Mijana is located at 1290 N Scottsdale Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281. It is about 1.5 miles north of Loop 202 on Scottsdale Rd, between Carl’s Jr. and the Goodwill store.
Salsa venue overview
During the day, Mijana is a Middle Eastern restaurant. On Friday nights, the tables are cleared from the center and it becomes a salsa dancing spot for dancers of all levels. There is a full-service bar and restaurant, and everyone I talked to who tried the food said it was delicious.
The cover charge is $10 and includes the salsa lesson and social dancing. You have to be 21 or older to get in. Parking is free, and parking space is usually available.
Salsa lesson
The class starts at 9:30 and ends at 10:30. It is split into two groups: beginner and intermediate. The instructors who teach the classes usually rotate each Friday for both groups. They are very good salsa instructors from all over the Valley.
In the picture above, Larry Garcia, a guest instructor from Mambo Exquisite, is teaching the intermediate group and showing the follower’s footwork for the pattern.
Having a different instructor each week allows you to learn different styles of dancing, since each instructor brings their own style to the class. If, for any reason, you did not enjoy the class with one specific instructor, there will be another instructor next week. That is another benefit of having instructors rotate.
Classes usually get just the right number of people. They are popular and many people show up for the class, but not so many that it becomes hard to learn something new. Each night is different, and some nights are busier than others. The classes are taught “on one,” although many experienced dancers dance “on two” when the social dancing starts.
Social dancing
The social part of the evening starts at 10:30. The venue has dancers with different levels of experience. Beginners and intermediate dancers stay after the class to practice the newly learned pattern. Some people come for dinner and stay to dance. Experienced dancers often show up after 11pm and stay until the place closes at 2am.
The crowd has people of all ages, with most people being over 25. This is an awesome place for anyone with salsa experience or without.
Music
The music played during the social part of the night is mostly salsa, with some bachata songs now and then. DJ Ben (pictured above) is not only a great salsa DJ and a nice guy, but also a very experienced salsa dancer.
Reasons I like this salsa venue
I go out for salsa classes and social dancing three or four times a week, and I equally enjoy a few salsa venues listed on this website. If I was pressed for an answer about which one I like the most, I think Mijana would take the top of my list.
I like it because it is a popular salsa spot for both lessons and social dancing. If you go there every week, you will see familiar faces (about 30% of the crowd are regulars), and there are always a lot of new people each Friday. It is a great place to dance with people you already know and meet new people at the same time.
One of the things I appreciate is consistency. In a year and a half that I have been going there for both salsa lessons and social dancing, the place has never disappointed me. Rotating salsa instructors are always on time and have new patterns every week. DJ Ben is very good at what he does, and the crowd is friendly. If I had to suggest what this place could do better, I do not think I could find anything that needs to be changed.
Pattern taught in the intermediate class.
Intermediate salsa pattern at Mijana on Friday.
Another cool salsa pattern from intermediate class at Mijana on Friday.
More high definition videos recorded at Mijana.
Have you been to Mijana lately for Friday salsa night?
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