Anyone looking for an excuse to get out and get their groove on over the weekend should be interested to hear that there’s a likeminded group of folks gathering every weekend and letting their inner rhythm out to the beat of the conga.
Burlington Salsa Nights are Latin-themed and dance-focused outdoor gatherings that take place every weekend from Friday to Sunday in downtown Burlington. Participants are encouraged to boogie down to classic and contemporary salsa and bachata tunes in the company of fellow dancers as well as the organizers themselves.
The events, which run for about two hours each evening, are open to anyone interested, regardless of skill level. Kalyna Kuzyk and her fellow organizers make great efforts to ensure the meet-ups are especially welcoming for curious newcomers by offering impromptu guidance and instruction for those eager to learn.
In accordance with provincial bylaws, all participants are expected to maintain a distance from each other of no less than 6 feet, but the location at Lot 5, next to Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, has more than enough space for the sizable cohort of attendees to bust a move without breaking the rules.
Interestingly, it seems that newcomers — not just to dance, but also to Burlington itself — now make up most of the weekend crowd, the demographic shifting over time as event attendance has expanded.
“Now that vaccines are available and people are feeling more comfortable doing things and being around larger groups of people, I think that’s why we’re seeing an increase,” says event organizer Kalyna Kuzyk.
From somewhat humble beginnings, when the 50 or so attendees consisted mainly of local seniors looking to escape the lockdown blues, the events have grown and flourished over time. Burlington Salsa Nights now regularly include a younger crowd, numbering upwards of 200 dancers from all cultures and corners of the globe.
Kuzyk, an alumna of the Zacada Circus School in Hamilton, is no stranger to dancing with crowds of this size and larger, with a resume comprising 11 years of gymnastic and dance training, as well as performances with the Cirque du Soleil troupe at the 2015 Pan Am Games.
For an effort run exclusively for fun by a team of enthusiastic volunteers from the community, it’s a unique example of dynamic and totally organic growth of a grassroots event. That growth is even more impressive given the fact that until the recent creation of a Burlington Salsa Nights Facebook page, they’ve had had no advertising presence to speak of beyond word-of-mouth referrals.
“We’ve kind of become a small family,” Kuzyk says “We just enjoy being there together and bringing Latin dance and culture to the city.”
In terms of next steps for growing that family, an indoor space and formal classes may be in the cards as the weather cools in the fall season, and with a talented group of trained dancers on hand, this spontaneous project could very well evolve into a legitimate studio.
As for here and now, anyone looking to join in on the festivities should keep an eye out along Brant Street near Lakeshore for the bustling weekend events. If you happen to pass by, feel free to hit the floor — and expect to be received with warmth and enthusiasm from this growing community of local dancers.
