In the beginning was the music, Cuban-derived genres such as mambo and chachaca which had been "cooked" -- a Spanish expression to describe a band which is swinging -- by musicians in Cuba since a long time ago.

The music traveled north to New York with immigrants from Cuba and Puerto Rico in the late 1960s and early 70s.

In New York they threw pop, jazz and R&B in on top of the Afro-Caribbean beats. The mixture came out red-hot "salsa" -- the Spanish word for "sauce" referring to the spiciness in the music -- which soon refers to a dancing style that accompanies the music.

The rest is the history of the Latino diaspora and how a globalizing media wove sub-culture into pop culture, helping propel Ricky Martin, J-Lo, and Shakira to international stardom in the process.

Syncopated, made-to-dance Latin music finally arrived in Indonesia in the second half of the 1990s with the music of the Colombian band, Palenque, at Caf‚ Batavia.

But the gospel of salsa really got cooking here at Salsa Cafe, which opened in Kemang, South Jakarta in 1999, with suave, sexy dancers from Cuba and Colombia offering free dance lessons to anyone brave enough to get out on the floor.

Damaris, a female dancer graduated from the Cuban National Arts Academy, was one of them.

"The first time (I came to Indonesia) I stayed six months, teaching up to four classes a day. Not so many people knew about salsa then. There wasn't even a (salsa) band, just a DJ all night long. Everybody wanted to dance (Ricky Martin's) La Vida Loca, they loved the craziness."

When Damaris came back in 2002 she was amazed to find some of her former students had become salsa teachers.

"By the time I came back, salsa just exploded." And not just in Indonesia. "It was all over the world. All of sudden it wasn't just the Cuban and Colombian style -- there was also the Japanese style," she laughed.

The hard core which formed at the center of the saucy craziness -- includes Imelda Sarte, a mother of four who took her first salsa steps at a community dance class in Bandung, West Java.

"I just loved watching it and wanted to master it. So I joined Salsa Quarter in 2001 -- that was the only salsa club then -- led by Kania Roesli. Even when I was still a beginner I wasn't afraid to try the tricky moves. I couldn't wait to be good at it," Imelda said at a Tuesday "Latin night" event at a Jakarta club.

When Imelda's work at a bank saw her move to Jakarta in 2002, she found Latin music events already dotting the capital's night life.

Well aware that Latin music isn't a spectator sport, at Stix, the now-defunct Enoki and other venues the former banker found fellow salsa fanatics and a chance to learn more.

"I was a student of Damaris. But I also studied with Luisa and Anton," she said, rattling off the city's best-known instructors.

Damaris taught her about the emphasis on the shoulders and upper body in Cuban salsa. Luisa, who likes the Colombian style, gave her tips on the hips and how shake it like Shakira.

Of course the former banker had to take off her business suit first. She even bought special sneakers designed for professional dancers.

"I'll dance until I'm out of sweat and out of mineral water. It's my sport," she laughed. Her partner that night, Yokee Ang, a business strategist from Malaysia, helped her demo some of the most intricate twists and turns.

Yokee watched salsa for the first time when he studied in the U.S.

"I was fascinated. I didn't know what it was but I liked it." Back in Kuala Lumpur, he discovered that a friend of his already knew the moves.

"I said to myself, if she can do it, I can do it too.

"I even performed with the school, which was really great."

Since then, whenever he's abroad, Yokee always tries to locate a salsa club. When he moved to Jakarta in 2002 for work, finding a salsa club was naturally his priority.

"Through salsa I can release the day's stress and make friends with nice people like Imelda and some of the others."

Salsa nights

The first Salsa Club in Kemang closed years ago, but there are replacements.

The twice-weekly Latin nights at Mistere (Ritz Carlton Hotel) are organized by Luisa -- each Tuesday and Thursday.

Tuesday is less packed and more casual -- a chance to practice -- while on Thursday there is more of a Latin dance party vibe, with girls in gowns, heels and coiffed hair.

Even though she's half-Polish, Luisa has Latina looks, which may contribute to her success "preaching" the gospel of Latin dance music.

"It's a serious hobby," she mused.

Luisa connected with a Colombian band in Jakarta as early as 1995 and the dancers taught her how to dance. She has been giving lessons at a wide variety of places for three and a half years, sometimes in collaboration with a female Colombian colleague.

Luisa has organized various events, including the biggest one, the annual Gala Latina.

"Indonesians are the best dancers" and "it's easy to teach them", she said. "They can feel it in their feet ... because of dangdut."

Her students, both Indonesians and foreigners, come from various walk of lives -- university students, office workers and housewives -- and ages range from the 20s to 50s.

Meanwhile, Damaris hosts salsa nights at Grand Canyon Cafe at Darmawangsa Square.

"Salsa brought me to Indonesia, and then I married an Indonesian. So I've been here ever since," she said. She said she performs about once a month.

"Salsa for me is about having fun, making friends," said the highly trained dancer. "So I don't perform that much."

Salsa nights in Jakarta:

* Grand Canyon Cafe at Darmawangsa Square, Jl. Darmawangsa Raya, South Jakarta. Salsa every Saturday, Latin music also on Wednesday and Sunday.

* Mistere at the Ritz Carlton, Mega Kuningan, Ground Floor, South Jakarta. Every Tuesday and Thursday.

* Stix at The Park Lane Hotel, Jl. Casablanca Kav.18, South Jakarta. Salsa every Saturday

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