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A Trojan's Guide to L.A. Swing and Salsa Clubs Before you go out dancing for the first time,
(Scaling 1-10: 1 = good place to go if you’re desperate for salsa, 10 = amazing club) SUNDAYS Rating: 10 This club attracts the BEST dancers in L.A. on Sunday nights. Cover is $5 and you should come anytime after 9. It is 21 and up. If you're not 21 or older, check out the Monsoon instead. Steven's is located in Commerce at the Atlantic exit off the 5 South. There are two rooms for salsa dancing, one of which is a banquet room used often for wedding receptions (that means it's huge). If you're not an intermediate/advancer dancer, don't be intimidated. Check it out anyway, get some dancing in, and watch the BEST dancers in LA strut their stuff. This will give you a good idea of what is possible if you continue with salsa. Rating: 9 Located in the cute little shopping district of Culver City, this restaurant/salsa club brings the best LA salsa dancers together. Put on by the famous Albert Torres Productions, it is the sequel to Sagebrush Cantina. Note that this place is ALL AGES so it’s great if you’re not 21 or 18 for that matter. Very warm and friendly atmosphere. I love the people here – you always see a friendly face. They even are nice enough to give you water FOR FREE!!! This is a favorite of mine – a real feel-good salsa club. You don’t have to worry about being intimidated by the dancers or anything else. Enjoy! MONDAYS Rating: 10 Officially my new favorite club for atmosphere and wonderful people. The dance floor is not huge, but the setting is amazing. This recently opened club located in Universal City is tucked away on the second floor of a small shopping strip. Inside, the décor is very LA style, art deco nouveau – simple and refined – dim lighting, and maroon tinted walls with candlelight. Monday nights are DJ’d but the best night to go is Thursday night since there’s a band. Very trendy place. Dress up for this one. Feels like you’re walking into an up-scale lounge, not a club. People are very friendly and polite. A top pick. TUESDAYS Rating: 10 Amazing dancers, amazing atmosphere, wonderful people, lots of space.
Overall excellent. The famous Al and Edie Espinoza teach from 8 - 9p.m.
every Tuesday night. On occassion, I've seen the salsa queen Liz Lira
teaching as well. Top dancers are creme de la creme, but thanks to the
ambience, if you're not top-notch, you're still guaranteed to have a blast.
Not to mention, it's not over crowded so you can still dance but so many
people that the place is packed. Very stylish looking joint: it fits the
Beverly Hills quite nicely. Note for the penny-savers: this place is only $5
if you email them before you show up. If you don't, it's $10. Get your name
on the guest list at least one day before. To get on their list for this Rating: 7 This club attracts the BEST dancers in L.A. on Sunday nights. Tuesdays are FREE and you should come anytime after 9. Don’t worry about not being 21 – there’s no one to check id since there’s no cover charge. Just walk in the door. It’s not particularly fancy so dressing up is not super important, but if you want to have some fun, do it anyway. Watch your head on the part of the dance floor near the DJ, the ceiling’s a bit low. Steven's is located in Commerce at the Atlantic exit off the 5 South. On Tuesdays, Steven’s only has one room open for dancing so it’s a little cramped. Don’t come on this night if you’re a bit claustrophobic. Nice bar but the bartender is the biggest jerk I’ve met. You can try sneaking in a water bottle, but I’ve been caught several times. If you're not an intermediate/advancer dancer, don't be intimidated. Come with friends and you’ll have a great time. Check it out, get some dancing in, and watch some of the BEST dancers in LA strut their stuff. This will give you a good idea of what is possible if you continue with salsa. WEDNESDAYS Rating: 9 For a more intimate and decorated atmosphere, check out the Monsoon. It is located on the 3rd Street Promenade, next to the Banana Republic. It is at the very end of the Promenade where 3rd Street meets Wilshire. If you are not 21, they often do not card (even though technically they are 21+). Tropical deco inside with warm yellow lighting. Come on Wednesday nights after 9 p.m. and see a live band. Very crowded but the highlight here is that people are FRIENDLY and they are happy to dance with you. Monsoon Cafe is a sushi bar by day. Price: $9. I always feel at home when I come here. Great place for beginners to wet their feet!! THURSDAYS This 21 and up club is free on Thursdays and is bundles of excitement. It has a smaller dance floor but the atmosphere reverberates with the rhythm. Email Zahir for more info. (See Friday) Thursday nights are not as happening as Saturday nights but if you need that salsa flavor, this is a beautiful venue you can’t pass up. FRIDAYSRating: 8 From all 10 people I’ve talked to, this is an amazing club. Massive dance floor, I mean massive. I haven’t checked it out yet but it’s on my to do list. I’m putting on the list because it’s ALL AGES and supposedly has a non-slimer, very soothing dance-friendly atmosphere. They actually bring the best musicians from around the world here. It can get to $25 but most of the times worth it. check out atpevents.com for sportsmen's and sagebrush. Check it out Albert Torres productions puts on some of the best DJs and bands in L.A. Always trust Torres when you’re looking for clubs. Conga Room Rating: 8 Chic, trendy, hip and VERY L.A. – this is the best description for the ornate Conga Room. Historically, the only club that comes close in reputation is the Mayan downtown. Every salsa dancer must experience the Conga Room at least once. Go to the website immediately to see photos of this gorgeous club. The Conga Room is the reason that people says L.A. has the best salsa clubs in the country, at least in terms of atmosphere. The Conga Room focuses more on attitude, style and what you’re wearing – it’s less for the quality of dancing as much as it is for the quality of fitting in. Don’t be ready to find the best dancers here, but do be prepared to see the ones with the most class and style. Don’t get me wrong: occasionally the crème-de-la-crème of salsa professionals show their faces but this place makes it big for the atmosphere. These days they are trying to make Fridays the salsa dancer nights, so this is a good place to go for free on Fridays but you need to be on the guest list. SATURDAYSClub MayanRating: 8 This massive restored theatre inspires those who haven’t quite gotten in the salsa groove to get with it. When it was renovated into a giant downtown club, they pulled out the seats to create the biggest salsa club you’ve ever seen. With massive screens hanging from the ceiling that have streaming salsa music videos and crazy lighting, this place is happening. This place is strictly 21 and up just like the Conga Room. Security is even tighter as they swipe your card and put you through a couple bouncers and metal detectors. Watch out – the Mayan is super crowded on Friday nights but it’s a great way to meet people and dance until you drop. Ladies – you won’t wait out a single dance so if you’re sick of not being asked to dance, visit this place. If you’re ever on a plane across the country and someone mentions they’ve heard of L.A., the Mayan and the Conga Room are the two clubs they’ll mention. The Mayan also has Hip-hop upstairs. LADIES – watch out for slimers here – since there are so many people, it makes you an easy target so watch your back and be safe walking to your car. It IS downtown L.A. Get there at 8 pm to get the free lesson by Alex Da Silva, smoothest salsa dancer in LA. Other Reviews: Planet Salsa L.A. Clubs Review Albert Torres Productions Clubs Review --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ --------)@ -------- SWING Rhythm Club - This snazzy venue opens its doors to dancers of all ages, dancing abilities, shapes and sizes. Owned and operated by our famous swing teacher Rusty Frank, the Rhythm Club features timely swing music every Wednesday night. When the bands play, enjoy the chance to dress it up a bit. On occasion, there’s a bit of cake and cookies too. It’s the best place for beginners to wet their feet and for veterans to whet their appetite for a little Lindy by the Sea. Usually it’s $8 on DJ nights, but Rusty gives a special discount for her Trojan pals. Band nights are $12, $10 if you flash your USC i.d. This joint is an old favorite of ours, and of course that’s why we’ve listed it first. If you flip through Rusty’s Photo Album, you’ll chance to see some Trojans flashing the victory symbol and look for other Trojans dressed up for the 2003 Halloween bash. Lindy Groove – Look to the Lindy Groove for the young, happenin’ crowd. The floor is huge, as it’s located in the Pasadena Masonic Temple. You’ll get lost in the jazzy tunes and trendy Lindy Groove t-shirts. Keep your eyes on the area in front of the stage – this is where the top-notch dancers tend to congregate. Be brave and ask them to dance; you won’t regret it. It’s $7, but well worth the price. This and the Rhythm Club are my personal favorites. Once you’ve got a few moves down tight, hop on over to Lindy Groove and you’ll still be dancing after they’ve turned the lights on at midnight. Also, go to the website and register with your birthday. Free birthday table, cake and free passes for you and 10 guests on the week of your birthday. Trust me – the chocolate cake is delicious! Memories - Memories has the best floor I have ever danced on. Period. Plus it has two of them. Memories is the heart of Orange County dancing, and it's always nice to leave the LA stuff and try a change of pace in OC. Since it's all ages and only 5 dollars to get in, it's a great place to go for some serious stuff. But this is a drawback as well. When we say "serious stuff" we mean it. The dancers here are intimidatingly good. If you don't mind that then dancing with them is probably one of the best ways to improve. The DJs are really good too, playing a great mix of tunes for all styles, including Shag and Balboa. Unfortunately, Memories happens to be in Anaheim, which is really far away. But if you have nothing else to do and a lot of time to spare, take a trip and check it out. It's really worth it. Bring a lot of friends so you can all sing along to "Just a Gigolo/Nobody" in the car. Pointe 705 - Pointe 705 is cute and cuddly. It's like a time machine, and as soon as you walk in you feel like you're in the 40's. The booths open up in semi-circles to the floor, with curtains to seperate booths! How cute is that? The place is 18 up and it only costs 7 dollars to get in, and that includes the lesson. Rusty and Peter give the lesson and Peter DJ's between the live band, which is always a plus. These two not only teach here, but MC the night, and it's wonderful to have two people so into the scene with their own club to play with. Their wonderful attitude injects the club and the dancers, and they love playing dancing games along with the people. The people are also really open and inviting. They're mostly disciples of Rusty & Peter and since they all know each other, they're happy to let you in on their circle. Dress up nice and old school for this club in order to blend in with the surroundings. 3rd Street Promenade - The most fun spot in Los Angeles to dance also happens to be the least dance-appropriate. The 3rd St. Swingers are actually a small group of dancers who got a street-performing permit so they could dance in the middle of the Promenade. You can join too for an annual fee of 10 dollars plus a dollar every time you go. In the winter, the cool weather makes for a nice natural AC, and the people who dance there are truly there for the love of the sport. This is also a wonderful place for dancers who like to play around. Since there's a small audience of people watching you, it's a lot of fun to mess around for their pleasure. All in all, this is my favorite place to go. The Hollywood Palladium - The Hollywood Palladium is the Satin Ballroom on crack. It's bigger, cooler, nicer, posher, with better bands and a higher ticket price. However, since the Palladium only tends to host a swing event every couple of months or so, it's easy to find the cash and the time to spare. The Palladium was once a big hotspot for dancers and you can see what I mean when you go. It's very conducive to dancing, with a giant spacious floor that makes the Satin Ballroom seem like the Marks Hall lobby in comparison. Also, if you're from a neighboring state, you might find some of your old friends making 7 hour treks to the Palladium. Plus, there are drinking fountains. Yet there are drawbacks. The floor is a little sticky, thanks to the years of neglect and punk rock concerts, and the atmosphere, although posh, is odd. Still, the best people are here, so make sure you catch a front-row seat to the swing jam. Since it's only three or four times a year though, it's always worth it to go--as a special occasion sort of thing. Other Reviews: |