"I would complain to my mom, 'I don't want to dance with old men. I want to meet people my age,'" she laughs. Her mom shot back the kind of advice Latina moms have perfected: If you want something to exist, make it yourself.
Back then, Baena — Miami-born to Cuban parents and grandparents — was just starting her journalism career. Organizing a recurring dance event for young people felt like a dream for "someday." None of her siblings or cousins danced salsa. "They'd say, 'That's old people stuff,'" Baena recalls. "They didn't want to be embarrassed or look bad." But over the years, Baena kept dancing. She fell deeper in love with the music, the movement, the history. And then Bad Bunny released "Debí Tirar Más Fotos." "Suddenly, young people were moving their hips to salsa again," she says. "I saw this new interest and thought, Okay, let's try something."
In January 2025, Baena — a former journalist and producer now pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing — created Salsa Z to teach and inspire her own generation. The first event, on February 27 at ZeyZey in Little River, followed a simple formula: a beginner-friendly class led by Baena, followed by salsa on vinyl with live percussion in the disco and a live Latin band on the main stage.
Salsa, but Make It Gen Z
The event name, Salsa Z, is a wink to its primary audience — 21- to 30-somethings who may have grown up with salsa playing at family gatherings but never learned to dance it. "The whole point was to create a space where young people could dance with each other," Baena says.In the traditional salsa world, improvement comes from going to socials — open-floor events where you dance with strangers. "That's where you really level up," Baena explains. But those spaces can feel intimidating for a beginner, especially a young one.
Baena's friends and cousins told her they'd come to support her, but only if there was a class first. So she adapted: Every Salsa Z begins with a lesson, followed by hours of social dancing.
At first, Baena didn't teach — she had too much to juggle as the sole organizer. But starting with the second event, she stepped into the instructor role. "I'm not a studio teacher. My goal isn't to make you a professional dancer," she says. "My goal is to make you have an amazing time and fall in love with salsa."
Her teaching style blends clear instruction with humor and light-hearted encouragement. "I make stupid jokes, I keep it interactive, so it doesn't feel like someone's scolding you. If you're messing up, you're still smiling. If you're not confident yet, you're still enjoying the music."
Cross-Generational Magic
Despite the "Z" in the name, there's no age limit. While the core demographic skews young, Baena has seen everyone from college students to abuelas hit the floor. "My grandma has come. My parents' friends have come. I've seen moms dancing with their twenty-something kids. It's beautiful."For her own family, the event has created unexpected memories. "Before Salsa Z, I never imagined spending a Saturday night dancing with my aunts, uncles, and cousins — or with strangers who feel like family by the end of the night."
The setting helps. ZeyZey's tropical-modern aesthetic, outdoor bar, and live percussionists make the night feel more like a festival than a formal ballroom. In July, Salsa Z even introduced a "Salsa vs. Perreo" night, mixing classic rhythms with reggaetón for a high-energy generational mash-up.
Baena's professional background shapes how she runs the event. "I'm passionate about salsa because of everything it represents — my family history, Cuban history, Latin American history, even U.S. history," she says. "It's such a powerful tool for connection. On social media, I want to share not just the steps, but the stories."
That means explaining lyrics, tracing rhythms back to their origins, and debunking myths ("Palmieri wasn't born in Puerto Rico or New York — he was born in the Bronx"). It also means creating educational content that's as digestible as it is danceable.
What began as Baena, alone with a pitch deck, is now a small team that helps run the monthly events. That's crucial for sustainability. "If I had kept doing it by myself, I couldn't have kept up," she admits.
Her immediate goal is to keep Salsa Z consistent and high-quality each month, refining the format while maintaining the event's inclusive, electric energy. In the long term, she sees growth potential: more elaborate programming, educational workshops, and maybe even expansion to other cities.
And yes — she has a dream guest. "La India," she says without hesitation. "I grew up listening to her, and my mom is the biggest Celia Cruz fan ever. Having La India would be incredible."

Salsa Z is a monthly gathering that bridges gaps between ages and between strangers.
Photo by Soshana Arguello
More Than Just a Night Out
For Baena, Salsa Z is more than a dance class or party. It's a monthly gathering that bridges gaps — between ages, between strangers, between a generation and its cultural roots."I've never seen my grandma listen to Bad Bunny, but now she's in a room where his songs blend into classic salsa, and she's dancing with people in their twenties," Baena says. "That's magic."
She believes that magic comes from the mix: "You can show up alone and leave with friends. You can come nervous and leave sweaty, happy, and connected. And you might even call your mom the next day and say, 'We have to go together next time.'"
Salsa Without Borders Panel. Moderated by Stephany Torres, sounds by Lauren Palma. 7 p.m. Friday, August 15, at Sweat Records, 5505 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami; sweatrecordsmiami.com. Sold out.
Salsa Z. With Elisa Baena and DJ Set By Safe Stadick. 7 p.m. Thursday, August 21, at ZeyZey, 353 NE 61 St, Miami; zeyzeymiami.com. Tickets cost $12 via shotgun.