After the Toronto Dance Salsa Amateur Competition I suspect that the both of us suffered a slight salsa overload. You may ask, “How could that be possible that a salsa addict has had too much salsa?” Well, I guess that’s only part of our excuse, the other is that the summer weather means that our weekends are packed with activities such as heading out of the city for plenty of outdoor activities. Never fear though, as the addiction kicks back in soon enough and before you know it, we’re back into the thick of things.
Tonight we checked out Mambo Thursdays at Remys in Yorkville. Venues like Remys and Babaluu are so close to where we live that it is inexcusable for us not to be regulars. There are lessons from 8-9 and then 9-10 with social dancing starting at 10. We arrived at 9 to check out the lessons as well. The classes were lightly attended; however, Maya Belle does a good job of breaking down steps for those who are new.
Possibly due to the rain, there was not much of a turnout even at 10:30pm. The salsa crowd tends to be on the late side, so luckily we stuck around as things really started going at 11pm. The dancefloor is not the biggest of dancefloors, but very danceable. It’s basically one big wooden square, that’s neither too slippery nor too sticky. Just right for Alfred tonight and he wasn’t even wearing dance shoes. There is a great ambiance to the venue, it’s cozy with a good looking and polished crowd that fits right in with Yorkville.
There was a fantastic mix of mainly intermediate and advanced dancers with a sprinkling of beginners. In speaking to DJ Geronimo, there is a typical showing of salseros and salseras from all of Toronto’s dance schools: iFreeStyle, Mambo Mosaic, Mambo Tribe, and Toronto Dance Salsa. DJ Geronimo spins a great mix of salsa with variety in tempo and style. It would be difficult to sit/stand still when so many great songs are being played.
Maya arranges for a dance performance of varied types, and on this night there was a solo Bollywood performance. Something different but very professional and well done.
The only slight criticism was several instances where the volume was way too loud for such a small space. Other than that we had a very enjoyable time and will definitely be making Remys a regular hangout.
Mambo Thursdays – Remys Yorkville
115 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto, ON
416-522-6077
Cover:
$10
$5 for ladies before 10:30 PM
Dancing:
Thursdays 10 PM (8 PM Beginner Lesson, 9 PM Intermediate Lesson)
Our Ratings
Dancefloor: 5
Ambiance: 4
Music: 5
Dancers: 5
Fun Factor: 5
Overall: 24 (out of 25)
