Big changes are afoot at the Memphis Riverfront. But even with all the discussions over what will happen, there’s a still a big stretch of riverside space that Memphians are eager to use. Three local dancers, Leslie Smith, Pamela Urquieta, and Lauren Klaus, saw people enjoying their time at the park and wanted to create a unique event that let Memphis utilize the riverside to the fullest. With help from Memphis River Parks Partnership and other entities, they created Tropical Thursdays, which has been bringing Latin Dance to Downtown every week this summer. Memphis magazine sat down with co-founders Smith and Klaus to discuss their project and how it benefits the city.
Memphis magazine: Give us an overview of what Tropical Thursday is.
Lauren Klaus: Tropical Thursday is a free dance event that we’ve been putting on at the River Garden every Thursday in the months of July and August. We’re teaching Latin-style dancing to existing dancers in the community as well as new dancers who just have an interest or passion for it.
MM: Why Latin dancing?
Leslie Smith: One of our co-founders, Pamela, and I were practicing and trying to learn new moves for a class she was part of. We practiced every other night at Memphis River Garden, and what we saw was an opportunity for us to practice with a beautiful view of the river with a Pavilion that has an ability to connect to Bluetooth, and it’s a space that feels good to move around in. As we practiced, a bunch of people came up who were interested in learning as well, so we really transitioned into an opportunity where we could interact with people in this space who weren’t necessarily exposed to this style of dancing.
Growing up, pursuing Latin dance like Bachata and Salsa was something you’d have to pay for. You’d need to have access to a ballroom to be able to learn, and many communities don’t have that kind of equitable access. We realized that we were in a position to work with Memphis River Parks Partnership and make this venture a reality, so we really wanted to make it happen.
MM: Why Latin dancing?
Klaus: Leslie, Pam, and I met each other through socialized dancing, and we thought that Latin dance was a really good gap for non-dancers to get exposed to dancing, and it’s usable in people’s everyday lives, whether that’s going to weddings, or dancing in another social setting, but it’s something they can use in various formats.
MM: What’s the turnout been like? Are you seeing more experienced dancers or newcomers?
Klaus: At the first event, we had maybe 35-40 people. Every week it’s continued to grow, and now at this point it’s not just word-of-mouth attendees, but people arrive who have seen the event on social media. It’s been really interesting to see how it’s been picking up and how interested the Memphis community is in learning how to dance.
Smith: In my career of community development, you learn more about utilization of space, so it was kind of cool to see this type of programming to shift the park to more of a hyperactive use, and you get people from all ages and backgrounds participating.
Klaus: You have anyone from a young professional to people over 60 who want to come out and just enjoy the space. It’s a very open space, and a very supportive environment for anyone who wants to come out and experience a new form of dance.
Smith: MRPP was really on-board with programming through art. It’s really a way to tap into other communities and really give the people of Memphis a sense of ownership of the riverfront.
L-R: Co-founders Lauren Klaus, Pamela Urquieta, and Leslie Smith
MM: Who are all the big players involved with Tropical Thursday?
Klaus: The whole process started out with Pam and Leslie before they brought me in. Leslie then reached out to Memphis River Parks, and we pitched the idea. Carol Coletta was 100 percent on board. She’s an avid dancer, loves all forms of dancing, so she helped us with anything we needed, like advertising the event, bringing in local vendors, and finding a suitable space. She and MRPP’s George Abbot and Helen Hope were also very instrumental in getting this off the ground. On top of that, we’ve brought in Seda Latin Dance to instruct classes. Our music has been provided by DJ Antonio Quinn; he’s come out every single week, and everyone has worked together to create a really fun environment.
MM: Are you looking to expand by bringing in different dance studios?
Klaus: Absolutely, we want to bring in and start teaching other forms of dance. We wanted to gauge interest with Latin, but long term, we want to partner with other dance studios and emphasize that this is meant to be introductory. When they want to pursue further advanced opportunities, they’ll have met teachers and studios through our program.
Smith: From a development perspective, this is a way for us to showcase our Memphis local talent through leveraging the riverfront as an economic opportunity. The amount of exposure and chances to test out different markets for the studios is big.
Klaus: Not only are we bringing non-dancers into the dance world, but we’re able to highlight various studios like Seda Dance or Rumba Room.
Smith: You get a diversification of dance styles that you’re learning. You’ll get a mashup of a variety of styles; like now, for example, we get styles ranging from salsa to Mambo.
MM: Was it tough to bring all the necessary parties on board?
Klaus: No, and so far everyone has volunteered their time and have been very passionate about the project. We’re very fortunate we were able to build a core team to help us.
Smith: It’s really a dedication to growing the dance community in Memphis, and also just seeing a growing diverse utilization of the people in that space.
Tropical Thursdays are from 7 to 9pm through the remainder of August at Memphis River Garden, 51 Riverside Dr.
