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Amid the business-driven tumult that is Guangzhou, it hasn't always been easy for salsa-lovers to find the time or the place to practice their passion.

But times have changed for fans of the hot-blooded Latin American dance style. The salsa culture that seems to have been simmering beneath the surface for the last several years looks like it might finally be coming to a boil.

And leading the charge is Masami Nakata, a native of Hiroshima, Japan, and self-described salsa addict who has been teaching classes at two of the city's few dedicated salsa venues.

"I was first introduced to salsa by a friend a few years ago," said Nakata, who has been teaching the dance style ever since her arrival from Japan a year ago. She came with her husband, Yuichi, who was sent to China for work.

"Since then I haven't stopped. Salsa is very popular in Japan. After dancing for a few years, we started giving lessons to others. Now, every week, we dance on Friday, Saturday and Sunday."

Since the couple's arrival in China, Nakata and a group of her friends have gradually built up a dedicated clique of salsa lovers who attend their weekly classes at 0203 Bar or Corner Caf to learn new moves or just soak up the party atmosphere.

Right now there are only "a few hundred" salsa afficionados in Guangzhou, she said. But that number is slowly growing.

Already, online websites like ren365 and guangzhousalsa, as well as other chat sites and bars devoted to the topic are building interest among locals.

And just a few months ago, venerable hangouts like the Paddy Field and the upmarket bar and restaurant Sen5es introduced their own salsa nights to cater to the burgeoning interest among local foreigners.

"The difference between salsa, compared to disco and hip-hop or other dance music, is the cultural element," Darren, bar manager of the Paddy Field, said.

"Salsa is lively. It's about coming together, making friends and having fun. It doesn't have all the baggage of hard drinking or partying that comes with these other kinds of dance. And that clean aspect appeals to people."

Guangzhou has for years been surrounded by salsa hotspots in Hong Kong and even Shenzhen, but strangely, has never succumbed to salsa's allure.

The current flood of interest is the result of the wave of foreigners who have relocated to the city, said Vimi Liu, the owner of 0203 Bar and a keen salsa dancer.

"After Masami and her friends started offering lessons, locals saw salsa was available, and they started to have greater interest."

Liu said there were about 50 "hardcore" partygoers that attend her weekly salsa nights, and another 100 or so "casuals" who stop in to get a closer look.

The kind of salsa currently being taught in Guangzhou is the "LA style", which is popular in Los Angeles, Nakata said.

(China Daily March 22, 2007)