Salsa Saturdays at La Marqueta is a Salsa dance at the old market in El Barrio East Harlem, on summer Saturdays from 12 – 6 pm. There may be Salsa lessons at 12 noon. FREE.
In Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, the old central market, La Placita, is THE place to dance Salsa on weekends. La Marqueta is El Barrio’s La Placita.
In 2020, the party was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. In 2018, the party was extended to the end of October.
This story was built around the video produced by Laura Castro Lindarte & Cynthia Betubiza.
Salsa Saturdays
Every Saturday afternoon during summer, old timers come to La Marqueta to dance La Salsa the way they did when they were young, before it was even called Salsa.
Young people come to dance too and to see how we danced before it mixed with Hustle (Disco) into New York Salsa on2 (on the upbeat).
Salsa on1 (Cuban and Colombian Salsa on the downbeat) is easy so this is a great place to take your first Salsa steps. If you want to dance Salsa, where else would you want to learn than in El Barrio?
The dancers know how sweet it is to dance with an old timer. They’ve been dancing since they were born.
There’s music, food and people of all ages. That’s a real party.
Salsa Saturdays was founded in 2007 by Celia Ramirez and Albert Medina. Today it is organized by We R El Barrio (Facebook Group).
¡Vamos a Gozar! (Let’s enjoy)
Visit Salsa Saturdays
Summer Saturdays
12 noon – 6 pm
FREE
La Marqueta
1590 Park Avenue
(at 115th St)
East Harlem (El Barrio), Manhattan
Subway
- (6) to 110th St
- (4) (5) (6) to 125th St
Train
Metro-North to 125th St
Video Producers
Laura Castro Lindarte
Laura Castro Lindarte is a Colombian – American, NYC-based, journalist who is passionate about politics. She graduated from George Washington University and is getting her Masters at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has written for WETA Public Television, the Hearst Newspaper Washington Bureau and the Washington Examiner. Follow Laura on Twitter at @lauracastrox3
Cynthia Betubiza
Cynthia Betubiza is a Ugandan – American, NYC-based journalist who is passionate about politics, labor, the environment, social justice and the arts. She is getting her Masters at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, specializing in multimedia. Follow Cynthia on Twitter @CynthiaBetubiza