EVERYONE’S DOING THE SALSA

Salsa - the incendiary dance sen­sation that caught fire with the mov­ie, "Dirty Dancing," and was further fueled by the film, "Salsa" - is rais­ing the temperature of Los Angeles' hottest dance clubs.

"Everyone you speak to today wants to learn salsa," says John Cassese, a Pacific Palisades dance instructor.

He attributes the dance's popularity to a combination of factors: a growing Hispanic population, increased interest in that culture, the continued popularity of rock music, the liberalization of social mores as applied to dance and history's tendency to repeat itself.

Right now everything that was done in the '60s is popular and fashionable, and that includes the mambo, he says.

In the '60s it was mambo a la band leader Tito Puentes, and today it's salsa - which is basically mambo overlayed with rock, Latin, Cuban, African and jazz influences.

Adding impetus to the dance's growing popularity is a willingness to expand the boundaries of what's permissible on a dance floor. "People are coming closer together in social situations, and salsa affords them an opportunity to get to know each other and to get intimate without having to have sex," says Cassese.

Its proponents range from young­sters to oldsters. "I love salsa because of its freeness," says 70-year-old Miyo Yasukochi of Torrance, a retired financial manager. "I can use my whole body; there's no inhibition in the movements - it's a sexy dance."

Basically, the salsa is a "freer" and simpler version of the mambo with more hip action, he says. "It's a very sensual dance. Every type of dancing has a little bit of sensuality - it's an emotional response to your partner - but because everything today is so free and open, that's the way the people danced it."

"They're drunk on dance," say Cassese. Cassese is very serious about his teaching. "I don't like to teach people who aren't committed to it," he says. "I put a lot into my teaching, and I want people to get the most out of it."

String of careers

Even before his current venture into "dance doctoring," Cassese had put together a string of careers that would have put a chameleon to shame. He worked as a dance instructor, sang and danced in a succession of off-Broadway productions, was a night­club entertainer, rock band leader (The Pegasus), real estate agent and nightclub owner - more or less in that order.

Career comes full circle

His current career brings him full circle - with two big differences. This time he's working for himself, and he's making time in his 14-hour days to work on his performing career as well. His "dance doctor" image was the brain­child of a cousin. She suggested he carve out his own unique image by offering to make house calls.

His healing missions have taken him to homes from Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades on the west side of town to Pasadena and Encino on the northeast. The novelty of the whole thing made newspaper headlines throughout the basin...

News spreads

Since then he has appeared on "Hour Magazine," "the Wil Shriner Show," "PM Magazine" and "Channel 7 Newscope," in two films ("Perfect" and "Dance Hall") and in two videos (Carol Lawrence's "Broadway Body Workout" and Kate Linder's "How To Make a Man Fall in Love With You"). Among his clients: Alan Rachin and Betty Ford of "L.A. Law" - he choreographed a segment of the show...; philanthropist Anna Bing Arnold; dancer Carol Lawrence, and ballerina Miriam Aaron. He also has taken on whole families, whole bridal parties, whole cotillion classes and weekly dance classes at the Pritikin Longevity Center.

THE DANCE DOCTOR

"Dance doctor” John Cassese says everyone wants to salsa.

"Two, three, four. Read my lips, Bob, two, three, four. "OK, now break to the right. Oh, all right, to the left. Now back to center. "This time to the right - no, no, your other right. "Look at him, he's choreographing as he goes along. That's what happens when you gain a little knowledge - it goes to your head." The "dance doctor" who makes house calls - John Cassese of Pacific Palisades - was in fine form. His students, Robert of Manhattan Beach and Lindy of Santa Monica, undergoing their weekly salsa lesson, were another matter altogether. For a time, concentration and laughter battled head to head, then laughter won out and the lesson ground to a temporary halt.