Salsa, swing, Mambo among club’s repertoire

All it takes is a shimmy to add a little spice.

Members of Pitt’s Cotton Club, a student… All it takes is a shimmy to add a little spice.

Members of Pitt’s Cotton Club, a student dance group, learned all about using shimmying and upper body movement in Salsa dancing this month. The group returned from a four-year hiatus last fall, when it once again received certification from Pitt’s Student Organization Resource Center.

Shimmying, combined with upper body movement, is one of the main ingredients in local Salsa instructor Marlon Silva’s “Salsa sauce,” which he taught to students in Pitt’s Cotton Club at its last meeting.

Using the sounds of wooden blocks to tap out the rhythm, Silva also taught members of the student dance group how to Mambo.

Named after a popular New York nightclub that gained a reputation for its music during Prohibition in the ’20s, the Cotton Club embraces all types of dance.

The club’s relationship with several Pittsburgh dance groups and companies gives its members the opportunity to learn different dance moves every month. The dance groups provide instruction for free and members can learn anything from Tangos to classic ballroom dances.

Cotton Club vice president Anna Powell said the meetings receive differing levels of interest depending on the type of dance being taught that month.

The Cotton Club will hold its next semimonthly meeting on March 28. It will feature West Coast swing, which club members said is more “contemporary” than East Coast swing and incorporates steps similar to Salsa.

“It is a really great way for people to learn exactly what they want, since the steps change per month,” Powellsaid. “We just want this to be a space for kids to dance.”

The group usually has more than a dozen attendees, and the ratio between men and women is typically conducive for partner dancing, she added.

During the salsa lessons, there were enough partners to go around. After the students learned how to add some spice to their dancing, the room in the fifth floor of the William Pitt Union literally heated up as they started the strenuous exercise.

“You burn about 10 calories per minute doing this step, so congratulations, you all just burned 800 calories,” Silva told the class after it ended. The group did not have a single break during the 80-minute session.

Despite the hard work, many still find the dancing enjoyable.

One first-timer to the Pitt Cotton Club meetings, Pitt alumnus Ryan Lauer, wiped the sweat off his forehead as he explained that his friend convinced him to check out the dance lesson.

“It helps me to overcome my own shyness and to meet interesting people,” Lauer said.

Powell explained the dance club provides more than just the benefit of learning to dance.

“It is a great way to interact. It’s fun and easy and it is definitely a great form of exercise,” she said.

Although televised dancing shows typically feature dancers in extravagant outfits, the club’s dress code is more casual.

“Heels are not necessary, just clothing that you can move around in,” said Cotton Club’s business manager, Bella Salamone.

She added that most students wear casual clothing to the meetings.

The meetings have consistent attendance, but the group is hoping for increased membership.

Club president and sophomore Victoria Steger was one of the leaders who helped rejuvenate interest in the club.

“We hope to see more interest in the club in the near future. It’s just a lot of fun. I love it,” Steger said.