Sky Mambo Project Celebrates One Year Anniversary at the Harem Nightclub

Labor of Love Salsa Night Continues to Grow

When a group dedicated salsa dancers got together to create a night that was just about salsa and just about dancing, no one was sure if it would really work. Salsa clubs that were popular in hot spots like New York in the 80's and 90's fell on hard times as dancers became more technical with spins and performance quality social dancing and started consuming less alcohol. Just as the dancers thirst dried up, the dance venues did too. In November 2007, the Copacabana in Manhattan closed, due to subway expansion, ending an era in New York City where the American style salsa dancing originally took shape. However unlikely, the Detroit salsa scene has not only survived, it has become resurgent with clubs like Harem showing that not only can it work, it can thrive. Sky MAMBO team member Samer Georges recalls when he first was introduced to the salsa scene "Back in 1996 we had one club. Now we have a new club opening every week!"

The Sky MAMBO project -- referring to the New York style of dancing and the visionary quality of the night consisting of Jamin Williams, Dr. Shekyla Scott, Catherine Martinez and Samer Georges, started as a response to what the dancers felt was a gap in the dance scene -- a club that not only catered to the current crowd of "salseros", but would draw new dancers into the scene and help them get started. As they searched for a location, Harem nightclub seemed like a natural fit. The Harem Nightclub has had many names in the past but it was originally opened as a dinner and dancing club in the 1960s. The SKY Mambo team envisioned a night that would provide the quality dance floor and music that Detroit's hard-core salseros would love as well as two free salsa classes and friendly atmosphere to help new comers immerse themselves into the scene. All of the SKY MAMBO team members are also part of YA Salsa – a volunteer group dedicated to grow the salsa scene in Detroit. As Samer Georges notes, "the YA Salsa socials really helped grow the salsa scene but Detroit still needed another opportunity for dancers to grow and learn in a fun social atmosphere. Club owner Mohammed Hamood was skeptical when first approached about the night, but looking back he "always wanted a night like this." At first when they opened the night, Hamood was concerned with low turnouts of 20-30 people, but as the nights have grown consistently to 100-120, not only has he embraced the night, he can often be found on the dance floor himself. Hamood says, "It's amazing how every knows everyone. They come here to dance. This is my favorite night of the week. I get more hugs on this one night than I do all week."

For the Sky MAMBO team, the first year has not been easy; requiring a dedication to be at the club every Thursday without fail even while maintaining full time day jobs. Shekyla Scott is doctor completing her residency. Jamin Williams and Catherine Martinez both work in the software industry. Samer Georges is a regional territory manager for a coffee distributor. But hosting a salsa night has become a labor of love. As Williams reflects "Hosting a salsa event in a nightclub is not something you do as a money making opportunity. People come here for the music, the classes, the dancing, and the friendly atmosphere and not so much for buying lots of drinks. So this is something we can only do for love the music, love the dance, and love for the type people that it attracts."

That labor and that love have not gone unnoticed. Many new dancers take advantage of the free lessons. Sebastian Sarkissian of Pontiac started dancing at the Harem on its opening night and is now a regular; both dancing and helping out with the door so everyone can get time on the dance floor. He says "It's the only place I know that offers this combination of 2 hours of lessons that help you keep improving and the atmosphere is great." Many of the areas best salsa dancers and instructors never miss a Thursday. A local salsa band leader David Caraballo of Grupo Salvaje who recently began to learn dancing at Harem, notes that "You don't have to be an expert and everyone is willing to teach you here." One of the most committed and certainly the most loved dancer is "Salsa Nellie". Nellie Erneta, originally from Buenos Aires and then New York City has been a fixture on the Detroit salsa scene since the late 1970s and celebrates her 77th birthday in February says "what counts is how much you love people and people love you".
The Harem will mark their one year anniversary with a special party and live music February 7th 2008 to celebrate not only the success of the night itself but those dancers who came out Thursday after Thursday each week in the last year. As Williams puts it "it's not everywhere you can walk into a nightclub and be surrounded by 60 of your closest friends that you met there. But that is exactly the kind of atmosphere this night creates and it is very satisfying to be a part of that."

To learn more about Sky MAMBO, visit their website at www.skymambo.com.

To learn more about YA Salsa, watch video clips and view photos, visit the YA Salsa Web site at www.yasalsa.com.

Contact: Jamin Williams info@yasalsa.com 248-767-4543

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