If you like Latin dance, head out to Ruth Seaton James Auditorium on Saturday for “an unforgettable night of rhythm, energy, and elegance”. Tempo will be back on stage showcasing “sizzling salsa and bachata performances” by top local dancers and international guests. For the six teams of four to 12 members who have spent the past four months training intensely, it’s “an opportunity to shine”, said Shadae Steede.

The Tempo Showcase & Social will be hosted by “the ever-entertaining” Nadanja Bailey with the event planned as a celebration of Bermuda’s growing Latin dance culture. Following the production, the audience is welcome to “stay and hit the floor for a lively social dancing session”.

Ms Steede founded Tempo with Sage Robinson three years ago, and is pleased with how the company has developed.

“This is definitely a mixture of dance levels. We have some beginners, but we mostly have people who have participated in our programme [since we started] and the dance level ranges, which makes it really inclusive for people that are interested in salsa dance and bachata dancing and other Latin dances as well.”

Teams are formed according to the interests dancers express when they join Tempo.

“You could join a salsa team, you could join a bachata team. And those teams can either be individual dancing ― so just like a footwork team that doesn't involve partnership ― or you can join a partner work team. It’s just based on whatever your interest is; if we have a team that matches that interest, you get to join the team.”

The dances are choreographed by Ms Steede and Mr Robinson. The pair draw on their years of dance experience. Ms Steede studied modern dance, ballet and jazz before she took up Latin dancing about five years ago.

“In 2022 I started to create routines ― which I've done [in other genres] nearly all of my life ― and I decided to collaborate with Sage.”

Mr Robinson’s “long history in salsa” spans more than a decade and includes performances here and abroad.

“We just joined as a team, and we used our different perspectives on dance to create Tempo,” she explained.

“Latin dance in Bermuda is just a beautiful thing. We have a small community, and it's powered mostly through Clave [Dance Bermuda] which happens weekly as a social and that is directed by Derek Musson.

“What I love most about the salsa community is that the socials bring a lot of energy out of people, and so if you’ve ever attended a salsa or Latin dance social, you would have noticed that the majority of the people are on the dancefloor and enjoying themselves.”

What’s particularly enjoyable is that it’s a “non-judgmental space” that is open to people of all dance levels.

“Whether you're a beginner or advanced or intermediate, you can enjoy yourself on the dancefloor. And you will find it pretty interesting that most people are up and moving. It's a very free community,” she said.

Ms Steede and Mr Robinson help Tempo members improve their skills in the many styles of Latin dance taught in the programme.

“Sage and I use our creative direction to choreograph the routines, and we teach the routines to the members that join Tempo, along with working on technical skills in Latin dance overall. We have a very technical side of our programme,” she said.

“It's a creative outlet, and so it comes easily to us. I feel like, if you have a passion for [something], it then becomes fun.”

She added that Saturday’s audience is in for a fantastic night of dance and entertainment.

“[There will be] adult dancers who have participated in the Tempo programme over four months, who have lots of energy and who have lots of skill and are ready to display that. They will see creative routines that will wow them.”

A few dance schools will also perform. The idea is to make it an evening that is “full of dance, full of excitement, in terms of Latin entertainment”.

“Very often you find a lot of the dance recitals in Bermuda are school-age kids ― which is beautiful. Sometimes you see adults dancing with those schools, but it's not as common to see a full show of all adults dancing high energy.”

• Tempo Showcase & Social takes place on Saturday at Ruth Seaton James Auditorium. Tickets are available atptix.bm