Dancers take to the floor for Salsa night at Fairbanks. Photo by Greg Wood/special to the News Sentinel

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Going into the Fairbanks on a Friday night feels a little bit like going to a high-school dance.

From the parking lot you hear thumping low beats from dance music and see lights flashing in a dark room inside as employees hang out by the front door.

Fridays are the Fairbanks’ famous Fiesta Latina nights, with DJ Miltton playing Latin dance music and the floor open to salsa dancing.

For those less knowledgeable in the ways of dance, a brief course is offered before the fiesta begins.

This prompted my girlfriend, Janey, and I to check out the place.

Fairbanks enforces a dress code on Friday nights, but it’s not crystal clear what the code exactly is. Playing it safely, I wore a shirt and tie and Janey wore a black dress. (It turned out we were overdressed, but it’s a classy affair anyway, so we didn’t stick out too badly.)

Seeing as how I haven’t worn a pair of dress shoes since roughly 2006, I hadn’t noticed until it was too late that my right shoe had a hole in the heel, making it difficult to walk. I planned on using this excuse if my dancing was poor.

I don’t dance. I don’t have coordination. My shoulders are too wide. I still clumsily stumble sometimes as if I haven’t gotten used to my growth spurt yet (even though I haven’t grown since I was 13). Needless to say I was more than a little nervous about my first dancing excursion since 2002 — my senior year of high school.

We showed up right around 10 p.m., as the Web site advertises dance classes start at that time. Although Janey was a dance minor in college she hadn’t ever been salsa dancing, either, so we figured it necessary to take the class to be on the same page as everyone else.

It turned out we were pretty early, even though the music was already blaring. We were actually the first people there who weren’t employees. We were far from being fashionably late. But I used this opportunity to down a few drinks, which contrary to what I’ve been told, were reasonably priced, ranging from $5-7 for cocktails.

Janey and I sat at a table with our drinks waiting patiently for something to start. Around 10:30 more people started to pour in. I asked the bartender when the dancing would start and she told me it “technically starts at 12.” Perfect, I thought. More time to drink.

But about 10:45 a tall gentleman in his 50s named Steve, who reminded me of actor John Malkovich, came up to our table and asked if we were there for the dance lessons or if we were just hanging out. We explained that we were there for lessons and he seemed surprised but happy and told us he’d start soon.

Four couples ended up heading down to the dance floor for lessons. At this point we were about the only 8 people in the bar.

Steve taught us some basics of salsa dancing. All songs are in an 8 time signature with the main steps on beats 1,2,3 and 5,6,7, pausing on 4 and 8. It’s a simple pattern and all variations derive from it.

We practiced to a few songs rotating dance partners, perhaps because that helps you learn. It was strange to be dancing with women ranging from 20s to 40s but fun to meet new people who were all excited to be there.

After learning a few steps we headed back to a table, waiting for the main event. At some unofficial and vague point the music seemed to get louder, the lights dimmer and the excitement larger. I guess this is when it “started.”

Slowly, couples moved to the dance floor. Immediately a couple dressed in red and black stole the show. But with their expertise grabbing everyone’s attention, I felt my lack of skill would go unnoticed.

And after the first few songs, Janey and I hit the floor.

Given the simplicity of the dance moves, we were both able to dance close to flawlessly. It probably wasn’t impressive to those watching, but not only was it fun but it was comfortable and almost natural. Although I do think I stepped on her toes a few times.

Because the DJ plays entirely Latin music, there were no songs I recognized. This is a good thing, because no song had any context to me. It was a fresh, new experience entirely. Places that essentially play an ’80s mix CD are fun, but there’s absolutely no way to take Madonna’s “Borderline” seriously when dancing. With all this new music I was able to enjoy the dancing experience.

After each song the crowd dispersed and went back to their seats. As the next song picked up some people would find new partners, some would sit, drink and watch, and some would return with their regular partners. There’s an ebb and flow to the evening with about half a minute of transition time. It feels like everyone’s included and engaged in the process.

We stayed for hours, and I managed to escape the evening without making myself looking like an idiot.

If I can learn to salsa dance, anyone can.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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