Salsa adds spice to Suzhou dance scene

The musicians of Neli's Band bring the rhythms of Paraguay and Cuba to Suzhou. Provided to China Daily

When Anja Dillinger moved from Germany to Suzhou last year, she gave up training six days a week as a professional Latin American dancer. Suzhou is a thriving city with a lot to offer to its growing expatriate population, but places for Latin American dance were elusive.

"It's too bad," Dillinger lamented. "You would think in a city of 10 million people, there would be somewhere you could dance, but there wasn't."

Luckily, however, the IT consultant for Bosch has now found a local place to dance salsa. On Friday nights, Dillinger and other dance enthusiasts and curious first-timers hit the dance floor at Carumba, the Latin American-themed bar within the Intercontinental Hotel in Suzhou.

One of Dillinger's talented dance partners, Charles Okpulughre, also often comes to Carumba for some salsa.

Okpulughre was born in Nigeria, but learned to salsa dance in Denmark.

"Salsa music is one of my passions," he says, and a place to listen to Latin American music and dance was high on his list of priorities when he moved to Suzhou three years ago with his Danish company.

"They are playing very good music here, so that is why I come here."

Jessy Santana, an American teacher of Latin American descent, also likes to come to listen to the band's "wide repertoire", which includes rock and pop in addition to Latin American music.

Neli's Band, the Latin American group that performs at Carumba, is headed by lead singer Neli Mendizza. Mendizza, along with keyboardist Victor Cardozo and drummer Hugo Maidana are all originally from Paraguay, while the guitar player, Armando Lopez, was born and raised in Cuba.

For the entire band, music is not just a profession, but a passion. All its members played around the world before coming to Suzhou to play at Carumba. Their experience and love of all kinds of music, especially Latin American, is what draws so many enthusiasts every week. Neli's Band plays at 8 every night except Sundays.

If you aren't an expert salsa dancer, however, don't worry. Neli is quick to jump off the stage and lead the audience in moves as she sings. So beginners and more experienced dancers all feel comfortable dancing at Carumba.

Contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.