As a Spaniard, Latin music runs through my veins. Even moving to Seoul could not stop my love of dancing. Luckily I have found a lively community of dancers who speak my language โ Salsa and Bachata!
Love of Latin Dancing
Dancing is something I have liked to do since I was very little. Before moving to Korea I had been dancing salsa and bachata in Spain for years. Dancing is one of the best ways to stay healthy and also helps to relieve stress, so for me, it is essential in my daily life. Dancing is more than just a hobby.
And you may ask yourself: is it possible to go to find Salsa and Bachata dancing in an Asian country such as Korea? The answer is definitely yes. Not only is it possible, but there is a large community of people who are very dedicated to Latin dance.
There are both academies and clubs, where you can go to practice social dancing. This is one of the things I love about living in Seoul. Despite being in such a different culture from my own, I can find a little space that shares my love of Latin dance.
The International Language of Latin Dance
Through dancing, we all speak the same language. Dancing is an art form that presents no cultural barriers. It has given me the opportunity to meet people who have the same hobbies as me from all over the world.
In Seoul, there are several Latin dance academies and a few clubs where you can go to practice your moves. If you are new to the Latin dancing world, I recommend going to one of the many social dances that take place throughout the week. For that, here are my favorite places to dance in Seoul. All of them are located in the Hongdae area which is easily accessible by subway line 2.
Bonita
This Latin club has several rooms to dance. First, they have the main room where they play Salsa and Bachata music. Then they have another smaller room where they usually play Bachata and sometimes Kizomba.
The atmosphere is very cheerful and there are also dance exhibitions and sometimes people are invited to perform. Recently, Spanish dancers put on an exhibition in this club.
Club Bonita(ํ๋ ๋ณด๋๋ฐ) Address: 3191 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul Korean Address: ์์ธ ๋งํฌ๊ตฌ ๋๊ต๋ก 191 Operating Hours: 08:00 PM - 02:00 AM
Hong Turn Salsa Club
This Latin club is somewhat smaller than the previous one and has only one large room where they play both Bachata and Salsa. The interior decoration is reminiscent of a Cuban club like the ones in Havana. So, it gives the feeling of being on vacation to a Caribbean getaway. Dance exhibitions are also held here by students from local Latin dance academies.
Hong Turn Salsa Club (ํ๋ ํด๋ฐ) Address: 199-3 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Korean Address: ์์ธํน๋ณ์ ๋งํฌ๊ตฌ ๋๊ต๋ 199-3
Sol
Sol is mainly a bar but it also plays Latin music. Itโs a smaller place, but itโs the perfect place to go after youโve spent a few hours in Bonita or Hong Turn. You can just sit with a drink and listen to Latin music, or you can keep dancing until your body gives out.
Sol (์) Address: 166-5 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Korean Address: ์์ธํน๋ณ์ ๋งํฌ๊ตฌ ๋๊ต๋ 166-5 Operating Hours: 10:00 PM - 05:00 AM
Dancing is an art and a way of expressing emotions. For people who live outside our countries and feel the call of Latin rhythms, it is very important to have places like these that we can count on to reconnect with our roots when we are feeling down. Spanish or not, I hope that everyone can experience the thrill of Latin dance at least once in their lives. Try it out and see if itโs for you!
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