“For me, this place is like a time-traveling machine. It’s one of the rare spots in the city that truly transports you through time”

It’s a warm Friday night in May, you walk up to an unassuming dance club in the heart of Mexico City. It’s dark, but you see a sign out front that reads ‘opened in 1937’. You can feel the building bursting with history, culture, and tradition. It draws you in. As you enter, the room comes alive with the vibrancy of an orchestra playing Dazón and Cumbia music. In every direction you turn, you see men and women dancing. There is an overwhelming aroma of beer and mezcal in the air and you become mesmerized by the bright and colorful costumes. You’ve stumbled into the Los Angeles Salon, the oldest dance hall in Mexico City.

“There’s a well-known saying here, ‘If you don’t know Los Angeles Salon, you don’t know Mexico’.”

On Friday, May 19th, BAMM’s local RAW network had the pleasure of Salsa dancing alongside locals to experience Los Angeles Salon first-hand. As a part of BAMM’s recent trends report exploring the world of fandom, this was one of five cross-market fan events visited by our RAW network. Capturing the action through vox pops, photography, and immersive 360 filming, we experienced the twirls, twists, and dips of dancers embodying the legacy of the Pachuco culture.

The story of Pachuco begins back in 1942. As Americans left to fight in WWII, millions of Mexicans were brought to the States through the Bracero Program to fill vacant jobs. Due to housing segregation, Spanish-speaking barrios (aka neighborhoods) started popping up throughout the southern United States. These barrios served as hubs for innovation, artistic expression, and rebellion - thus the Pachuco lifestyle was born, especially amongst young men.

Pachucos felt caught between two worlds - forced to assimilate, yet wanting to keep their Mexican heritage alive. These young men developed their own unique style to express themselves to blend the two cultures. With time, every Pachucos donned the iconic loose-fitting Zoot suit, with broad shoulders and cinched waists.

*Men in “Zoot Suits”. 1943 | Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images*

Flash forward to the present day, within the Los Angeles Salon you can feel the energy of Pachuco culture as men fill the room dressed in their own interpretations of the Zoot suit. As one patron states, “The clothes I wear are the traditional attire of the Pachucos, it’s a way to preserve the culture that originated on the border of the US and Mexico”.

For many men, coming to the Los Angeles Salon is a way for them to connect with their roots. For generations, their fathers and grandfathers had come to meet women, drink, and dance the night away in this local dance hub. Unintentionally, these men began their own dance community and fans of the art would come from near and far to be part of the movement. According to our recent fandom report, we found that 69% of people actually come across the thing they are a ‘fan’ of via someone else. 29% stating family led them to become a fan, followed closely by 27% who report that a friend had introduced them.

“I began dancing here because my father and grandfather were Pachucos. They wore colorful suits and polished shoes”

Today, men uphold the traditions of the past by learning the many variations of dance performed here. They also adhere to the unspoken rules of the salon, acting in a traditional ‘gentleman-like’ fashion when asking permission to dance with a beautiful lady. There is an undeniable feeling of nostalgia in this Salon that transports patrons back to 1937. As one man puts it, “in this Salon, I wish I could bring the dead back to life. I’m incredibly nostalgic for the history of this place and for everything I’ve learned here along the way”. As members grow older, they feel responsible to protect and continue traditions for future generations.

Dancing not only binds patrons to the past, but it allows them to escape their present reality. As men tie their ties and women zip up their dresses, they step into the character they are going to play for the night - their outfits act as their costumes. They hope to blend in, following the norms and upholding the traditions of the past, but they also equally hope to stand out and make an impression in the crowd of sameness. There is a sense of pride in carefully curating the perfect outfit. Patrons express their individual taste and style, and can sometimes spend upwards of 2 hours getting ready. They compare the process to playing dress-up as a child, you’d never wear this in real life, but at the Los Angeles Salon, you can be whoever you want.

“I never used to dress like this. Seeing all these beautiful, well-dressed people made me want to do the same”

At the heart of it all, the Los Angeles Salon provides the community a sense of home away from home. The community has developed into a tight-knit and caring family. “The people are incredibly kind, caring, and genuinely human. We’ve become a true family”.

Although it might seem unconventional, the Los Angeles Salon acts as a microcosm of a broader Dance fandom. Like any fandom, the people of the Los Angeles Salon are part of a subculture, brought together by feelings of camaraderie with others who share the same common interest in dance and socialization. In BAMM’s recent fandom report, we found that 55% of people say fandom gives them a sense of community/belonging - this feeling is tangible the moment you step onto the dance floor. As one person nicely puts it, “the love of dance is what binds us here”. While dance might be what brings the community together, it’s the exchange of information, anecdotes, and deep discussions amongst friends that keeps people coming back each week.

“It may sound strange, but it’s almost like a drug. It keeps you yearning to be here every Tuesday and Sunday. It’s an indescribable craving”

No matter if you’ve been coming to the Los Angeles Salon for the last 40 years, or if you just stumbled into it as a tourist hoping to soak up the Pachuco culture, the community will be there to welcome you with open arms. For some, dance provides a way to break up their everyday routine. One man goes as far as to adjust his work schedule to ensure he can dance without hindrance. For others, dance is a form of freedom. One woman heads to the dance floor alone, she’s not afraid to draw attention to herself and show off the outfit she created, which features a handmade flower hairpiece. The Salon allows her to express herself and embody someone different, someone more confident and stylish. The act of dancing at the Los Angeles Salon may represent something different for all who attend, but at its core, it allows people to feel a part of something bigger than themselves.

“Dance brings you joy. If you’re feeling down, just dance and instantly everything improves.”

Words by Sarah Cziner

Photos by Jeoffrey Guillemard