 | Salsa in the City
'Melbourne Salsa School' turns 10 year!
I
was delighted to be asked to speak with Gabby Torrisi and Frank
Barbagallo about the 10 year anniversary of Melbourne Salsa and to
capture the part of their story that is less told.
Frank started
dancing at a very early age (learning a variety of styles) and during
1997 – 1998 was running Latin clubs and started to bring Salsa out of
the perceived dark and dingy back streets into the more mainstream clubs
such as Latin Jewell at the Mercury Lounge. Frank not only ran events,
but also had a dance school in Geelong and crafted his Salsa learning
from Aloy Junco a Cuban dance instructor.
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Gabby
was on her own dancing journey, with the seeds and sounds of Latin
music being planted at a very early (age 13) by her best friend (from
Argentina) whilst in high school. “It was my long time love of this
music from that early age that led me to learn Salsa” said Gabby,
starting as a beginner and relishing in social dancing at places such as
the Bullring and learning her craft from dance instructor Steve
Octogon.
Fate then took a hand in all this and Gabby and Frank
met six months prior to 2000 and a unique friendship and business
partnership was formed.
In
2000 they launched commercial Latin events and ran a weekly Thursday
night class at La Vida Latina before going 100% at Babalu’s and The Next
Blue. Frank and Gabby wanted to offer something different with their
vision being to expose Salsa to the greater community through events
filled with live music, drinking and dancing (emulating the Latin
culture).
Frank and Gabby both realised that to really make their
vision work would require more hands on time. So Frank, who was working
as an engineer, and Gabby, in children's wear design, said good bye to
their 9 to 5 jobs!
This vision was obviously the right one, as
they have remained while others have come and gone. They have continued
to reinvent themselves to stay at the forefront of all things Latin and
use a collaborative approach to business to not only help keep Melbourne
Salsa alive, but also the venues and businesses they work with.
When
I asked Frank and Gabby has it always been fun, they said “No” but
obviously their passion and drive for what they love and believe in has
been enough to ride those times out and continue on their merry way.
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So,
any plans for the future? They said “yes, we want to become an
organisation where you can come just to dance any Latin style, but if
you have the passion and desire for more, to help you down the
performance and teaching path as well”. They want to offer something at
every level, including touring as a dancer with Latin Dance Company.
So keep an eye on Melbourne Salsa, as even after 10 years, they still have some surprises just around the corner.
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For more information on Melbourne Salsa visit: www.melbournesalsa.com.au
 Interview by Susan Hill
Interview Date Upload. 30.11.10
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