A young couple have had their eyes ‘opened to a whole new way of life’ after meeting new people at Horsham Salsa and getting ‘hooked’ on the dance.
Cuban Salsa is taught in a sociable ‘atmospheric vibe’ at the Chameleon on Wednesday evenings.
Between 20 to 40 people of varied ages take part in the lessons, which are followed by a ‘freestyle’ where they can stay to dance and have a drink for an hour or so.
A couple from Crawley who attend the sessions, Samantha Newton, 25, a nurse, and Evert Johnson, 26, a carpenter, are planning a trip to Cuba because of their love for the dance.
Evert said: “It’s basically opened our eyes to a whole new way of life and I suppose for us we’ve got hooked on it quite badly.
“It’s a real big Salsa Community and you start meeting the same sort of people in the same classes.
“It’s almost like a family to a degree.”
The Horsham classes attract a number of people from Latin America and other cultural backgrounds.
Jon Riley, 52, who started learning the dance around 15 years ago and now runs Horsham Salsa, said: “It’s nice in the sense that this is a Hispanic dance and if the Hispanics are happy to come along and keep coming back they must feel the vibe is atmospheric.”
He added: “Some Cubans say why does anyone who isn’t Cuban teach the dance. My answer is because it was hard work to learn it, I’ve learnt it in a way I can teach it back again.
“My bottom line is it’s an evening of fun where you happen to learn to dance but the dance provides the excuse for people to meet up and get to know each other.”
Horsham Salsa classes cost £7 per person and start at 7.45pm for the Advanced, and 8.15pm for the Beginners, Improvers and Intermediates.
For more information see {www.horshamsalsa.co.uk|Horsham Salsa.|www.horshamsalsa.co.uk}