Abstract:
Salsa is one of the most popular forms of Latin Dance practiced among multiethnic
communities across the United States since its introduction in the mid-20th century. Its
development has resulted in conversations around dance, culture, embodiment and sexual
expression. Dancers’ behaviors and interactions demonstrate how cultural notions
belonging to Latinx communities interrelate with constructs of gender and sexuality.
Current literature predominantly interrogates more heteronormative spaces in Western
society leaving a gap to further explore how interactions between dancers are motivated
in queer spaces. Ethnographic research was conducted in heteronormative and nonheteronormative
salsa communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the fall of
2018, data was collected from observational notes taken from several field visits at each
of the salsa venues. Using an intersectional approach, was key to highlighting nuances
observed between the various performances enacted by salsa dancers. Themes emerged
from the data that expand upon Goffinan’s theories of performance. Analysis of the
dancers’ gender and ethnic performance draws conclusion on human sexual desire and
motives that reinforce white heterosexist ideologies in queer and heteronormative salsa
communities.
