Dance and urban space: salsa in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The Caribbean rhythm of salsa is widespread in Rio de Janeiro, through various events organized in dança de salãoacademies, nightclubs, along the beach, and cultural centers. Thus, examining the intense sociability around salsa helps us understand the heterogeneity and hierarchies of urban life. This text aims to identify connections between spaces dedicated to salsa dancing in Rio de Janeiro, based on ethnographic  extracts  from  two distinct  moments  in  a  region  that  has  been  the  object of  repeated preservationist narratives. I describe itineraries and interactions, showing how the multiple meanings of dance are linked to the production of urban spaces. I also reflect on how the social markers inscribed on the researcher's body shape these interactions. The text assumes that attention to perceptive and sensitive modalities  such  as  dance  provides  contextualized knowledge  about  interventions  in  urban spaces.