Dancing and sweating at the Mint Museum and Petra's

Friday was probably one of my favorite nights of dancing in Charlotte in long time. Mint to Move Latin dance night reminded me of Latin dance nights at the now closed Latorre's restaurant. The Classic House party at Petra's was reminiscent of the early days of Pop Life at Prevue, and late nights at the now closed Hom.

There are moments when the energy of the crowd and music flows. Partiers are high off the vibe. Inihibition about dancing ability or unfamiliarity with the music give way to freedom. It was like that at the Mint. The crowd was such of mix of ages, from 60s to 20s, and ethnicities. Experienced salsa dancers twirled newbies around the dancefloor. Partners called out steps, dipped, spun and had fun. People danced in pairs, groups and alone.





The music was different at Petra's, but the scene was the same. It was darker, sweatier and grittier, but the vibe didn't change. People came to dance, and they did.