The warm-breeze boogie

Dance to sweat away those hot summer nights.

by Rebecca Mazzei
5/3/00

Find a groove to suit your mood.

Some sort of sensory overload moves bodies into action when warm weather arrives. Maybe it’s the summer winds teasing bare skin, or breezes carrying sounds from afar. Suddenly, walking down the street means unconsciously dancing to House of Pain (or something frighteningly similar) as a low rider rolls by. No matter what the music, your body’s rush of adrenaline just can’t help but find a rhythm.

With this energetic season tapping its foot impatiently, locating the right venue for personal expression just means finding a groove to suit your mood. From dance clubs in the suburbs to annual entertainment downtown, the summer is packed with events showcasing hot bodies in motion, but there are also dozens of places where you can be your own personal showcase. Here are a few.

We’re all familiar with the Latin dance craze that has resurged this year – but Detroit’s been doing that dance for decades. Royal Oak’s Sangria restaurant offers "Argentine Tango" every Thursday, and the Parabox Café is still the place for Latin dance in Detroit. If you’d rather just watch the moves, Cranbrook’s Kingswood Auditorium (Bloomfield Hills, 248-851-8872) will present its second "Musica Viva" event on May 19. This Flamenco music festival features dancers and famed Cuban guitarist Jorge Luis Perez.

For those who enjoy the classic moves of ballroom, hustle or bop, downtown Detroit mainstays such as Comfort Zone and Coffee & Cream Coffeehouse offer free basic dancing lessons at least once a week. Todd P. and DJ Hollywood are responsible for the groove sounds at Comfort Zone every Wednesday.

Electronic music has also been infecting the dancing masses. With or without the encouragement of Detroit’s elite digital underground crowd, it has made its way out of the basement and spirited the opening of a few popular joints in the area, such as Science, which is a bold newcomer to the techno sound scene.

Serious house dancers should direct themselves to
undergroundstudio.com, which lists phone numbers for upcoming raves. And in an effort to prevent threats received by publishing this lead, let me clearly state that bodily harm of any kind is not tolerated at these engagements.

Back on the mainstream track, Clutch Cargo’s presents "Re-Mix" with WDRQ-FM 93.1’s Jay Towers and DJ Mike Scroggs. The club’s three floors feature top-40 dance music every Friday. You can expect a lot of ogling out there, but this industrial-sized dance house makes it easy to avoid eye contact. State Theatre also continues its ever-popular dance night "Ignition" every Saturday with DJ Charles English and DJ Quig in the Overground.

How pretty are you? Pure is only for the purely purefect, and attracts quite the well-coifed crowd on Friday nights. Detroit’s "Studio 54" showcases house, trance and dance music, courtesy DJ Thomas Barnett. There are go-go dancers too (not that I’d go, I mean, know) and let’s face it, sometimes dancing is about exploiting the body.

For the less self-aware, Harpo’s and I-Rock always produce body-bashing extravaganzas of terror. Every. Ow. Weekend. Ouch.

Worth at least an honorable mention, Have a Nice Day Café in downtown Pontiac generates its own good share of body heat. On Saturday nights, this ‘70s disco club gets so overcrowded that personal space is not an option. Near closing, tidal waves of sweaty bodies flood through the doorways. It sounds ludicrous, but impromptu friendships do flourish in situations of extreme panic.

If you end up with a twisted ankle from trying to bust a move in those 5-inch platform sandals, kick back and watch a dance performance instead. Possibly one of the summer’s grandest dance shows will take place at 1515 Broadway, (Detroit, 313-965-1515) in a multimedia installation entitled Pray Harder. Ian R. Clarke (of Perspects) and Jeremy Kallio & Co. will move to found sounds, images and electronic manipulations. The May 20 show will hopefully be a preview to a series of like-minded performances at 1515 this summer, guided by Timothy Price.

Maybe not so coincidentally, two Broadway dance shows are also returning. Lord of the Dance hits the Fox Theatre (Detroit, 313-983-6611) from May 9-14, and Stomp runs from May 12-15 at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts (Clinton Township, 810-286-2222).

Trinity Irish Dance Company reigns on Aug. 25-26 at Meadow Brook Music Theatre (Rochester Hills, 248-377-3300). They all sound serious. Find them – or their flying feet might find you.

No matter which option best suits your personality, be inventive when making dance plans. I intend to visit the Persian House of Imports in Ann Arbor on occasional Saturday afternoons. When weather permits, they offer "Classical Music of India: Sarod and Tabla" outside the store. So find your own rhythm. Or just sit still for a moment. Relax and take a deep breath in. Hold it, then exhale slowly. Let the goose bumps move you.

Rebecca Mazzei is grooving her way through the summer.