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 Miami
Club! Boston Globe Review
Salsa swivels into Chinatown
By Cindy Rodriguez, Globe Staff, 08/01/2002
It's a void long felt by diehard Boston salsa lovers: On Saturday
nights there was no place where you could dance salsa all night long.
While many clubgoers prefer a mix of dance styles that include salsa,
merengue, Cumbia, rock en espanol and bachata, some only want to dance
salsa.
A new club now caters to their craving. And it's in, of all places,
Chinatown.
From the outside the Ekco Lounge looks like it's an abandoned club that
shut down in the '80s. The old neon sign - exclaiming Hollywood KTV - is
still there. Inside, it's another world. A gleaming hardwood floor,
perfect for dancing, stretches throughout the first floor of the club,
which is perhaps 700 square feet big. It's here, on floor one, where the
Miami Club comes to life on Saturday nights.
Last Saturday, the crowd was thin, but they were all fantastic dancers.
Nearly everyone there knows each other.
The Ekco Lounge is devoting its first floor space to what it's calling
the Miami Club. It's a small place, fitting perhaps 100 people. But it's
kind of like the Cheers bar - a place where, after a few visits, everyone
will know your name. Salsa isn't just a dance, you know. It's practically
a cult.
For the past three Saturdays, a steady crowd of 80 people has come to
the club, which is decorated with faux palm trees and plastic pink
flamingos. A bit corny, co-owner Jeff Tam admits, but really all the
people care about is having floor space and good music.
"It's a very energetic crowd," says 24-year-old Tam.
"They're pretty sophisticated. These people know how to dance.
Watching them, you almost feel like you're in the middle of a Broadway
play."
It costs $15 to get in and includes a free dance lesson from 9 to 10
p.m. The cover is high because salsa dancers typically drink water instead
of alcohol, so all the money is made at the door, rather than at the bar.
But for those who like cocktails, the Miami Club offers mojitos and
sangria. And if you want to venture into a different atmosphere, upstairs
is "Girl's Night," a place where lesbians socialize.
"This place is a hidden treasure," Tam says of his club.
"From the outside it's not appealing but once you walk inside,
people's mouths drop. You wouldn't imagine it here in Chinatown."
The club plans to put up a Web site, www.ekcolounge.com. Park at the
InterParking garage on Beach Street for $5 with club validation. |
