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Students were given the opportunity to dance with the three-time ESPN World Salsa Championship winners, Zulmara Torres and Abel Peña.

The interactive performance was held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Student Center Ballroom D. The Recreation Center, Student Programming Council, Student Development-Multicultural Programs and Services, and Carbondale Community Arts sponsored the event.

Julio Barrenzuela, founder of the SIUC Salsa Club and coordinator of the event, said it was also a recruitment opportunity for SIUC. Barrenzuela said Chancellor Fernando Treviño put his support behind the salsa performance as a way to excite and attract high school students to the university. "We want to create a little bit of interest in the university," Barrenzuela said. "We are trying to enrich our campus."

The event began with a freestyle performance from Torres and Peña. After the quick demonstration, the two became instructors for a lesson in salsa. The champion pair broke down a series of basic salsa steps and taught them to the participating audience members.

Mackenzie Wicoff, a senior at Carbondale Community High School, said she has salsa danced a few times at Longbranch Coffeehouse, but she's still a beginner.

"I want to learn salsa," Wicoff said. "I love it."

After the lesson, Torres and Peña performed their winning salsa routine for the audience.

Todd Pierce, a medical education preparatory graduate student from Washington, D.C., said the routine was incredible.

"They blew me away," Pierce said. "I've never seen anyone move like that."

Torres said salsa takes a lot of sacrifice. She said she has been dancing since she was 5 years old, but began dancing salsa in 2003.

"What I like most is you can be creative with (salsa)," Torres said. "There's no structure."

Peña said he loves salsa because any other dance can be incorporated into the choreography.

"You can have anything you want in salsa," Peña said.

Jenny Thompson, a graduate student from Marion studying communication disorders and sciences, came to the performance with her sister, SIU alumna Jane Pope. Thompson said the two have been taking salsa lessons since January, but were amazed by the dancers performance.

"That's not like anything we've learned," Pope said. "It's very fast."

Barrenzuela said the event was more than just an incredible performance; it was an opportunity to meet the best in salsa dance.

"This is a chance for (students) to mingle with the top," Barrenzuela said. "These are the ESPN ambassadors of salsa."

The dancing pair's 2007-2008 winning routine will be aired March 19 and 22 on ESPN.

Madeleine Leroux can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or mleroux@siu.edu.

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