Posted on: Friday, August 5, 2005
Salsa under the stars lures dancers downtown
By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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Jenny Elton and Rudy Esteban, both of 'Aiea, enjoyed the dance floor at Bamboleo recently.
Photos by Rebecca Breyer | The Honolulu Advertiser
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BAMBOLEO
Where: Spada Bar & Restaurant, First Hawaiian Center courtyard (King and Alakea streets), 538-3332
When: 9 p.m. Fridays to 2 a.m. Saturdays
Cover: $5
Age of crowd: 20s-50s
Ages 18 to 20 OK? No, 21 and older only.
What to wear: Late-night trade winds blowing through the concrete canyons keep Spada's courtyard pretty cool. Casual or dressy evening wear for an outdoor summer party should be fine.
The soundtrack: DJed salsa, mambo, rhumba, son, etc.
Indoor intimacy: The dance floor, crowd and much of Bamboleo's main action is in the courtyard. But Spada's hushed, dimly lit indoor seating area is a nice getaway.
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From left, Sheryl Pannell of Dallas and Malia Boersma of Kane'ohe chat. Bamboleo nights at Spada draw folks even when it rains.
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Judah Oschmer of Kailua, "Da Lion of Judah" to his friends, mixed up Bamboleo's beats.
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I couldn't see his face. But I imagine the guy peering down from a double-digit floor of one of the office buildings surrounding Spada Bar & Restaurant's Bamboleo salsa weekly was somewhat envious.
It was late on a summer Friday night. The small outdoor courtyard bordering King and Alakea streets outside Spada was busy with couples showing off mambo and merengue moves to a DJed salsa soundtrack.
He stood by his window for 10 minutes or so before turning off the lights 'round midnight. I like to think he actually stopped by.
Bamboleo is a fun little salsa party, made cool by a sweet outdoor location in the heart of downtown Honolulu's otherwise-dead-after-6 p.m. financial district. Illuminated by multicolored spots, back-lit waterfalls and fountains, and torch lights, the street-level courtyard attracts attention and curious stares from late-night drivers passing by.
When not on the concrete floor, a very mixed-age gathering of about 40 lounged on the outdoor tables, sipping beer and cocktails.
Dressed for the warm summer air, guys kept cool in button-down dress shirts, tees and slacks or jeans; girls mostly opted for spaghetti-strap tops and skirts.
Guests on the floor were a nicely even mix of skilled and amateur salsa fanatics. DJ Ever Gutierrez kept his mix heavy on crowd-pleasing, fast-paced spins with quick tempos.
Spada chef Alfredo Lee launched Bamboleo with a group of friends in May. Attendance was low early on but grew as word spread among Honolulu's small but active salsa community. The party's streetside visibility drew in still more curious.
Lee said Bamboleo regulars now even show up on rainy nights, when the dance floor is moved into Spada's small, multi-level indoor bar and dining room.
Rain or moonlight, Lee offers a light pupu menu (calamari, calzones and pizza) he hopes to expand to better show off his northern Italian and Latin culinary training.
A former salsa competition dancer, Lee showed off some accomplished moves with salsa partner/girlfriend Dana Sollinger, and even DJed for a bit.
Much of the crowd was there to practice their moves as well. But a few — yours truly, for example — were simply happy to grab a couple of cold Morettis, sit back and take in the salsa grooves and late-night urban scenery.
"I have a real passion for this music," said Lee, between turns in the courtyard.
"The night isn't just business for me. I love it."
