An outside perspective of people dancing at Fiesta Fridays in Luna Street Inspired Food in College Town on March 24 (Jadyn Davis/Ithaca Week).
One, two, three, turn to the left. Forward and on left, right, left.”
Michael Luis Ristorucci, a disc jockey and dance instructor, calls out directions as eager Salsa dancing students move to the beats of the music on a Friday night in March at Luna Street Inspired Street Food in College Town.
An hour later Ristourcci steps away from the dance floor and heads over to the DJ booth until the early-morning hours.
Luna is packed wall to wall with attendees as they dance the rest of the night away.
Top Michael Luis Ristorucci, Salsa Ithaca director and bottom Darius Cauthen General Manager and Bottom Joe Townsend Assistant General Manager of Luna Street Inspired Food in CollegeTown.
It takes two to tango
Salsa Ithaca is a company bringing Latin dance to Ithaca through dance classes and events.
Ristorucci said he has been doing events in Ithaca for 14 years.
Ristoruccii teaches a salsa recreational class at Cornell University and wants his students — and people under 21, generally — to be able to attend his event. Other local venues where he teaches salsa, Range and Level B, are 21 and older venues, he added.
He wants to see inclusion for all ages because he is passionate about salsa, he said.
“I am first and foremost an instructor of Latin dance and if people don't have a place to do it socially, then the company experience isn’t as complete,” Ristorucci said.
Darius Cauthen, general manager of Luna Street said that like Ristorucci, he didn’t want to put an age limit on dancing but feels he must take safety into consideration.
“We’re very visual on who’s drinking and we scan IDs and have wristbands,” Cauthen said. “We watch that very closely, but at the same time we want people to have fun.”
Darius Cauthen, general manager of Luna Street checking attendees IDs. Attendees that we're under 21 years old received wrist bands that are constantly checked by employees before heading to the upstairs venue (Jadyn Davis/Ithaca Week).
Cornell sophomore Camille Lee said she enjoys salsa nights and often brings her friends to Luna.
“I would come here for a lot of reasons, even if you don't know how to dance, you can learn it and there are great deals on the food and drinks, " Lee said. “Everyone's super friendly people are asking random strangers to dance — and it just keeps getting better as the night goes on.”
Highlighting Latin culture
When Ristoruccii was a graduate student at Cornell University, he said that his studies in sociology and history led him to organize cultural work in the Ithaca community.
Ristrorucci added that he wants to be able to teach people in Ithaca about Latin culture, while also catering to the Latino population in Ithaca.
“You get quite a mix of people in Latin America and then the United States experience with the students in Collegetown who want to learn how to Latin dance,” Ristrorucci said.
Azucena Campos Lopez, board member of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County said it is important that Ristorucci is putting on events like Fiesta Fridays because she said salsa has always been a popular expression of movement for Latinos.
“I think it is amazing,” Lopez said. “People love salsa, and the interest is not fading.”
Lopez said traditional salsa in Latin America is usually improvised without much-planned choreography. But Lopez said the salsa nights are a great way for people to learn and practice in a comfortable environment.
“If you have these salsa nights … in which you say ‘we are going to teach you the basics,’ I think that people will be more willing to attend those and then go by themselves to other events, instead of just going to one of the events and then feeling out of place,” Lopez said.
Ithaca College alum Madeline Giroux '22 assisting Michael Luis Ristorucci, Salsa Ithaca director with a dance lesson.
A helping hand
Ithaca College alum Madeleine Giroux ‘22 said she has been attending Salsa Ithaca events since the Pre Covid-19 pandemic and has seen more people attend events like fiesta Fridays over the years.
While Giroux doesn’t have a specific role on Giroux ‘22 team, she said she tries to help out in any way she can.
“I’m kind of a sporadic assistant,” Giroux said. ”Sometimes I help with advertising or with setup.”
Ristorucci said he hopes to expand Salsa Ithaca to areas like Lansing, Spencer, and Newfield and to collaborate with local wineries.
However, for Ristorucci to be able to reach his goals, he said he needs a larger staff that can help him teach and DJ. he said doing both can be challenging sometimes.
“I’m looking for people to work with more on a steady basis,” Ristorucci said. “I’ve had the experience of working with a lot of people and then they move on. Every time I think of expanding, I immediately think about who's going to help me with that because I can only be in one place at one time.”
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