” without the call-in votes and mind-numbing commentary of that guy from “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
When I arrived, I was greeted by David Prado, a salsa instructor from Cubariqua Dance Company who, along with Clara Toro, gives free lessons to the crowd at Infuzion Lounge every Thursday night. 

Since 2006, the pair has been teaching New York-style salsa at local venues such as Big Daddy’s, the Virginia Boat Club and Fort Lee.

They are also the current organizers of the Richmond Salsa Meetup Group that includes over 400 members.  The group’s aim is to spread salsa throughout the greater Richmond area. 

David said he was immediately drawn to salsa when he first saw it, and it made him want to teach it.  “Watching the turns is beautiful,” David said.  “Salsa is like sex on hardwood.”

Thankfully, I didn’t need to tell Team Brick that to guarantee their attendance.  Clay, Dwayne, Isabel, Mandy and Mandy’s friend Amy came in right before the lessons began.

I was the only Team Brick member who had tried salsa dancing before.  In 2005, I took a few lessons to increase my sex appeal, but the jury’s still out on whether it worked or not.

Mandy admitted she was at least familiar with a few Latin dances.  The rest of the group members, however, were green like Kermit.

Salsa is a dance based on eight counts with two basic steps, the forward and backward movements.  Good timing is integral to success, and in our experience, poor timing led to hilarious results.
Before he began instructing, David asked the women and men to move to opposite sides of the dance floor.  “Gentlemen, salsa is about the ladies,” he said.  “When they look good, we look good.”

Of course, we all wanted to look good.  Amy, Isabel and Mandy learned their basic steps first.  Then, Clay, Dwayne and I were coached through opposite steps.

Things were fine when we had a Grand Canyon’s measure of space between us, but calamity ensued when we started to dance together.  I noticed that Dwayne, Isabel, Mandy and Amy were learning the steps fairly quickly, but Clay fumbled through the basic steps a few times.

David slowed down the counts to give everyone a chance to polish their moves. 

When I glanced over at Mandy, however, her mouth was agape in horror about dancing with Clay because she had worn open-toed sandals that night.  “Let me go get the camera,” Mandy said as she rushed off the floor.

There were three times more women than men there that night, so Team Brick’s female members bowed out for a while. 

Clay, Dwayne and I stuck around to practice the turn move.  Clay was relieved when he learned that we only had to raise our palms during the turns and nothing more.

“Man, this is just like cotillion all over again,” Clay exclaimed as he wiped his brow.

After a short break, Dwayne, Isabel and I returned to the floor to learn the cross move.  Things began to heat up, and when the steps got more complicated, Clay eliminated himself from the proceedings. 

After completing the advanced salsa lesson and another short break, it was time for us to venture into the Riverstone Ice Lounge.  Riverstone is the first ice lounge in the United States, so a trip to Infuzion isn’t quite complete without experiencing it. 

The fully enclosed room features ice walls, tables and drinking glasses.  A thirty-minute visit in Riverstone includes a two ounce drink, a souvenir photo and a complimentary parka and gloves to wear while inside the room. 

Before we entered, the room’s host Omed Mansoor fitted us for parkas we’d don to brave the chilly air.  Once inside, we met our bartender Taylor Cahoon, who smiled as she stood behind the shiny bar that is carved completely from ice. 

Taylor told us that most people don’t stay inside Riverstone for the entire half-hour, so we made a collective pact to confront the cold.

Again, Mandy’s feet were her downfall.  “Oh my God, my toes are freezing,” she said.  Just as my extremities began to tingle, it was time to go, but not before we got our photo taken inside the room for posterity.  As we handed Omed our parkas and discussed what a cool time we’d had at Infuzion Lounge, we finally had an answer to our original question.

FOR MORE ON LOCAL SALSA EVENTS:
Cubariqua Dance Company
http://www.freewebs.com/salsaconsabor/richmondsalsameetup.htm
Richmond Salsa Meetup Group
http://www.salsa.meetup.com/190

Ms. Kae, you know I can bust a move when I need to. 

Thanks for reading.

We all know how you like to dance Korey! I am proud you now have Salsa under your belt!

Great Article!!!!