UNION CITY — Grab a partner and hit the dance floor — it's time to salsa.

Rodney Aquino, a well-known salsa dancer, is bringing sexy back to little ol' Union City.

Using pelvic gyrations, quick feet and spinning transitions, Aquino, who likes to go by "Rodchata," teaches salsa and another dance form called bachata all over the world. Recently, he traveled to Australia to perform and teach.

Now he has brought his love for dance to the Tri-City area.

For $12, visitors can drop by the Tahini Dance Studio at 30987 Watkins St., off Smith Street near Union City Boulevard, to learn some basic salsa steps and fundamentals.

"It's a perfect class designed for beginners," Aquino said.

Last Saturday, the first scheduled class of about 10 people learned some of those basics. The demonstrations consist of Aquino explaining each move and the reason behind it.

"It makes it easier for students to learn," he said.

In addition, he will teach men how to lead women — or vice versa.

However, "We need more men,'' Aquino said. "I don't know what's up with the guys, but maybe they are just shy ... I don't know."

Like most dance styles — except for the twist (for you oldtimers) and the running man — salsa requires a partner to perform the moves. Ironically, Aquino admits that when he was younger and went to clubs, he was a wallflower.

"I was very hesitant to ask women to dance," he said.

After

Advertisement
watching the confident men dance with all the women on the floor, Aquino had had enough.

"I was a little jealous," he joked. "I just took it upon myself to learn how to dance and make friends at the same time."

After years of practice, Aquino eventually created a Web site called www.salsagang.com, a salsa networking site that has grown to about 2,000 members, he said.

The best way to learn any dance is to go out and practice it, he advised.

"That's how we (friends) learned how to dance," he said. "We would go out and apply it to the lab ... you know — the club."

Last week, dancers' ages ranged from 16 to 50. Everyone was very enthusiastic and will be coming back, Aquino said. "They just hope more men show up," he said.

In addition, there will be an intermediate course if students progress.

In about an hour, most participants "will be able to dance a whole song," he said.

"I usually tell people when they're hesitant, men especially ... 'if you can walk, you can dance'," he said.

For those who are interested, the best way to contact Aquino is via e-mail at Rodney@Rodchata.com.

Staff writer Jamaal Johnson covers Union City. He can be reached at 510-353-7003 or e-mailed at jajohnson@bayareanewsgroup.com.