I'll be in Spain for a few months this fall. <BR>I signed up to take a latin dancing class before I go. It teaches some slasa, merengue, cumbia and some freestyle moves. Will this help me at all in Spain?

I´m not sure I understand what you mean... Are those Caribbean dances popular in Spain?

Buy "La Vanguardia", the newspaper, when you get there. I am sure you'll find some people offering that. If not, you could also try "Guia del Ocio".<BR><BR>

Julie,<BR>if you want to take some dancing classes that will help you in Spain, take flamenco, sevillanas, jotas, mu&ntilde;eira, sardana or chotis classes, because they are the regional and typical dances of Spain. <BR>Salsa, merengue and cumbia are LatinAmerican dances, as foreign to us as to Americans. You'll find salsa and merengue places if you're particulary interested in them but don't be confused, we know about these dances as much as the average American does.

Carmen dear, sorry to inform you that the dances you mentioned: salsa and merengue are not foreign to Americans. They may be foreign to Europeans, but Americans love to dance and party to world-music. You are the one that is very confused.

Sharon,<BR>when I said "foreign" I meant "not from your home country" and if I can recall correctly cumbia, merengue, salsa ...are not original from the U.S.A or from Spain. They are "exported dances" from LatinAmerica.<BR>I don't doubt about your liking to party and dance. Enjoy!

I'm sorry, I should have phrased my question differently. Are salsa, and other latin dances, as common in clubs in Spain as they are here in the US?

Julie--I too love to latin dance...and while salsa, merengue, etc. may not be native to Spain, yes you can find clubs there (Seville, Cadiz for example) that offer this atmosphere for you. They will probably also offer native Spanish dances (i.e. flamenco, etc.) and often times will encourage you to join in whether you know them or not! Have a wonderful time!

Hey there:<BR><BR>I myself love to dance salsa, and am plannning a trip to spain in Nov. Salsa is big all over Europe. You shouldn't have trouble finding a place to dance (especially in the big cities). If you're staying in Madrid, there are a few clubs, probably more so than Seville (from what I've been told). I don't recall the exact names exactly, so I won't try to misinform you. However, if you type Salsa + Madrid in any search engine, you should find some places. To play it safe, plan on going on a Friday or Sat night. Have fun!!

Julie,<BR><BR>I myself have taken Salsa in Dublin belive it or not, and when we were in Madrid last March there was a club that had a salsa night in Peurta del Sol. Just check our Madrid sites and look for salsa clubs. It's a great night out.<BR>

I am going to revive this thread in the hopes that the last few years may have brought about some new info, since salsa (especially Cuban son) has had a revival here in the U.S. I'll be going to Spain in a week and would love to find some spots, preferably NOT super-large clubs, where people dance salsa. Any advice from locals or visitors in the know would be appreciated... We'll be in Madrid, Seville, Andalusia (driving all around) and Barcelona. Thank you!

I have been salsa dancing in Barcelona a few times, but I don't remember the names of the clubs. There are definitely places to do it, but it is not nearly as popular there as it is in the US.

When will you be traveling? I get back to BCN on the 21st of this month and will probably start the going out that same night, so if I get any info for you, I will send it along.

If you are going to M&aacute;laga, you have a lot of options for salsa and such. If you go to Fraggle Rock near the Molinillo del Aceite neighborhood, they play it, and around the corner is a place that is all Latin all the time. Mostly M&aacute;laga has Flamenco, Hip-hop and Latin, so if you keep your ears open, you will find it.

Madrid has quite a large Latin population, so you will have more luck there, though I don't know where.

laclaire, we'll be in Barcelona starting 6 July, for 4 nights. Then to Cadaques for 2, and back to BCN for one more night before flying home.

We're not staying in Malaga, but we'll be at a casa rurale in Iznajar, which is an hour's drive, so we might explore a bit. We'll also be in Nerja for a few nights.

I'll pick up local papers when I get to town and see if I find anything. If you know of anything happening in BCN, please let me know via email: [email protected]

Thanks!

CAespana,
In Madrid the club El Son, in Old Madrid on Calle de la Victoria 6, is popular with Madrid's large Latin American population.
And there's the Cuban &quot;La Negra Tomasa&quot; nearby on Espoz y Mina. And live music and mojitos at Larios Caf&eacute; on Calle Silva.