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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Salsa Band Heats Up Legends

salsa_band_legends_WEB
Maria Massa


South Bend felt a little hotter on Saturday night in Legends thanks to the latin musical stylings of salsa band Afinca’o. A surprisingly large group of students braved the subzero temperatures and they dressed to dance. The Chicago-based band went on at 10 p.m. followed by Legends’ Salsa Dance night. The array of musicians boasting a keyboard, trumpet and a saxophone livened up the attendance and spirit of the traditional night.

It was not a lone dance kind of night. People were fast to pair off once they arrived. There was something very friendly and traditional about the social dancing, and ease of asking and being asked to dance by strangers. It didn’t matter if you did not know how to dance salsa, because it’s Legends, and for some reason that means that social rules and shame go out the window. There were a lot of non-novice Salsa dancers though. They knew what they were doing on the floor and it was fun just to watch them go. These fancy dancers were mostly couples, which was probably for the best. It would be very intimidating to dance with such an expert dancer unless you yourself were also skilled or at least romantically entangled with said dancer. The band took a break halfway through the set, which forced a well-needed water break midst the lively dancing. They knew what they were doing, and responded to the mood of the crowd throughout.

The music was a more Americanized version of salsa than I expected, they were almost jazzy at times which I attribute to their Chicago roots. It would probably cost a fair amount to go to one of their concerts, or pay the cover fee in one of the clubs they play, making our free Legends concert all the more thrilling. The band chatted with the crowd and dancers in between songs. They played really rousing catchy beats and called out some of the more talented dancers, complimenting their hip movements and fast feet.

Salsa night is intrinsically fun on its own, but the addition of the large live band really made it. You can’t beat a live salsa band at a place like Legends were there is little shame to begin with. It was definitely worth making the trek.