Encouraged by a free glass of champagne, an eclectic mix of people flocked to the surprisingly slippery floor of the East Wintergarden for Canary Wharf's debut dance social Viva La Dance!
Having passed the first test of working out how to get in to the swish waterside building, diverse dance enthusiasts plus a few terrified looking men dragged along by the women they love quietly sipped free drinks and nibbled on the delicious array of Latin American themed platters.
Before the atmosphere became too awkward we were invited to learn some basic salsa moves to a live Cuban band. Guided by the friendly expertise of professional dancing duo Doni Fierro and Liz Bayley, even those with two left feet were given a fair shot at getting into the Latin groove.
Charismatic and unstoppably enthusiastic Fierro and Bayley went on to give a costumed demonstration of how it should be done with all the acrobatics ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ lovers have come to expect. Then they gave us a teaser for the next event, an Argentine tango evening taking place in April.
Hindered only by its early 6.30pm start and abrupt 9pm finish, if you like a glass of wine and a giggle then an evening at Viva La Dance! will be infinitely more fun than you would imagine.
Viva La Dance! returns with a tango evening on 7 April at the East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf.
