By Laura Lopez
Wander up the stairs in Timothy’s of Newark on a Wednesday night and you may be surprised by what you find.
Heavy Latin beats fill the air. Women in strapy heels are led across the floor as their layered skirts twirl around. They show Intricate footwork, mastered over time. Couples, young and old, hold each other as they move their synchronized bodies to the music. Repetitive turns force women to spin their bodies like dreidels. Here, a man controls a woman’s every move.
Tonight, the University of Delaware ballroom dance team claimed this bar’s floor as its stage and others are eager to join them.
Sitting at a table to the side of the wooden dance floor, junior Carole Bryan watches people showcase their moves. Too young to be allowed in other bars on Main Street, Bryan says tonight she can get out and have some fun.
“Basically, I was only dancing in my bedroom and was like, ‘Oh, you know it would be nice to go out,’ ” she says.
Friends with members of the team, Bryan was invited to attend salsa night, an event held at Timothy’s every Wednesday for people eighteen and older. Tonight is her third visit and she says she plans on continuing to go.
A song ends and Maya Rich breaks from her partner. It was approximately one year ago that Rich, alumna ‘03, entered this saloon to line dance. That night, the idea of Wednesday night salsa was born. Owner Kurt Steel says Rich conjured up the idea that the bar should hold a salsa theme night hosted by the dance team.
“We were willing to give it a try,” Steel says.
Only missing three nights since its initiation last October, Rich says she has watched the popularity of Timothy’s salsa night grow. Shows like “Dancing with the Stars” have bolstered an interest in ballroom dance, she says. More important, people enjoy the unique atmosphere. The salsa music and the focus on dancing in place of drinking attracts people, she says.
“You can’t be drunk and do this — you will fall over,” Rich says.
Males have even garnered an appetite for salsa. Rich says men are frequently surprised when they venture up to the second floor and witness the amount of women interested in learning to dance. Men seize the opportunity to learn skills that will help impress the ladies. However, some men mock the hip-shaking on display, she says.
“I get the occasional guys that make fun of the whole situation,” she says. “They’re like ‘Hey, hey, can I get some chips with that?’ ”
But the dancers seem too occupied with counts, the one-two -three and four murmured under their breath, to notice any scoffing.
A soft tempo song creeps through the speakers and the crowd begins to calm down with the lights. Couples signal thanks to one another and part. Others pull one another close. Flashbacks of high school dances come to mind. Freckles of light shine down from the ceiling onto the once invisible floor. Standing side by side on the edge of the dance floor, women stare off in the distance awaiting an invitation. Like the pace of the music, new couples slowly begin to form.
Tim Jones looks on from the bar. Jones, alumnus ‘03, has been on the dance team for two years. The full room takes him back to when salsa night began.
“The first night it was pretty empty,” he says.
Jones, who helped start the program with Rich, says salsa dancing places men in a different frame of mind compared to other dances.
“It takes a lot more thought,” he says.
Men have to be aware of where they want to take their partner and when they are going to signal for her to move. In ballroom dance, the woman is dependent on a man’s instruction, he says.
The clock moves past eleven. A man in a navy suit and cranberry red tie enters the room. His demeanor stands out in a crowd of men with unbuttoned shirts and rolled up sleeves. He grabs a drink and takes a seat at the bar.
The man in navy is Cedric Sage, a political science professor. After teaching a night class, Sage says he is ready to relax. Every now and then, after a long day of work, he says he comes to the bar to unwind. Several weeks ago, he discovered the second floor. He says the ambiance here surpasses that of the first.
From his spot in the audience Sage looks on as experienced dancers cover the floor, while beginners seem glued to it, unsure how to move their feet.
“It’s like a live version of who’s hot and who’s not,” he says in a hushed voice so those around him won’t hear.
He sits back and takes a sip of his drink. He’s not going to start practicing any dance moves tonight. Tonight, he says he’ll enjoy the entertainment.
