Salsa

Most people reach a point in their lives where, though they may not know everything, they at least know what they like. Or, as is even more often the case, what they do not like. Until this past week, I thought that I had reached that point, at least when it came to music, anyway. The Susie Hansen Latin Band has shown me that I've still got a lot to learn. The band recently released their third album, "Representante de la Salsa," a Latin jazz and salsa album that mixes original works with classic covers.

Mall patrons wiggled their hips and shuffled their feet Friday to the sounds of salsa music as they were given free dance lessons from professional dancers, including the partner of last year’s “Dancing With the Stars” winner. Professional dancer Mark Ballas — who helped Kristi Yamaguchi win last year’s hit TV dance contest show — taught Glendale Galleria patrons a step or two about how to move gracefully on the dance floor and groove to the beats of the Latin dance known as salsa.

For Latin Dance Pro salsa dance instructor Sergio Leal, teaching dance comes down to one thing: the fundamentals. “My philosophy is to really start them off at the very beginning,” Leal said, as salsa music pumped through the speakers of the dance hall of Stardancers Horizon on Wilson Avenue in Glendale. These fundamentals to salsa, he said, make reaching the intermediate level a lot easier. He begins by teaching his students basic steps used in most forms of salsa, Leal said.

The bachata, a sultry Latin dance performed to romantic music, is moving West, and local instructors hope to give it a little nudge with a new beginners class in Burbank. Bodygroove dance company is adding beginning bachata classes to its course instruction because of its growing popularity at Los Angeles nightclubs, said Hollie Lee, owner of the dance school that already offers salsa, merengue and cha-cha. “The steps are slower and easier than salsa, and the music is slower and very beautiful,” Lee said.

Officials urge hotline use for flu City and health officials are encouraging the public to get updates on the swine flu through the Los Angeles County information hotline at 2-1-1. More information can also be found on the hotline?s website at www.infoline-la.org. Residents can also visit the Glendale Fire Department?s website at www.fire.ci.glendale. ca.us , or the city?s flu-specific Web page linked the main site at www.ci. glendale.ca.us . ? Salsa for scholars event is tonight The Glendale Latino Assn.

When you choose The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada as the name of your restaurant, you instantly subject yourself to potential sneers of derision. It’s one thing to claim you have the “best” of something, but to be so bold as to make it your identity? Well, a new joint in Glendale did just that, and it measures up nicely. There seems to be a certain mystique to fish tacos that puts them into a separate category that’s almost elitist. It’s only recently that you can find them on the menu at the well-known Mexican fast food restaurants and they are the proverbial staple of beach bums, but now it’s time to let the rest of us in on this little delicacy.

Explosive Latin dances are exciting to watch, but one executive producer takes her shows several dramatic steps further by offering a glimpse of their history. Gloria Otero, director and owner of the Otero Dance Company, will show how the salsa, gaucho and tango evolved during the "Rhythm and Passion" show April 22 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. The audience will come away knowing more about these dances, Otero said. In the first act, the company will delve into how the tango was born.

Big-name entertainers and free dance lessons are part of the seventh annual Come Out & Dance summer music festival every Thursday night on the AMC Walkway. Starting this week and continuing through August, dance lessons begin at 6 p.m., guided by Francisco and Stacey Martinez of the Dance Family Studios in Pasadena. The husband-and-wife team will teach East Coast swing lessons in July and then turn up the heat with salsa lessons in August. After class, live music continues from 7 to 9 p.m. The event is presented by the Downtown Burbank Partnership.

Send DATEBOOK items to Glendale News-Press, 111 W. Wilson Ave., Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203 or fax to (818) 241-1975. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. THURSDAY Downtown Burbank Swingin' Sounds from Downtown free dance concert beginning with salsa lessons by Francisco and Stacey Martinez at 6 p.m. and concert at 7 p.m. featuring salsa band Son Mayor in the AMC Walkway, San Fernando Boulevard and Palm Avenue in Burbank. Call (818)

On a quiet, one-way Pasadena street, a few doors down from a comedy club and where you must take caution not to get run over by little old ladies trying to parallel park in front of a medical marijuana store, El Metate Café is a family-run Mexican restaurant that's not so easy to find, and nearly impossible to forget. This is the place for burritos the size of Popeye's forearms and a boiling concoction served in a giant pig-shaped mortar. It's where you can get tacos of chicken, beef, pork, brain, tongue and pig stomach.

Salsa Grill, which opened last September in Burbank, is a keeper, whether you come for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I tried breakfast and then came back a week later for lunch. The fish tacos, served with rice and beans and only available on Fridays, were delicious. It had that fried-fish taste but not deep-fried, which sometimes leaves you with a taste of batter that overwhelms the fish. The lunch special was only $5, including drink. I also had an outstanding super burrito ($7.95)

Most people reach a point in their lives where, though they may not know everything, they at least know what they like. Or, as is even more often the case, what they do not like. Until this past week, I thought that I had reached that point, at least when it came to music, anyway. The Susie Hansen Latin Band has shown me that I've still got a lot to learn. The band recently released their third album, "Representante de la Salsa," a Latin jazz and salsa album that mixes original works with classic covers.

Big-name entertainers and free dance lessons are part of the seventh annual Come Out & Dance summer music festival every Thursday night on the AMC Walkway. Starting this week and continuing through August, dance lessons begin at 6 p.m., guided by Francisco and Stacey Martinez of the Dance Family Studios in Pasadena. The husband-and-wife team will teach East Coast swing lessons in July and then turn up the heat with salsa lessons in August. After class, live music continues from 7 to 9 p.m. The event is presented by the Downtown Burbank Partnership.

T he Glendale Latino Assn. celebrated the academic accomplishments of Glendale high school students, accompanied by scrambled eggs and salsa at the Hilton Glendale. President Amy Navarrete welcomed her audience of some 80 supporters to the association's annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast on Thursday. Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero offered greetings from the city. Quintero remarked that his family was one of three families that started the association in 1992. Today, it has more than 150 active members.

When you choose The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada as the name of your restaurant, you instantly subject yourself to potential sneers of derision. It’s one thing to claim you have the “best” of something, but to be so bold as to make it your identity? Well, a new joint in Glendale did just that, and it measures up nicely. There seems to be a certain mystique to fish tacos that puts them into a separate category that’s almost elitist. It’s only recently that you can find them on the menu at the well-known Mexican fast food restaurants and they are the proverbial staple of beach bums, but now it’s time to let the rest of us in on this little delicacy.

For Latin Dance Pro salsa dance instructor Sergio Leal, teaching dance comes down to one thing: the fundamentals. “My philosophy is to really start them off at the very beginning,” Leal said, as salsa music pumped through the speakers of the dance hall of Stardancers Horizon on Wilson Avenue in Glendale. These fundamentals to salsa, he said, make reaching the intermediate level a lot easier. He begins by teaching his students basic steps used in most forms of salsa, Leal said.

Rain didn’t stop couples from dancing to live salsa music Friday night outside Damon’s Steakhouse as dozens of people contributed to a student scholarship fund through the Glendale Latino Assn. Salsa dancing, margaritas and carne asada tacos added to the festive vibe at the event, also sponsored by Glendale Arts, “Salsa for Scholarships,” a fundraiser in which all proceeds were channeled to 20 student scholarships. Student Sonia Zelezny, 17, sang at the event with the Hoover High School Jazz Band, which played salsa and Afro-Cuban music.

Officials urge hotline use for flu City and health officials are encouraging the public to get updates on the swine flu through the Los Angeles County information hotline at 2-1-1. More information can also be found on the hotline?s website at www.infoline-la.org. Residents can also visit the Glendale Fire Department?s website at www.fire.ci.glendale. ca.us , or the city?s flu-specific Web page linked the main site at www.ci. glendale.ca.us . ? Salsa for scholars event is tonight The Glendale Latino Assn.

Mall patrons wiggled their hips and shuffled their feet Friday to the sounds of salsa music as they were given free dance lessons from professional dancers, including the partner of last year’s “Dancing With the Stars” winner. Professional dancer Mark Ballas — who helped Kristi Yamaguchi win last year’s hit TV dance contest show — taught Glendale Galleria patrons a step or two about how to move gracefully on the dance floor and groove to the beats of the Latin dance known as salsa.