salsa in Delhi

[Bailando]

I've been given a tip that there may be India-based dancers on this site.

Can anyone tell me about salsa dancing in Delhi? I'll be traveling there for the next two weeks and would love to check out a social.

I've found a salsa party in Delhi on Saturdays at Tapas---any reviews?

Thanks!

 

[spencer]

yes salsa in delhi is growing very fast! I have lots of friends there who salsa and sat nights at the tapas are good
Let me know when u intend to travel i will ask a few friends around in delhi and get back to u

 

[Bailando]

Hi spencer, thanks for the offer to get more information. I'm actually back from India and missed the opportunity to salsa dance on Saturday due to travel delays....had my shoes for two weeks and never used them-shame! hope to go back to India one day, I loved it!

 

[Offbeat]

I had a layover in Delhi (New Delhi) and went to Salsa social last night. I was not expecting a lot but it was the lowest dancing level Inhave ever seen at about social and absolutely crapped music. During two hours, the DJ played only three Salsa songs. One of which was timbaton and other I can't remember what it was. Only one proper Salsa. The rest was all bachata. Only one kizomba. I didn't see anyone above beginner level on the dance floor doing bachata. Only once or twice I saw someone try to do a sensual move when dancing bachata. Bachata music wasn't good either. Though people were enjoying and it was apparent they were regulars. There were about 60ish people not counting the non dancers. The crowd was young as I expected. I only saw one dancer that I can confidently say would be in his 40s. Dressing was very casual. The place was an upscale bar/resturant with big size wooden dance floor. During this time of the year AC is a must (40 to 45 degrees centigrade during the day). In my experience in all of Asia (except Japan), social dancing is always in upscale bars and resturants with little to no cover fees.

This is a regular Wed social organized by Salsa India. It is India's first and oldest Salsa school. I had been to their events in Mumbai a few times back in 2008 -2010 timeframe. There used to be around 80-100 people and 90% Salsa music. @spencer above was a regular on SF and in Mumbai scene at the time, so it was easy to get introduced. The level was okay. Lot of people were at improver level and a few intermediates. Their Delhi event at that time had a lower level and less number of people.

This particular even was advertised as social dancing with SBK mix. The cover was inexpensive by Indian standards and included a beer or mocktail. A beer or mocktail would cost more than the cover fees even in a tier two city in India. There is another regular social on Sunday which is also hosted by Salsa India at another location which I couldn't make to. I found more references to it on Internet than the Wed social which I discovered on their website.

 

[NPEADS]

I went to a salsa festival (Mumbai suburb) in 2018. So it had dancers from all over India. I was disappointed by the size(the whole festival has 200 people and there were probably 100-120 indians). There were a lot more men than women. Some ladies just watched until some organizers asked them for a dance. Social dance was very much influenced by performance type of dancing, I did not feel the real Latin music vibe. Most dancers were able to pick up soft leads (they were probably advanced beginner level). India has a great potential (meaning its usually fun to dance with indians). But they are not exposed to salsa and there are fewer women into it. I do not think its growing. Around the same time I went to another festival in Lebanon (which is a much smaller country) and they definitely had more people. Women were just as much interested as men were. Indian women are friendly (in fact most of my female friends are Indian), but I do not think salsa is popular in India. In most us cities, latinos start the events and we learn by watching them and then we fall in love with the music. That's not happening in India.