Fusion Friday @ Pi Banquet Hall - September 17th, 2010
Last Updated April 6th, 2010 by Salsa Pete
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An awesome salsa night!
Salsa Detroit’s first salsa night at their new location in the Pi Banquet Hall was nothing short of awesome! I was already a big fan of this night when it was inside the Pi restaurant and now it is even better. The most prominent difference is that there is more space to dance and more space to sit, stand, and socialize. Also, since SalsaDetroit added the club style lighting effects, the room has much more of a happening nightspot feel then the restaurant did. It goes a long way to set the party mood. Everything else that made the restaurant night cool is carried over to the banquet hall with no problem. The salsa classes are filled with enthusiastic newbies, the music is top notch with salsa being played the most, and lots and lots of new faces and seasoned veterans to dance with.
SalsaDetroit has managed to bring together all the right elements in the right place and I have no doubt that this night will only get better and will be around for a long time to come.
The only downside to this night is that it is only once a month :)
Pete, Cisco, great job!!
So well put Jamin! I
So well put Jamin! I should have put my comments in our YA web as well... Guilty!
Well, it was reeally an awesome night & I can't wait to go back! EVERYBODY was coming to mama to express their content & wish that it continue to be done in the banquet hall!
So... I really hope to see you all there on April 17th!!!!!!!
Yes Awesome
This was indeed an awesome event ... only problem is the next party is in conflict with the salsa party at the Firefly Club in Ann Arbor ...wish all the salsa event planners could communicate and not conflict.... it may be hard for me to leave Ann Arbor (home) and come to Southfield ... but I may ... new scene, new dance partners and good music selections!
Raymond
What party at the Firefly Club
I didn't know there was a salsa party in AA at the firefly coming up.
Construction on 696
If you're coming from the West and usually take 696 to North Western to get to PI (like I do!), you should know that 696 is being shut down at 9pm (for the whole weekend) between 275 and M-5 effectively cutting off that route. You can take 12 mile all the way over instead.
I love Pi! I'm so glad they
I love Pi!
I'm so glad they are having it twice a month!!!
Keep up the good work!
Review: Fusion Fridays @ Pi
I have to say that I have only been to Pi a few times since they opened, but I am always excited and happy while I'm there, and after. It's great to see Peter's smiling face at the door - I know he has to be that way, but you never feel it - being a good host is really important for any event.
I spent an hour or so in the restaurant before heading into the banquet hall and I can't understand how the gig was pulled off in the restaurant space before it moved into the hall a couple months ago. Pi in the banquet hall has much more floor space - and pretty decnet floors. One area of contention is the portable floor that's added on to the main dance floor: It's sticky, mushy and the seams between sections are uneven so my (and other ladies who have mentioned it) heels get stuck from time-to-time on the spins. Boo.
BUT, as usual, the music was great and I think the best of all (most likely because Fusion Fridays is now twice per month) the crowd was just a little thinner than usual, which means there was a little more room to move.
The drinks are reasonably priced and I also noticed more seating this time around, which made for much nicer breaks.
Good stuff. Keep it coming guys.
Hey Cisco, can I get a playlist??
~ Jess
Salsa Lessons
You need to have the start time for the lessons on the flyer/advertisement. Particularly for beginners that really need to be there at the start of the lesson.
Start time
hello,
what is the start time for?
Pi Start times
I am not positive, but in the past the lessons have started at about 9:30 p.m., give or take a few minutes.
~ Jess
if u go there by 9 u should
if u go there by 9 u should be okay!!!
Nice
Nice class!
Thank you, Jessica and Marc.
Excellent job!
Fusion Friday - October 16th with Jessica Joseph and Marc Brewer
It's about that time again for Salsa ALL Night long with DJ Cisco. Hosted by Pete Vazquez aka Salsa Pete and Dal Bouey. This months Salsa instructors will be Marc Brewer and Jessica Joseph for our FREE 1 hour Salsa lesson starting promptly at 9:30PM.
Make sure to come out as we will be announcing our next big event coming soon. If you enjoyed the Detroit Latin All-Stars then you will definitely love what we have in store for you. So save the date: Friday, November 6th, 2009.
See you there
Salsa Pete
Fusion Friday @ Pi Banquet Hall this Friday!
Hope everyone had a nice break from last Friday at Crave. If you were not there, you missed one great event. The band was absolutely HOT! But don't worry, this Friday comes another night of pure Salsa all night long @ Pi Banquet Hall in Southfield, MI. Make sure to check out www.detroitvipclubs.com and/or www.salsadetroit.com for the pictures taken that evening. Video will be coming out soon. Special shoutout goes to the YASalsa team, Eric Greer for recording the evening, and last , but not least, and special thanks to all the salseras and salseros who attended. Can't wait to see you all at Pi this Friday.
Sincerely,
Salsa Pete
2010 Fusion Friday @ Pi Banquet Hall Dates
Upcoming Dates
2009 - December 11th
2010 - January 15th, February 5th, March 12th, April 16th, May 14th and June 11th .
Fusion Friday @ Pi Banquet Hall
Just a reminder that our next event @ Pi Banquet Hall will be on Friday, January 15, 2010. Guest instructors will be Jessica Joseph and Dimas Caraballo
Fusion Friday @ Pi Banquet Hall This Friday!
Just a reminder that our next event @ Pi Banquet Hall will be this Friday, February 5th, 2010. Guest instructor will be Elaine Marrero of Troy Dance Studio.
Cha-Cha Dance lesson @ Pi Banquet Hall with Mambo Marci & Dimas
**Have you been hearing cha-cha-chá music and want to dance to it but don't know how?
(i.e. YA salsa social, live band at Sangria on Sundays, etc)
**Have you taken salsa classes but want to expand your horizons to include cha-cha-chá?
**Have you heard a lot of talk about "dancing on 1" and "dancing on 2" and want to learn more? (cha-cha-chá is danced on the "2")
Mambo Marci and Dimas Caraballo formerly studied cha-cha-chá with the famous Tito and Tamara of Puerto Rico. They will teach you what you need to know about this amazing music and dance. Feel more confident the next time a cha-cha-chá is played... you will be able to get out on the floor and dance it!
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 9:00pm
Pi Banquet Hall
28847 franklin Street
Southfield, MI
Great instructors but, not so great venue
The class was fun. The restaurant looked nice inside & appeared clean but, they were so cheap that they would not offer any free tap water.
I was so thirsty after the lesson that I went to the bar to ask for a drink. Since I spent all of the money that I had on me for the class (which was 10.00), I didn't have enough for water. They refused to give me any tap water and I was feeling a little dehydrated so, I left. It's pretty clear Pi restaurant doesn't care about it's customers. I don't plan on going there again.
You're the one that's cheap!
You are not in any position to call them cheap when you are the one who showed up to a nightclub party with only 10 bucks in your pocket. Get a clue. And no one really cares if freeloaders like you come back or not.
Hehe.. you must work there.
Why else would you be so passionate about that place? I suppose paying 10.00 for admission and expecting to get something for free that doesn't cost anything anywhere else does make me a freeloader. Thanks to your expansive semantic knowledge, I would have never known!
Take your whopping 10 bucks elsewhere.
Take your whopping 10 bucks elsewhere. And make sure to ask if they provide free water before entering. If they don't give you free water you can post more complaints here and continue to show us how much of an unsupportive cheapskate you are.
I'm not 100% in the loop on
I'm not 100% in the loop on how the financials of Pi work but I would guess that the $10 cover you paid went to cover the expenses of the promoting company. These expenses likely include the instructors, the DJ, the sound equipment, print promotion, electronic promotion, photography, etc.
Pi is probably facing expenses like paying bar staff (who would have served you the tap water), rent, keeping the lights on and other utilities (like the tap water you were requesting), and upkeep cost (which you have seen first hand since you mentioned the place was "clean and nice"). I would be shocked if Pi is getting any part of the cover, thus the only way they can cover these expenses is likely from the income generated by the bar.
It stinks that a place has to resort to such actions like not serving free water but it is likely because they are short on income from the bar for that night to cover their expenses and not because they are cheap. I think that it is admirable that they took this step and not the more likely scenario, that I have seen numerous times with other venues, which is to end the night and find another promoting company that brings in a clientele that is more likely to purchase drinks at the bar.
As a patron the ideal situation would be to get the great floor, great venue, great music, great sound, great atmosphere, with a great crowd for free. The reality is that all of those things cost money and if you expect to only spend $10 a night when you should be spending closer to $20 then the only way the night remains financially feasible is if another person spends $30. Relying on someone to spend 3 times what you spend for roughly the same experience is not very reasonable and certainly not sustainable.
In today's economic situation it seems shallow to tell someone to spend more money at the bar so I won't do that, however, please consider that Pi might also be suffering from the same economic situation.
CHICO
Fantastically put!
Support that which you enjoy. If you really can't pay past the $10, make it a point to bring someone else with you, go out of your way to help put the word out about the next event, grab a handful of fliers and pass them out. Think of some way you can do your part.
Salsa dancers typically drink only water. It is impossible to sell enough water to match a typical bar's revenue. If they did not charge for water they would have to raise the cover by at least $2 to make up for the difference. Some places charge more and give you a drink ticket. I personally like that approach.
I can see how paying for water might be off-putting if you are new, since it is not customary. But instead of thinking about the cost of a single water; think about the cost of an evening of salsa compared to an evening of any other kind of entertainment. Lessons, 4 hours of music and dancing. A great atmosphere? Some venues offer a live band... All for $2.25 per hour? It's seriously the best deal in town.
Geo-
They should charge cover
They should charge cover more instead of not giving out water or have a sign outside saying no free water. Then people will know what to expect before they pay to go in. People hate the hidden fee, no matter how small it is.
Water Privatization in Salsaland
Don’t get me wrong. First of all, I totally champion the concept of supporting what you enjoy. Now, let me tell you my secret: in Salsaland that has undergone desertification, where designated drinking water is no longer freely available but has become privatized and turned into a commodity, I drink in the bathroom. Well, don’t roll your eyes yet. It’s not as gross as you might think – or as my cat often does – because I drink from the tap, not the toilet. Of course, I always wash my hands very well so as to get rid of the sweat and bacteria from a very diverse population. I don’t buy bottled water, and my concern is not the money, but the plastic. During the past ten years of my life, I have tried my best to stay away from grocery bags, packages, disposable utensils, etc., made of plastic. Supporting salsa doesn’t have to be done at the expense of the environment. Besides, bottled water doesn’t have the minerals or nutrients the companies often claim; in most cases, it’s just filtered tap water, and certainly not worth your money. Let’s outlaw bottled water in Salsaland! By all means, raise the cover charge if necessary.
Water Issues
Look all, the big issue is that water is not free, no matter how you look at. And sooner vs. later, we are going to have to pay for it as the federal government will most likely mandate it. We have aging pipes, polluted systems, and continue to pollute with plastic as well as other chemicals into the system. It would probably just be better if we all did pay a higher cover vs. being nickled and dimed as no one does like paying small fees. (Just look at the airline industry as a great example of what not to do.)
However, at the end of the day, we do have to pay for water:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/us/15water.html
It is the most valuable resource we have. We are fortunate that we live in an area of the world that contains 80% of ALL of the world's fresh water. However, with the world's greed for fresh water, we will lose it if we are not careful.
The person who wrote about the issues of plastic is correct. And it's okay if we pay a little more for the water too when we dance.
what if?
if paying for water is such an issue, just bring in your own water containers/bottles if venues permit it...I re-use mine all the time and don't have to wait in line at the bar or pay more.
What if?
What if we all decided to start supporting salsa nights by simply buying a bottle of water instead of coming up with new ways not to pay for all the service and great music that is offered to us?
Friday Night at Studio 4 in Ann Arbor
On another friday night issue, has anyone gone to the Studio 4 salsa event in Ann Arbor on Fridays? Any tips on whether its real salsa dancers or college/high school babies? I would love to support the local events if recommended!
the last time (april 9th i
the last time (april 9th i think) studio 4 was great! in large part thanks to DJ Cisco who brings in a crowd and spins awesome salsa, etc. so yes, lots of good dancers. the only downside is the late hour at which all the dancers come out, for some reason no one showed up until midnight! the music is the same before and after, so why not come early and enjoy it longer since after 1am it's mostly top 40 and reggaeton. smooth and spacious floor for dancing with plenty of chairs/tables. (water here is free by the way). i recommend it!!
needs update
Update the page. Its July and the stuff is from May?