By Jordan Imlah
If you thought your salsa dancing days were over when Caf? del Sol closed in December, think again.
Dance With Me, a new dance club and studio, which took over Caf? del Sol''s previous space, opened its doors July 26 with a remodeled building and a revamped style and sound.
Dance With Me, located at 1175 N. Canyon Road, Provo, will incorporate salsa, ballroom, meringue, jazz and country dancing. Admission is $7 a person or $10 a couple.
'We wanted to continue bringing salsa dancing like Caf? del Sol did, but have more options for the public,' owner Francisco Alvarez said.
Renovations and remodeling began in December 2006 and were completed in July, Alvarez said.
'This place was completed destroyed when we got the building,' he said. 'We worked very hard to make this a nice, clean dance club for everyone to come to.'
All changes are not yet complete, however. Another large dance studio in the same building is still being remodeled, which will eventually be strictly devoted to salsa dancing, while the other studio will house ballroom, jazz and meringue, Alvarez said.
Alvarez said he and his staff wanted to make Dance With Me family oriented and friendly to both the old and young.
'We have plans to invite senior citizens to come during the day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and let other people rent out space for birthday parties and receptions,' Alvarez said. 'We also want to let the kids from 14 to 17 come on Saturdays to learn to salsa dance, too.'
Dance With Me will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. From 6 to 8 p.m., the studio will give dance instruction and then transform into a dance club until midnight, or until 2 a.m. on Fridays.
'People can learn how to dance and then show off their moves,' Alvarez said.
So far, the dance studio has three teachers, each with more than four years of dance experience each. The studio is still looking for more teachers with backgrounds in other forms of dance, especially country, Alvarez said.
To quench the thirst from dancing, a variety of drinks will be available, including authentic Mexican, South American drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails, Alvarez said.
While Dance With Me is completely alcohol and smoke free, the minimum entrance age is 18.