Latin Nights dance lessons offer lively cultural experience

Thursday evenings in Whitefish now have a little extra spice with the addition of Latin Nights at Casey’s Bar.

The recurring themed night was created by Whitefish residents Hyesun Jang and Carl Wright as a way to introduce a new cultural aspect to the town and also create an adult-centered dance class — something that the couple found was lacking in the Flathead Valley. Additionally, following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when people within communities were often isolated, Jang and Wright wanted a way to bring the Whitefish community together in a positive way where people could be active, learn something new and enjoy the company of others.

Since beginning the Latin Nights in January 2022, which includes Jang teaching Salsa and Bachata dance lessons followed by an open dance, the participation has been remarkable from the community. Jang and Wright say that almost right from the start there were 50-60 participants each night and that has grown significantly over the last six months.

And although Jang is a professional dancer and fitness instructor, she says starting Latin dance in Whitefish was never about teaching people to dance perfectly, rather it is for the community to find joy in something new.

“It’s all about having fun; it’s not about fixing or correcting on the dance floor,” Jang expressed. “I wanted to create a culture of something really positive. Dancing to me is part of socializing, connecting with a human being.”

Jang and Wright offer the experience of Latin Nights for free as well, donating their time and talent. There is a $5 cover charge at the door, but all proceeds are donated by Jang and Wright to the nonprofit CASA for Kids - Flathead County. CASA for Kids is a nonprofit that recruits, trains and supports citizens to advocate for foster children.

“Anything we can do to kind of help bring awareness to what’s happening with those kids... This (Latin Nights) provides us a really nice vehicle to help the community help those kids,” Wright said.

JANG WAS born and raised in Korea. She began Salsa dancing in the late 1990s and was introduced to the style of dance in an underground nightclub in Korea — Salsa dancing was not technically allowed in Korea at that time.

She started dancing Salsa and became a dance instructor shortly after. Jang says she was a part of the movement that brought the Salsa style of dance to Korea which now has one of the largest Salsa communities in the world.

She has a long history of starting Salsa dance in different towns and Whitefish, which became Wright and Jang’s hometown in early 2021, was another place that lacked a Latin dance community.

“If she could bring Salsa to Korea, the idea was, why can’t she bring salsa to Whitefish,” Wright said.

Jang and Wright fell in love with Whitefish during a trip in 2020 and shortly after moved here from Las Vegas. The couple loves the close-knit community and the outdoor lifestyle; they wanted a way to give back and contribute to the town.

With Jang’s history in teaching dance as well as a lack of dance opportunities for adults in the valley, the couple began searching for venues to host Latin dance lessons. They found Casey’s had a great space and sound system, and the local club was also eager to host. Jang didn’t want a temporary location as she was planning for a long future of Latin dance in Whitefish.

“To develop this culture, especially new culture takes a long time to build up and I needed some (venue) owners to make sure that we had enough time to actually build it,” Jang said.

IN ADDITION to the Latin Nights and free dance lessons at Casey’s, the couple also had the idea to start a women’s performance dance team. The team began practicing at the O'Shaughnessy Center on Sundays and Jang saw a beautiful beginning for the women who had little dance or performance experience.

“It was a very empowering moment for a lot of the women,” Wright recalled.

Though it started as a women’s dance team because Jang and Wright weren't sure how many men would come out to the Latin Nights, several men were consistently there on Thursdays. Many had some two-step dance experience and picked up the Salsa style quickly.

The performance dance team now includes men as well and is readying to perform at various locations and help raise money and awareness for CASA for Kids through its performances.

The group is called the Mountain Latin Rhythm Dance Team and it became so popular that there is now also a practice team.

Wright and Jang say the Flathead community has taken to Latin dancing quickly and enthusiastically. The couple hopes to bring in national and international Latin DJs, which they already did once this year, professional dancers and various instructors to continue building a Latin Dance community here in Whitefish.

Jang is happy the community has been so welcoming to the new culture and that she once again is able to dance, teach and assist people in movement therapy.

“To me personally, I love watching people dancing. They're just giggling and learning and then making friends – it makes me really happy,” she said.

Throughout the summer Latin Nights are every other Thursday at Casey’s. For more information visit www.hyesunlife.com/latin-nights