Can fish dance? Taking a cooling off sea break from the Salsa y Moda afternoon at Los Cristianos I’m sure they were twitching their little fins in rythmn to the salsa music belting out from the quayside. They couldn’t have picked a hotter day to get people up and dancing but as the old beach was packed they soon gathered at the quay end to join the stage dancers who were whipping them up into a sweaty frenzy. Many people were inventing a new hybrid of swimming and dancing but there were even more pleasures to come as young local volunteer models got ready to show off their leisue wear from local shops.
Little changing booths lined the quayside wall and the fashion catwalk stretched along just above the sand, when the salsa dj’s took their breaks it was time to admire the costumes. It was mainly young ladies showing off beach and leisure clothes but a few chaps strutted their stuff as well as one at a time they strode out in front of an appreciative crowd before posing in a group of five or six before the next stylish wave rolled in. Hopefully many onlookers will have been inspired to check out the local shops to find that perfect outfit to catch the eye in the Tenerife sun.
The fashion interludes were just long enough to draw breath before the music struck up again and it was time to groove in the sand. The stage crew with some keen volunteers pulled up from the crowd went through some basic moves and then with wild enthusiasm led the beach gang on a merry dance. Like the tide of the sea the crowd pulled back slowly and then surged up to the stage, a conga proved hard to resist and the party crowd circled the dance area before snaking down to the sea for a mass soaking. Even with the evening marching on the sun was powerful but a little lower in the sky, more converts to the cause flooded in to mix and match music and style.
The fiesta mood was infectious, sun bathers gyrated on the beach and swimmers dived off the top of moored boats just off shore. It was all good practice as the next big fiesta Virgen del Carmen is only weeks away but those thoughts were far away as people lost themselves in the moment and had a great time in Los Cristianos. There is a full gallery of photos here.