Mujeres Triunfando, a new reg­is­tered stu­dent orga­ni­za­tion (RSO) on cam­pus, is offer­ing an evening of free Salsa danc­ing lessons.

Although “Mujeres Triunfando” trans­lates to “women pre­vail­ing,” Lissette Isabel, pres­i­dent of the RSO, explains that the group is “open to any­one that would like to pro­mote women empow­er­ment and Latin awareness.”

Salsa danc­ing has been described as a dance of inti­mate pas­sion and addic­tion. The typ­i­cal music for Salsa is up-tempo Latin music. Salsa music typ­i­cally ranges from 180 to 210 beats per minute; this is about twice the tempo of the Rumba.

Cuba is cred­ited for cre­at­ing the Salsa style of dance; how­ever, New York cre­ated the term “Salsa”. Salsa is a com­bi­na­tion of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances.

“Our inter­est in Salsa comes from our cul­tural back­ground, because we are a Latin-based mul­ti­cul­tural orga­ni­za­tion and all of our events and activ­i­ties are encour­ag­ing the aware­ness of the Hispanic cul­ture,” said Isabel.

To get into the begin­ning posi­tion, stand fac­ing your part­ner. The leader (typ­i­cally the male) places his right hand on his partner’s waist. Next, he extends his left arm diag­o­nally to chest height with his elbow bent at a right angle and his palm raised. The female part­ner grasps her partner’s right hand in a loose grip. Last, she places her hand on the male’s shoulder.

An impor­tant tip for begin­ning Salsa dancers is to take small steps. As the music gets faster, it’s impor­tant to keep your feet less than one foot apart. Remember to keep soft knees; this helps accen­tu­ate hip movement.

As a tip for begin­ners, Isabel said, “Learn how to lis­ten to the music and fol­low the beat of the drums, and also know that is all in the hips!”

Tonight from 6 to 7 p.m., Mujeres Triunfando will be hav­ing an infor­ma­tional meet­ing for those inter­ested in join­ing or just learn­ing more about their orga­ni­za­tion. The meet­ing will take place in FLITE 135.

Later this evening, the ladies of Mujeres Triunfando will be host­ing a Salsa night. They will be teach­ing styles such as the Bachata, Salsa and Cha Cha. This free event will take place from 7:30 to 9 in the Rankin Student Center Dome Room.

For more infor­ma­tion, con­tact Lissette Isabel, pres­i­dent of Mujeres Triunfando, at mtwomen@hotmail.com.