The Sallyport salsa

Photo by Aaron Bayles

Disco may be dead, but dancing itself remains a vital activity for many Rice students, with award-winning on-campus clubs ranging in style from ballroom and bhangra to South Asian classical dance and modern K-pop.

This semester, the Rice Salseros have been encouraging appreciation of the art form with free classes and workshops on salsa, bachata and zouk (a Brazilian descendent of lambada) — and the occasional outdoor dance moves on the quad, as demonstrated here by Salseros members Jordin Metz, a chemistry doctoral student, and Jones College senior Anna Seballos.

“Rice Salseros provides a platform to spread my love of salsa dancing to the Rice community,” said Metz, who enjoys teaching as much as dancing.

“This club is really important to me because it makes me happy and I know that it makes others happy as well,” he said. “Even if I’m stressed or super busy, after a class at Rice Salseros I feel refreshed and focused and cheerful — and I’ve heard similar sentiments from many people who attend our classes.”

Metz emphasized that you don’t need a partner nor experience to enjoy their free salsa classes every Monday at 7 p.m. in the Grand Hall at the Rice Memorial Center. You don’t even need dancing shoes; sneakers will do just fine.

“I think more people should come out on Monday nights to learn salsa because it’s a great way to meet new people, we have a teaching style directed to a wide range of levels, it’s good exercise, the music is hype, and you’ll learn a lifelong skill that you can use in cities and towns around the world,” Metz said.