UK Salsa Enthusiasts Get Back on the Dance Floor

File Photo: The original disco floor from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" is shown in this handout provided by Profiles in History auctioneers in Calabasas, California May 31, 2017. Courtesy Profiles in History/Handout via REUTERS
File Photo: The original disco floor from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" is shown in this handout provided by Profiles in History auctioneers in Calabasas, California May 31, 2017. Courtesy Profiles in History/Handout via REUTERS
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UK Salsa Enthusiasts Get Back on the Dance Floor

File Photo: The original disco floor from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" is shown in this handout provided by Profiles in History auctioneers in Calabasas, California May 31, 2017. Courtesy Profiles in History/Handout via REUTERS
File Photo: The original disco floor from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" is shown in this handout provided by Profiles in History auctioneers in Calabasas, California May 31, 2017. Courtesy Profiles in History/Handout via REUTERS

Salsa dancing was among the first casualties of restrictions on close-contact indoor activities during the coronavirus pandemic -- and among the last in the UK to see bans lifted.

Now enthusiasts of the paired-dance technique set to Latin beats of the same name have wasted no time shimmying back onto the dance floor.

"Go out and dance while it's still allowed, while it's still legal," dance teacher Dani K tells his students at a studio in the British capital.

At an evening class in the Angel area of north London, the 40-year-old Frenchman and his partner Sarah Rowe, 32, reflect on the difficulties of the past 15 months.

Students in plimsolls spin partners round on the dance floor, counting steps diligently and high-fiving each other after each dance.

No one wears a facemask but the studio has air conditioning.

"To be among people again, it feels great," says Vitaliy Zasadnyy, a 29-year-old systems engineer.

"Salsa is a social dance and without people, it's not really salsa -- you're dancing on your own."

Restrictions on indoor events were lifted in England on July 19, allowing a host of activities to resume, from mingling in pubs to sitting inside at restaurants.

Before then, Dani had to adapt, teaching some classes where students learned the basic steps on their own but without any contact with their partners.

"Partner dance is more difficult... because we need to touch," he tells AFP.

"It was difficult because I could feel the frustration of the students."

One of those who took the socially distanced class, Joana Castro, a nurse originally from Portugal, joins Wednesday's class.

"This is my first ever lesson touching a partner," she says, smiling. "It's hard to let someone lead, but it's so much more fun. I really enjoyed it."

Both teachers have led online classes, too, teaching people at home.

Despite the limitations of the format, Rowe calls the virtual classes "a lifeline for us mentally and obviously financially".

The couple, who are expecting a child, say that the lockdown from March 2020 was a huge blow.

"You go from 100 percent to probably 5 percent of your income, while your rent didn't go down, your expenses didn't go down," says Dani.

Rowe says she felt apprehensive about coming out for her first in-person class.

But by the end of the session, she relaxes enough not just to demonstrate steps with Dani, but also dance with students.

It's "really great to be back doing what we love", she says.



Justin Bieber Releases 'Swag,' his Long-awaited Seventh Album

FILE - Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
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Justin Bieber Releases 'Swag,' his Long-awaited Seventh Album

FILE - Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Justin Bieber attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on Sept. 13, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Never say never! Justin Bieber surprised fans Friday by releasing "Swag," his seventh studio album, hours after he teased it on billboards and social media posts.

It is his first album since 2021´s "Justice" and his first since becoming a father last year, The Associated Press reported.

"Inspired by his devotion as a husband and father, this new era of music has fueled a deeper perspective and more reflective sound, resulting in some of his most personal music yet," Def Jam Recordings said of the 21-track album.

Billboards depicting Bieber were found by fans Thursday in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Los Angeles. The singer also shared images of billboards on his official Instagram account along with a tracklist that included song names like "All I Can Take,Walking Away,Dadz Love" and "Forgiveness."

Bieber, the two-time Grammy Award winning singer and Canadian pop idol who revolutionized teen pop and social media fame, is best known for his silky R&B pop lyric tenor, demonstrated on the diamond-selling "Baby,Sorry," and "Stay" with the Kid Laroi. At the beginning of his career, and as a tween, Bieber began working with Usher and the influential music manager Scooter Braun.

In 2023, Bieber sold the rights to his music - all six of his albums, including hits like "Sorry" and "Baby" - to Hipgnosis, a UK-based music investment company. The deal´s financial details were not disclosed, but Billboard Magazine reports that the sale was worth an estimated $200 million.

In August 2024, Bieber and his wife, the model Hailey Bieber (nee Baldwin), announced the birth of their first child, Jack Blues Bieber.