Celebrate Salsa

Salsa Tech's Wednesday dance nights, which originated over three years ago at Oge-Chi's Restaurant and Lounge, have found a new home at Ceritano's.

Photos by Tuan Pham

It's 9:30 on Wednesday night in Blacksburg, and the lights are dim in the Italian restaurant on North Main Street. The floor is being cleared, and the distinctive syncopation of Latin music sets a party scene. Guests trickle in slowly: some in festive attire, others quite casually dressed. A few ladies are adorned in metallic t-strap sandals and empire waist dresses, a few men in brightly colored dress shirts and hats: they have clearly come to dance. Girls take whimsical twirls on the floor in time with the music while other patrons aloofly watch the silenced televisions over the bar in the other room. A sudden clap of hands brings all attention to the middle of the floor where the night begins, and groups of friends gather to await instruction by the tall, tan, and collected Kamal Indrisi.

Indrisi is the president of Salsa Tech, Virginia Tech's campus salsa club. This group hosts Salsa Night at Ceritano's every Wednesday, beginning with lessons at 9:30. Lessons cover the basics of salsa, focusing on partner communication (if you're not flirting, you're not doing it right), turns, and simple foot shuffles. While Indrisi and his partner effortlessly breeze through the steps, the consternation on the faces of many novices reveals the true difficulty of the dance. By 10:00, though, the room is still filled with couples, some awkwardly pairing up, all of them ready to dance the night away.

Wednesday night instruction focuses on one new dance step, but Indrisi and his community of dancers also offer traditional and Puerto Rican salsa lessons for all skill levels on Monday evenings. The music is variations on the form, featuring bachata, merengue, salsa, and reggaeton music. The venue is transformed from a dance class into an open dance floor for the remainder of the evening. The group's passion for dance is clear, Indrisi notes, "Salsa is a partner dance to African and Latin rhythms. It is a dance that is more than it appears to be. There are relationships between partners, more than just the moving." As an instructor, Indrisi's philosophy is, "As a guy it is his job to make the girl look good on the dance floor."

A gain for Blacksburg's night life also seems to mean good business for Ceritano's. Bartender Ryan Knowles notes, "We've pushed close to seventy-five to one hundred people at max in one night." In a decisive nod to the success of Salsa Tech's events, Ceritano's owners plan to remodel the back room with hardwood floors suitable for regular dance parties.

The penny-wise and adventurous may rest assured that Salsa Tech's membership dues are affordable! This group is all about creating opportunities for a fresh flavor of fun in the spirit of service for the community. All are welcome. The rhythm is gonna getcha. Promise.