“One, two, three, turn to the left. Forward and on left, right, left.” Michael Luis Ristorucci, a disc jockey and dance instructor, calls out directions as eager Salsa dancing students move to the beats of the music on a Friday night in March at Luna Inspired Street Food in College Town.
An hour later, Ristorucci steps away from the dance floor and heads over to the DJ
booth until the early-morning hours. Luna is packed wall to wall with attendees as they dance the rest of the night away.
It takes two to tango
Salsa Ithaca is a company bringing Latin dance to Ithaca through dance classes and
events.
Ristorucci said he has been doing events in Ithaca for 14 years. Additionally, Ristorucci teaches a salsa recreational class at Cornell University and wants his students — and people under 21, generally — to be able to attend his event. Other local venues where he teaches salsa, Range and The Upstairs Bar & Venue, are 21 and older venues, he added.
“I am first and foremost an instructor of Latin dance and if people don’t have a place to
do it socially, then the company experience isn’t as complete,” Ristorucci said.
Darius Cauthen, general manager of Luna Street said that like Ristorucci, he didn’t
want to put an age limit on dancing but feels he must take safety into consideration.
“We’re very visual on who’s drinking, and we scan IDs and have wristbands,” “Cauthen
said. “We watch that very closely, but at the same time we want people to have fun.”
keeps getting better as the night goes on,” Lee said.
Highlighting Latin culture
Ristrorucci added that he wants to be able to teach people in Ithaca about Latin culture, while also catering to the Latino population in Ithaca.
“You get quite a mix of people in Latin America and then the United States experience with the students in Collegetown who want to learn how to Latin dance,” Ristrorucci said.
Azucena Campos Lopez, board member of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County said it is important that Ristorucci is putting on events like Fiesta Fridays because she said salsa has always been a popular expression of movement for Latinos.
“I think it is amazing,” Lopez said. “People love salsa, and the interest is not fading.”
Lopez said traditional salsa in Latin America is usually improvised without much-planned choreography. But Lopez said the salsa nights are a great way for people to learn and practice in a comfortable environment.
“If you have these salsa nights … in which you say ‘we are going to teach you the basics,’ I think that people will be more willing to attend those and then go by themselves to other events, instead of just going to one of the events and then feeling out of place,” Lopez said.
Ristorucci said he hopes to expand Salsa Ithaca to areas like Lansing, Spencer, and Newfield and to collaborate with local wineries.
However, for Ristorucci to be able to reach his goals, he said he needs a larger staff that can help him teach and DJ. he said doing both can be challenging sometimes.
“I’m looking for people to work with more on a steady basis,” Ristorucci said. “I’ve had the experience of working with a lot of people and then they move on. Every time I think of expanding, I immediately think about who’s going to help me with that because I can only be in one place at one time.”
