The event was the brainchild of Krystal Souvanlasy, who is the events coordinator at Schmidt’s.
Salsa Nights at the Piazza at Schmidt’s Commons will be back for the summer starting on May 4. As in prior seasons, the program will commence at 7 p.m. with a dance lesson provided by Jackie Fisher, executive director of the nonprofit Take the Lead Dance Project, which introduces the art of social dancing to high school students throughout Philadelphia, immediately followed by live music.
“We’re now in our third season and we attract multicultural crowds in excess of 1,000 people per event,” said Rob Bernerg, one of the co-founders of Siempre Salsa, which is an initiative that promotes salsa music and puts on Salsa Nights on the first Friday night of every month from 7 to 10 p.m. “It is a program designed to expand the audience for salsa music and the awesome community from which it emanates.”
The other co-founders of Siempre Salsa are Philadelphia Latin music ambassador Jesse Bermudez and Carlos Sanchez, a musician in salsa band Orquesta del Barrio.
The event was the brainchild of Krystal Souvanlasy, who is the events coordinator at Schmidt’s.
“There have not been events here for many years, so it was my job to start creating events to make this a more lively place for the community and the residents here,” she said, noting that while many other places in the city had similar salsa nights, none had live bands. “It’s taken on a life of its own.”
Bernberg, who is also an owner of Latin Beat magazine, described the atmosphere of Salsa Night as “heaven.”
“I’m a happily retired lawyer and I’ve been deeply connected to our local community and things I’ve done nationally, but this program brings different cultures together in a way that no other event does in terms of sharing the wealth and warmth of our community with people not from that community.”
He stresses the event attracts a diverse array of people.
“For what it’s worth, I’m not Latin,” he said. “I’m 110 percent proud of my Jewish heritage, but that doesn’t keep me from admiring folks from other cultures who have so much to offer and provide exceptional music along the way.”
Bernberg said that Siempre Salsa is about more than just music.
“We are proponents of living a Latin lifestyle in terms of helping people find the simple joys in life,” he said.
Siempre Salsa Philly produces the City of Philadelphia’s Siempre Salsa Philly Week celebration, scheduled to take place this year July 5–11, and provides entertainment services for a number of traditional and non-traditional clients, including the Union League of Philadelphia, the Society Hill Dance Academy and the Curtis Institute of Music, to name but a few. The Siempre Salsa Philly Facebook page and New to Salsa — a page designed to introduce salsa music to newcomers from all cultures and walks of life — have a combined dedicated follower base in excess of 3,300 individuals.
The Piazza at Schmidt’s Commons is located at 1001 N. 2nd St. in Northern Liberties.
