Skirts whip past as their wearers twirl at alarming speeds, changing partners within the circle formed at the center of the stage as someone calls out moves. This dance, called Salsa Rueda (meaning "wheel" in Spanish), is one of the dances the Salsa Club performs throughout the year.
The organization, which is in its second year at the University, has generated a lot of interest.
"We had over 400 people put their e-mail [addresses] down at the Activities Fair, and that's not even to mention the members we had from last year," said Salsa Club president Erin White, a third-year Commerce student.
She emphasized that the members are one of her favorite aspects of the club.
They "are really enthusiastic about learning salsa," White said. "A lot of the different instructors we have are from different backgrounds and there are different types of salsa that they are good at. It gives the club a well-rounded aspect."
The members of the organization span all ranges of salsa dancing experience. Third-year College student Joon Lee, treasurer and an instructor for the Salsa Club, never danced salsa before he joined the club last year.
"I didn't know I could dance until I joined," Lee said. "It's been a lot of fun and I met some great people. The most rewarding thing for me [has been finding out] that I know how to dance -- it's a great skill to have."
On the other hand, White performed Latin dance when she was in high school and was already "really into" salsa dancing.
"My first year, I didn't do any [salsa] because I didn't know how to get involved," White said. "When I heard about the club, I was really excited because this was obviously something I was really interested in. I got to know the founder and last year's president and head instructor and other people who helped him out, and I got really involved."
While the Salsa Club's members love dancing in general, they said they enjoy salsa dancing in particular for many reasons.
"I chose salsa over other types of dance because, for me, it's a balance between more improvisational types of dance and more strict ones," Lee said. "It combines both the structure that gives you good foundation and yet is very free. You can always improvise and make the dance very, very unique to who you are."
White said she chose salsa dancing because of the atmosphere that comes with that type of dance.
"The music is very fun and upbeat, and it's a social dance," White said. "You get to know people by dancing with them -- it's not uptight. When you dance with someone, you try to mesh your style with theirs and you inevitably learn something from them about the way that they dance, lead, follow."
White set this apart from salsa's counterparts.
"With many other forms, it's a solitary dance -- you don't have to make a connection with somebody else. That's what I appreciate about salsa," she said.
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