I approach the south end of Venice Beach with trepidation, mask on, and already it feels like the area is surging with human electricity. A friend tells me I need to see a scene happening near the pier: salsa and bachata dancing near picnic tables usually crowded with the coastal unhoused. It started small around January at the pier’s parking lot, drawing a community of those displaced from indoor dance floors. Salsa is more complex, flashy, but its turns are similar to an uptempo cumbia dance style that’s popular in the Mexico City salones I once frequented. I look around and wonder if salsa and bachata, for Los Angeles’ sake, can be considered essential activities.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 08, 2021 13:33 UTC