This doesn't represent everything because there are far too many events on any given night in New York City. Rather it is a select list of events curated by our dance company based on the following criteria. 1. Takes place regularly in Manhattan. 2. Mostly Salsa. We've not listed any Hip Hop or Raggaeton parties. 3. These are all events that we frequent so yes these are recommendations based on our experience. We are open to suggestions. Feel free to e-mail them to us. Whether your a student or a long time salsa aficionado, if your looking to for a night out of social dancing, we believe this guide will provide you with a quality experience of the New York social dance scene.
MONDAY NIGHTS
SALSA CON MAMBO MONDAYS @ SESSION 73 - Upper East Side
COVER $10 No Band - $15 When there is a band - 8:30pm til Late
DJ BABALOO - Radio Boomba Productions
A Jazz club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As with most clubs in NYC, space is usually tight. You'll notice that many bars/restaurants are the shape of a long corridor. Session 73 is no exception. When your not dancing, you'll be standing or at the bar. Not much seating but this is not the kind of place you go to sit. You come here to dance. In comparison to Taj, on any given night, you'll typically see better dancers prefer Session 73. Babaloo's mix is strictly salsa and with a little bit of Bachata and he is certainly one of my favorite DJ's in the Salsa scene.
LATIN MONDAY'S AT TAJ LOUNGE - Flatiron District
COVER $10 Before 8pm and $12 after. Goes til 1am or Later
ROTATING DJ'S - DIFFERENT BAND & PERFORMANCES EVERY WEEK
Promoted by Mike Pena and Talia Castro Pozo
Taj is a swanky Flatiron district lounge. The venue is two floors with lots of booths and seating. You'll know your in New York once you look at the drink prices here. Expect a night out to run you $50 after cover, coat check, drinks and tips. I often recommend this social to my beginner students because it's a more casual party with a nice venue, great bands and performances. Plentiful lounge seating makes it very cool place to hang out, have a few drinks while getting in a couple of dances. There is a good mix of dancers of all levels but some nights can get crowded. Taj can pull in really excellent crowd on the nights when it brings in big headliner bands ilke La Excelencia and Grupo Latin Vibe.
Note: Some Hip Hop and Raggaeton music is played before the band performs. DJ changes every week. Quality of the mix will vary depending on DJ
TUESDAY NIGHTS
SALSA EN EL WEST VILLAGE @ THE MADELYN
NO COVER - DJ MUSTACHIO - Clean Productions
9:00pm - 2:00am
No bands, no performances, and no cover, just a nice venue and a great DJ. It's salsa pure and simple. Going out on a regular basis can really take a toll on a dancers wallet and most professional dancers are not making a fortune. If your going out every night, paying cover and drinks, it really adds up for someone on a artist's income. That's why you'll see a lot of great dancers come to Madelyn. The crowd here simply just wants to dance with other dancers and not spend $12-$15 on a cover for a band and performances. Instead, support the DJ and the club by buying a few drinks. Madelyn has a lot of great dancers and it's a favorite dance spot for our instructors and experienced students. You will also find beginners here as well because it's free. It's a great place to try the moves you've been learning in class without having to spend any money. The venue is a beautifully lit space with exposed brick walls and modern lounge seating
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
BAILA WEDNESDAYS @ SOLAS - East Village
COVER $5.00 - DJ BABALOO - Radio Boomba Productions
8:30pm to 1:00am
Solas is an ideal salsa party. It's spacious with plenty of lounge seating. The drinks are very reasonably priced with drink specials from $5 a beer. With a wonderful DJ that spins classic salsa all night long and a great mix of dancers from beginners to advanced. There's something for everyone at Solas and there is plenty of room to dance. Pretty much every other salsa venue I've mentioned in this guide has a space that is somewhat less than ideal. Taj has pillars that intrude into the dance space, Session 73 is a long narrow venue and so is the Madelyn. Solas on the other hand, is the only lounge has a open rectangular shape. That's not to say the place doesn't get packed. It's become a popular party because it's both affordable and has a great space.
THURSDAY NIGHTS
CLUB CACHE - Midtown/Bryant Park
COVER $11.00 - DJ JOEY SALSA
9:00pm - 2:00am
New York's legendary underground salsa party, club cache is where one can go to see all the who's who's' of the salsa scene. Instructors and performers come to dance here. Don't be surprised if some one you've seen in a salsa video will be dancing at Cache. Multiple performances a night from the best dance teams in the tristate area. Cache is where many teams go to debut their new choreography's. A must visit salsa destination for the hard core salsero/salsera. A bit intimidating for beginners. You may encounter a few salsa snobs but majority of the dancers are friendly and will dance with a beginner.
FRIDAY NIGHTS
A EVENING WITH ABAKUA @ CLUB 412 - Midtown/Penn Station
Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month - 9:00pm til 1:30am
COVER $11.00 - DJ FRANKIE MARTINEZ
This is a dance studio social is hosted by Frankie Martinez who is world renown for his afro-cuban body movement. When you walk into this social you will notice all the advanced dancers on the side near the DJ booth and the beginners and intermediate dancers on the opposite side. It's a very nice studio with excellent wooden floors and a bar. The only drawback is that it does get hot. The space is not very well ventilated. There is only a couple of windows on the street facing side of the building. It's okay in the cold winter month's but can be unbearable in the summer months however the studio does have a another room where you can go to cool off. The mix is almost purely salsa with some bachata
CANDELA FRIDAYS NYC @ DANCESPORT - Midtown/Empire State Building
Every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month - 9:00pm til 2:00am
COVER $11.00 - DJ ALEX EL MAESTRO
I'm going to pretty much write the same review for Candela as for Salsa Mania since it's basically a similar event except Salsa Mania takes place on Saturdays while Candela takes place on Fridays. Dance Sport is probably one of the nicest dance studios in Manhattan. Located at the base of the Empire State Building, the studio is a start of the art facility for Tango and Ballroom and therefore very spacious with perfect floors and good ventilation. DJ Alex spins mostly salsa with some bachata. We often take our students here for socials because there is a good mix of dancers ranging from beginner to advanced. It has a separate lounge area and bar which over looks the shopping district of 34th street. Best part is this social is it goes till very late. Doors stay open till 2am.
SATURDAYS
SALSA MANIA @ DANCESPORT - Midtown/Empire State Building
Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the Month - 5:00pm til 10:00pm
COVER $11.00 - DJ Alex El Maestro
Read the previous review on Candela. Salsa Mania is basically the same party with a few minor differences, it starts earlier and ends earlier and takes place on Saturday instead of Friday, and they fall on different weekends. If you like Candela, you will certainly enjoy yourself at Salsa Mania.
SUNDAYS
LAS CHICAS LOCAS @ DANCESPORT
Every 1st and 3rd Sunday - 9:00pm til 1:00am
COVER $10 - DJ ALEJANDRO
So your noticing by now that a lot of the weekend salsa parties are happening at Dancesport but Las Chicas Locas (LCL) is hosted by a different DJ and certainly has a very different flavor from DJ Alex. DJ Alejandro plays a even mix of Salsa, Bachata, and cha-cha-cha. A lot of the dancers come from LCL right after Jimmy Anton's Social. These are dedicated social dancers. What I've always loved about LCL is that it is a very laid back party despite the high caliber of dancers that go there. One can come here to relax on Sunday night, grab a couple of drinks, and dance a bit of both Salsa and Bachata.
JIMMY ANTON'S SOCIAL @ DANCE MANHATTAN - Flatiron District
Every 1st and 3rd Sunday - 5:00pm til 9:00pm
$11 Unless there's a Band, then it's $16 - DJ Jimmy Anton
Founded in 1993, Jimmy's is New York's longest running Salsa Social. Considered by some to be the best social in New York City, It is also the biggest salsa social in New York City. Jimmy Anton's is located in the spacious Dance Manhattan studios which has a huge dance floor. There is no bar here but they do serve gatorade and water. You'll see everyone here from the entire New York Salsa crowd to all the out of towers from Philly, DC, Boston who travel all the way to to NYC to get their salsa fix. There are dancers of all levels and the playlist is 80% salsa with some bachata and cha cha.
LA VIEJA GUARDIA - LVG @ STEPPING OUT STUDIOS - Flatiron District
Every 2nd and 4th Sunday - 6:00pm til 10:00pm
COVER $11 - DJ Antonio La Conga - Joel Dominguez
This is very you'll find NYC's elite salsa crowd. If you want to dance with the best go to LVG. This is where you'll find all the local Instructors, performers, professional dancers and salsa celebrities. Stepping out studios is a very nice venue with two large rooms and a reception area. They do not serve alcohol at this social where you need to bring your a-game. A bit intimidating for beginners but if you are a hardcore salsa aficionado, you will love it here. There is not a higher concentration of top level dancers at any where else.
CARLOS KONIG SOCIAL @ RIPLEY GRIER STUDIOS
Every 2nd and 4th Sunday - 5:30pm til 9:30pm
COVER $11 - DJ Carlos Konig
Carlos is a stark contrast to LVG. Carlos and Almyra create a friendly inviting atmosphere at there social. The crowd here is a bit older but every one is so nice and there is not even a hint of pretentiousness. People come here just to enjoy the music and have fun dancing, not because they feel the need to show off. I always recommend Carlos social to beginners who are just starting out and are a bit intimidated by the social dance scene. This is a place where you can go and relax and just have a good time with a crowd of very amiable dancers.
We've not included latin clubs because they tend mix in a lot of Reggaeton and Hip Hop but they are worth mentioning:
COPACABANA - 268 W 47th Street
LATIN QUARTER - 511 Lexington Ave
COLUMBUS 72 - 246 Columbus Ave
GONZALES Y GONZALES - 625 Broadway
IGUANA - 240 W 54th St
