Whoever never tried to dance is missing out on something very important in life.

Whenever you are down or even happy, dance is always a way out, Meli

Candela, founder of Salsa n Candela in Doha, tells Umer Nangiana

As a form of expression and ritual, dance existed even before the birth of the earliest human civilization. Swaying, tripping, twirling or whirling, every human being consciously or unconsciously experiences it.

Some go on to do it in a recognized form while others just remain shy of letting loose. Only those who deliberately indulge in dance get to experience the amazing feeling of what happens when the body reacts to a surge of energy charged by sensations, both induced and natural.

Salsa, a relatively modern dance form, is one such experience. Originating in New York in mid-1970s, this form of dance combines many elements with the Latin American and Caribbean styles and earlier dance forms such as ‘cha cha cha’ and ‘Mambo’ popular in the United States.

In its many styles, the salsa sees the dancers mainly performing through shifting weight by keeping the upper body level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. Arms and shoulder movements are also incorporated in the same harmonised drive.

Meli Candela, a Lebanese salsa dancer and instructor, describes it as a social dance and a language. “Salsa is not about style or structuring the hands. It is a social dance. It is a language,” Meli, the founder of Salsa n Candela in Doha, tells Community in an interview.  

“You have to do it as if you are walking. Only thing that is added is that you do it with music and you have a partner, you are not alone,” she says.

Passionate about Latin music and dance, Meli learned the basics of salsa from her Ukrainian instructor at the university. Practicing along, she joined an academy and within the next two years, she started coaching others besides judging salsa competitions.

For the past few years, she has been giving salsa (and some other dance) coaching classes to all those eager to set free their passion for dance in Doha. A physically fit and agile looking Meli however, still actively participates in salsa performances.

She is a well-known performer and instructor in salsa dance and music circles. Performance and teaching go side-by-side in salsa, believes Meli. “Since I started performing, I started teaching. You cannot stop dancing and start teaching. They go together,” the master performer says.

So how did it all begin for Meli?

It was one JLo (Jennifer Lopez, the American pop sensation) moment that decided it for Meli. She saw JLo performing a Latin dance on ‘Let’s Get Loud’ at FIFA 1998 World Cup opening ceremony.

“I went crazy. And I said this is it. I am quitting sports and I am going for dancing,” recalls Meli. Before this, volleyball was her passion. But then, it all changed. As she gradually moved towards dancing, she even started spinning and whirling on the volleyball court, thinking about her dance style.

As her focus shifted more towards her new-found passion, Meli’s talent was first noticed by her dance teacher Anna at her University in Lebanon. The teacher made her train hard and go on to participate in her first competition only a few months into training.

This initial hard work and early exposure to competitions at regional and later on at international level firmly rooted Meli as a pro-level salsa performer.

Starting from the federation level competitions in her country, Meli moved on to more international venues. “My best performance was in Dubai last year. It was a mixture of contemporary salsa. I had one also in 2007 at the Dubai Festival. It was a show of a lot of spinning,” recalls Meli.

She loves dancing and enjoys it even while coaching her students at Hilton Hotel Doha. From the platform of SnC, her students participate in different events which are mostly choreographed by Meli.

“Whoever never tried to dance is missing out on something very important in life. Whenever you are down or even happy, dance is always a way out. It is something to cherish,” says the salsa dancer about her love and passion for dance.

She says when people call her to ask if they could learn salsa or if it is easy, her response always is: “Can you walk? If you can walk, you can do salsa. If you can walk and have a bit of musicality, which everyone has by nature, you can do salsa.”

“It is not difficult. If you have it and you really like it, you will easily do it,” she tells them.

Even while she is teaching and choreographing, she is missing being on stage. One of the difficulties in this type of dance is to find a long-term dancing partner. “Because of moving from one place to the other, I never had a consistent dance partner which did not allow me really to be on stage that much —rather, I have been putting other people on stage more often,” says Meli.

She was once invited to participate in ‘So You Think You Can dance’ show in Lebanon but she had to decline the offer as she was settled in Qatar and travelling frequently between the two countries for the show was practically difficult.

Lebanon, she says, is a hub of arts with dancing deemed a basic ability. Salsa has grown big there. At the end of August, Meli is taking a group of 16 students to participate in a dance festival in Lebanon.

At SnC, Meli grooms upcoming salsa talent. She takes in people with no experience whatsoever of any form of dance and turns them into professional performers. Salsa opened a window to other kinds of dances such as Tango, hip hop, Jazz, Zumba and contemporary for her which she has incorporated in her coaching classes.  

“From one place to another, we have become a source for all performing arts in Doha and even recently it has not only been about dancing, but also musicals, theatrics, shadow shows and acrobatics,” says Meli.

Tango and salsa, for instance, she says, are from the same category. In both, the dancing partners do not necessarily need to know each other. People from different cultures can dance salsa or tango because it is like a language they all share, Meli explains.

For a salsa instructor, it is however, necessary to travel and see world renowned artists perform. It is an ongoing process and she travels almost every month. “Even If I teach, I still learn from masters,” she adds.

In future, she intends to work with and polish the upcoming talent for salsa in Doha. The country, she says, is still not ready to open up for talent which is why performances for local events are outsourced to companies from outside.  

It is an art form that needs local support and patronage in order for it to grow, emphasises Meli.

SnC organises Salsa Social Parties for all the Salsa fans every Sunday at W hotel, Crystal Lounge. Hilton Hotel is Salsa n Candela’s main venue where they conduct all the classes of salsa and other dances like Bachata, Kizomba, Zumba and Breakdance. Yoga and fitness classes are held at Eforea Spa and Gather at Trader Vic’s for social practice and fun with live Salsa Band.