This Old Steakhouse Transforms Into Socal's Hottest Salsa Dancing Hub By Night - Beritaja

In the working-class metropolis of Commerce, wherever cars velocity past connected highways and the Citadel Outlets building complete neighborhoods, location is simply a steakhouse named Stevens. By day, it’s a classical and charming aged edifice wherever moving group spell for quiet, hearty meals.

But each Sunday night, the extracurricular world disappears.

As waiters whisk about successful starched fastener ups, couples lead each different by the manus toward the creation level successful the restaurant’s ballroom, wherever Stevens’ contented of Salsa Sundays has been bringing the organization together for 73 years.

At 7 p.m. each Sunday, beginner lessons commencement astatine Stevens Steakhouse.

(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

An eight-piece set plays brass, electrical guitar, bongos and timbales, filling the room pinch euphony arsenic dancers twirl successful a dizzying array. One attendee, 29-year-old Amy Hernandez, greets a fewer acquainted faces earlier she steps onto the creation floor, spinning successful assured steps pinch a wide grin connected her face.

Hernandez is portion of a revival that’s been getting younger group excited about salsa euphony — and flocking to Stevens. She grew up watching her begetter creation salsa, but started diving backmost into the genre connected her ain to find comfortableness during the L.A. wildfires earlier this year. She credits Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” for re-sparking her interest.

“It was very treatment for me,” she says of the album, which blends old-school Puerto Rican boricua samples pinch Latin creation and reggaeton influences for an affectional imagining of Puerto Rican identity.

For decades, Stevens has brought friends, couples, and families together for unrecorded euphony and dance.

(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)

When assemblage friends recommended Stevens arsenic an affordable spot to dance, Hernandez mentioned it successful passing to her dad. “He laughed and said, ‘I retrieve that place. I utilized to creation location too,’” Hernandez says.

The progressively mainstream artists of Latin fusion genre reggaeton are returning to tradition. Along pinch the euphony of Bad Bunny, who’s headlining the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, you could find classical salsa references successful reggaeton prima Rauw Alejandro’s latest medium “Cosa Nuestra,” and successful Colombian popular prima Karol G’s multi-genre summertime medium “Tropicoqueta,” which will beryllium astatine the halfway of her headlining Coachella set.

“You could consciousness the younger energy,” says longtime Stevens salsa coach Jennifer Aguirre. “It makes maine really happy to spot a younger procreation return connected salsa. Because I was worried for a bit. I didn’t cognize really salsa is going to continue.”

Los Angeles has a unsocial narration pinch salsa, the Afro-Caribbean creation calved from Cuban mambo. In cities for illustration Miami and New York, salsa arrived pinch Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants. Instead, L.A.’s salsa power came from Golden Age Hollywood, wherever Latin creation successful movies produced a singular, flashier Angeleno style, characterized by speedy turns and theatrical movement, according to salsa historian Juliet McMains.

The 1990s were different precocious for the genre, erstwhile West Coast pioneers for illustration the Vazquez brothers and their first-of-its-kind creation squad Salsa Brava sparked a section creation craze. The Vazquezes introduced the “on-1” measurement and innovated a flashier, melodramatic style of salsa successful L.A. that brought crowds to competitions and congresses done the 2000s. Legendary precocious promoter Albert Torres founded the L.A. Salsa Congress successful 1999, the first congress connected the West Coast, drafting a worldwide assemblage for Angeleno salsa.

Opened successful 1952 by Steven Filipan (and located connected Stevens Place), Stevens successful Commerce became a section hub for Latin music. “The absorbing portion was that the area wasn’t Latin astatine all,” says Jim Filipan, Steven’s grandson and now the third-generation proprietor of the restaurant. “My grandfather had a foresight that this genre would beryllium the future.”

Jim recalls his puerility increasing up successful the restaurant. “We would person hundreds of group connected Sundays,” he says. “The ballroom, the restaurant, everyone was dancing salsa, and it was incredible. My dada took complete successful the ‘70s, and I was moving it pinch him successful the ‘90s.”

Yet by the 2010s it was evident that different genre was taking clasp of the Latin creation scene: bachata, ushered successful by smooth-singing New York stars for illustration Prince Royce and Romeo Santos. Salsa quickly went from being considered hep to alternatively old-fashioned.

During a Stevens creation lesson, guests study really to rotation connected the creation floor.

(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

Aguirre witnessed the genre suffer liking firsthand. “It was for illustration an contiguous switch,” Aguirre says. “Salsa conscionable wasn’t arsenic celebrated anymore, and group would locomotion complete to the different broadside of the edifice to return the bachata lessons.”

The pandemic besides dealt a ample rustle to section salsa clubs, arsenic peers successful the long-standing creation nine manufacture fell to little attendance rates and rising rent. And successful the past year, 2 historical venues, the Conga Room and the Mayan, closed permanently.

Stevens almost had the aforesaid fate. The financial burdens during the pandemic made Jim see closing for good. But he couldn’t thief but see the work of his family’s bequest and the typical spot Stevens holds for section dancers.

“It’s very affectional for maine because I person 4 generations successful this restaurant, and now my girl useful here,” he says.

When Stevens reopened, the organization came backmost successful droves, ushering successful a caller era of excitement for salsa.

These days, astatine the opening of each class, creation coach Miguel “Miguelito” Aguirre announces the aforesaid rule.

“Forget about what happened today, hide about your week, hide about each the bad stuff. Leave it astatine the door,” Aguirre says. “It’s going to beryllium amended because we’re going to creation salsa.”

Dance instructor, Miguel Aguirre, right, mans the DJ booth alongside DJ Pechanga, different longtime worker of Stevens. Every weekend, the duo brings Latin euphony to the forefront of the space.

(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)

Aguirre has taught salsa astatine Stevens for 30 years. In galore ways, the steakhouse has shaped his life. It’s wherever he discovered his emotion for school creation and overmuch more.

“I started coming present successful the ‘90s, sneaking successful done the backmost door. I was a teenager, truthful not aged capable to show my ID, but 1 day, Jim conscionable said, ‘You guys cannot travel successful done the backmost anymore. You could travel into the front,’” Aguirre says. “And past 1 time he said, ‘Hey, we are missing the instructors. They’re not coming in. Can you guys thatch the class?’ And, I’m still here.”

Jennifer Aguirre, a chap creation coach astatine Stevens, is his wife. She met him 1 time astatine Stevens’ yearly Halloween party.

“He asked maine to subordinate his people because they ‘needed much girls,’” Jennifer says, laughing.

Now Jennifer teaches the beginner’s class, while Miguel is connected intermediate. But erstwhile 10 p.m. hits, it’s societal dancing time. The full level comes together and a acquainted organization converges. If attendees are lucky, they mightiness drawback Jennifer and Miguel, a smooth-dancing duo, letting loose, stepping and dipping effortlessly.

On a caller Sunday night, the low-lighted ambience of the edifice met the purple lights of the creation room, pinch group sitting each about for a peek astatine the moves connected display. Buttery steaks and potatoes cooking successful the room tinged the aerial arsenic the creation level came live pinch women spinning successful dresses and men successful sparkling shoes gliding to the hit of the music. Miguel Aguirre parented the DJ stand, asking 2 singles if they knew each different and encouraging them to dance.

Gregorio Sines was 1 of the solo dancers connected the floor, swaying partners easy nether Miguel’s encouragement. Years ago, his friend, who frequented Stevens, dragged Sines retired to creation socials, telling him it would beryllium the champion measurement to meet group and unfastened up.

As personification who began pinch worry to creation successful beforehand of others, Sines now performs successful Stevens’ creation showcases. He says consistently returning to the steakhouse’s historical level and immersing himself successful the supportive organization not only changed his creation game, but brought him retired of his shell.

“I show anyone, if you’re frightened to dance, you conscionable person to get retired there,” Sines says. “There’s a organization waiting for you.”