Grupo Salvaje

Every time I try to describe the difference between a YA Social and a club, I get it wrong. Not that the description isn't accurate, but that the comparison is wrong. You can't compare it to clubs, congressos or studios. The YA social is like a big living room and a giant house party.

You take this kind of non-descript building on a non-descript street, invite a few thousand people from all walks of life -- almost 500 show up. You have a band -- one of the best in town. Have 10 or 15 salsa slaves running around to make it go smoothly and this is what you get. It's unique. Any of the individual elements on their own is good. A band like Grupo Salvaje playing is great, but with dancers -- each their own show, it's something else. 450 people dancing at a club is nothing new, but when you take salseros - young and old, new and hard-core, mix them up shake them around -- its completely different. You pay a few bucks to cover the cost and there's nothing more to buy. There's no security, no VIP, no dress code, no formality. Maybe the best comparison -- a street party.

More Pictures Online & Video coming soon!

You get a shiver in the dark
Its been raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing dixie double four time
You feel all right when you hear that music ring

Maybe at the Harem you call them the Sultans of Salsa. No. It's not Creole, but Thanksgiving Eve with Grupo Salvaje at the Harem with the rain, decor and cozy atmosphere made me think of the Dire Straights' classic. Ducking in out of the rain after navigating the parking situation, it felt like one of those "this is what its all about" moments. In what had to be the biggest night yet at Harem, hundreds of salseros and a good number of plain old music fans piled in for a terrific night of dancing and live music.

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Now that is the way it should be!!!
Live music on the stage with and a huge dance floor filled with every salsero in the city throwin' down all night! It was an uncommon move to have a salsa night with live music Thursday night but it all worked out nicely. Grupo Salvaje impressed us yet again with the quality of their sound and the wide variety of old and new salsa. There were a lot of first-time people at the Harem Nightclub, hopefully some of them will return for our regular nights with DJ Shekyla. And people were buying drinks! Either bottled water or some of the other more exotic options. And as most of you salsa veterans know, high drink sales on a salsa night is a rare thing.

This was sooo fun!! However being a pretty seasoned salsera I was soooo mad at myself!! Note to self (and others) concrete and heels do not a good dancing night make!!