On Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at 9:00 p.m., a new Latin night opens at the Manhattan Restaurant & Lounge on the north side of the city.

What will be different about it? Among other things, it will be a classy event, it will attempt to have local and regional live music on a regular basis, and you will not have to have dance lessons to enjoy it, nor be expected to have mastered ballroom-type salsa steps, or styling, etc. The only requirement is that you let yourself be swayed by the music and have fun! I can’t wait!!

Oh, and we will be bilingual because, after all, this dance was born and evolved in Spanish-speaking countries, and sometimes it seems we have forgotten that.

The “CEO” of Mundo Beat Entertainment, LLC, the promoter of the event, Stacie Kidwell (Sandoval on stage), is my daughter. So, I have her ear…to a certain extent.

I was born in Cuba, the crib of salsa (there, I said it, I will no longer worry about political correctness at the expense of fact). Never in my life did I see the “common” people concerned about how precisely they executed a turn, the exact position of their arms, which style of salsa they were dancing, etc. They just wanted to have fun. Sure, the basics need to be mastered at some point, but, beyond that, it’s all about feeling the music in your core.

I love to watch and admire ballroom dancing, or other dance performances, but not when I go out dancing. I love to learn new things, including new dances or dance steps, but not when I go out dancing. When I go out dancing, I want to socialize with my friends, I want to meet new people, I want to listen to the music…I want to dance! (OK, so I’m older now and I get winded sooner, but I remember it all very well…). In fact, I hate the interruptions to my opportunity to dance.

So, cognizant that we all have different preferences, and in order to make a stronger argument to my daughter, I’d like to hear YOUR views, because this is really about you, not me. Do you like dance lessons to be offered during a Latin night? Do you like to see dance performances during a Latin night?

In the spirit of full disclosure, when you respond, please let me know if you are a professional or semi-professional dancer, or dance teacher.

See you on the dance floor Wednesday!

Margie Esteban-Gonzalez