Harem

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.

View the photo gallery...

People ask me this question a lot so I thought I would finally post it here. At first glance when you read the schedule it may not make sense. Hopefully this explanation will help make sense of it.

There are 2 main reasons why we have the intermediate class before the beginner class at the Harem. The first and most important reason originates back in the days of Wednesday night salsa at Boogie Fever in late 2002.

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!"

"My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridito"
Ernest Hemmingway

As anyone who has been hanging out at the Harem knows -- it's a great place to dance, but maybe not always the best place to get a drink... However, the ever resourceful Sky Mambo team decided to do something about that and last Thursday they brought in a secret weapon. I had no idea what I was in for.