‘Baile’ in the Bluegrass: Lexington’s growing Latin dance community | Opinion

Do you like salsa? No, not that delightful combination of tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, and lime. I mean the equally delicious mix of clave, trumpets, bongos, piano, guitars, and more.

Readers of the Herald-Leader have likely come across the Lexington Latin dance (salsa, bachata, cumbia, etc.) scene, whether it be at a family gathering, the Festival Latino, the Salsa Center’s iconic socials at the Kentucky Castle, Bluegrass Ballroom, or more recently by witnessing the stunning performances of Baile Paris.

However, I wager that few readers are aware of the current state of this growing community, which includes hundreds of people and many talented dancers.

This article answers two questions: 1) How does the Lexington Latin dance community stack up against nearby Louisville and Cincinnati? 2) What is new in the scene–why write about it now?

For the best reading experience, listen to “Siembra” by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades (1978) as you go. This is a moment of planting seeds of possibility within the Lexington Latin dance community.

An unequal love triangle

Let’s state this plainly: many avid salsa and bachata dancers from Lexington love to go to Cincinnati and Louisville to dance. Very few of our peers in those cities come here.

When I asked an organizer of a staple Latin dance event in one of these cities why this is the case, they pointed to subpar marketing, inconsistent event venues and themes, and a lack of clear leadership.

I add another glaring reason: while we excel in kindness and hospitality, our community has been less interested in leveling up our skill as social dancers. There are maybe three dozen dancers — many are damn good, by the way — in Lexington who actively take classes or train in salsa and bachata, the most popular genres nationally in the Latin social dance scene. Some students also have the impression that a few of the more prominent instructors in town themselves do not train.

Meanwhile, in Cincinnati and Louisville, one class might have more students than the Lexington scene sees in a week, and most instructors actively seek out training opportunities. Our sister Latin dance communities take great pride in growing together. We can and will do the same, right here in Lexington.

Baila, Baila, Baila

Note: If you started singing Ozuna’s 2019 hit “Baila Baila Baila” when reading that section header, contact the author – we just became friends.

This is a turning point for Lexington Latin dance. We have needed three things: more people, more classes, and more pride. Enter Baila Blue and Baile Paris, which complement older groups in the Lexington scene, and intentionally prioritize creating a sense of community.

Until last week, the University of Kentucky — with its roughly 55,000 students, staff, and faculty — did not have a Latin dance club. I worked over the past months to change that, and I am grateful that students and staff (shoutout to Belén Echevarría, Associate Director of the MLK Center) have made the idea a reality. The group, called Baila Blue, has more than 80 students and staff interested, and will offer free weekly classes in salsa, bachata, cumbia, and more. The club will launch in earnest in January, and promises to connect hundreds of people to Latin dances.

Meanwhile, Jasmine Allen and Aldo Moran — the duo behind Baile Paris — live and breathe Latin dance. They recently began offering salsa, cumbia, and bachata classes, with encouraging growth in the first months.

More importantly, they are a local example of instructors who constantly improve as dancers. I highly recommend their classes and socials, many of which are in Lexington. My otherwise uberly shy three-year-old daughter also loves to high-five and hug them — they’re good people.

In sum, the baile out here in the Bluegrass is getting better by the day. Come join our growing community–I’ll save you a dance.

Will Boose is a Proposal Development Officer at the University of Kentucky, and an active member of Lexington’s Latin dance community. To learn more, you can contact him at bailablue.uky@gmail.com.

This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.