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QuickTake:
Eugene DJ Edgar Uriarte fell in love with Latin dancing -- and now his love is fueling a series of dance nights at a downtown club.
Splashes of purple, blue and red lights reflect off sequined dresses and polished heels as dancers follow the rhythm of the beat, moving swiftly and smoothly across the hardwood floor.
The DJ, reading the dancers’ body language, keeps the momentum alive, playing exuberant Latin music.
Seasoned regulars pull in new partners with each new bachata song pulsing from the speakers, while a few tired souls sit and take a break at nearby tables with half-eaten tamales, catching their breath to enjoy the good vibes of dancing at the Barn Light Bar.
Behind the booth, DJ Edgar Uriarte wasn’t just playing music. He was crafting an atmosphere with vibrant energy and fellowship.
What began as casual sets in public parks eventually turned into something bigger. He founded Buenas Vibras in 2022 to host these social dances and rent spaces for the community to come together through beats and culture.
By 2022, the pandemic brought public events — and Eugene’s nightlife — to a standstill. But Uriarte yearned to dance, and when he didn’t see anyone else organizing dance events, he created his own.
“There’s so much about it,” Uriarte said. “It’s therapy, it’s fun, it’s a workout, it’s entertainment, it’s meeting new people and socializing.”
Uriarte first found his love for Latin dancing by attending Cuban salsa and bachata events at Mac’s Nightclub and Restaurant in the Veterans Memorial Building. Wanting to recreate the magic of those events, he taught himself how to DJ by watching YouTube videos. He brought his setup — a laptop and a speaker — to parks and invited his friends to dance and listen to music.
Strangers passing by took an interest in the spinning, turning and dipping that Uriarte and his friends were doing and asked how to get involved. So Uriarte started looking for spaces to host dancing. It turned from a hobby of playing in parks into a weekly routine and later transformed to a passion, he said.
“I have these strangers come up to us like, ‘Dude, that was amazing. What do you call that? What is this?’ and I say, ‘bachata,’” Uriarte said. “They ask ‘How can I learn?’ and that drives me.”
He started hosting events at Friendly Street Church, but when he went to Eugene’s nightclubs, he noticed something missing. He would see groups of friends go out to bars, but hardly anyone was dancing beyond a mere shoulder shimmy. He wanted to integrate Latin music into Eugene’s nightlife, so he started looking for downtown businesses to collaborate with.
As the pandemic waned, Uriarte wanted to create a setting where even people who are uncomfortable with Latin dancing can feel at ease. So he begins his sessions with two dance instructors offering a brief lesson, and then the dance floor opens to everyone.
Experienced dancers and newcomers alike take to the floor and dance late into the night.
Uriarte understands the hesitancy some feel at first, but said he especially enjoys seeing the “introverts” evolve from standing on the sidelines to the center of the dance floor — and then returning for the next event.
“I like making regulars,” he said. “It looks very difficult, but once you start learning and getting it down, I think the majority says it’s not so hard to learn, even just the basics. People pick it up and are surprised that they’re good at it, and they want to do it more.”
‘Speaking without speaking’
The moment one song ends and another starts, dancers often switch partners to dance with someone new, a trait common in social Latin dancing.
“That’s the beautiful thing, you’re free to ask anybody to dance,” said self-proclaimed dance ambassador Megan Kitner. She and her husband, Dmitri Iazikov, have been working together to teach dance since 2021 and typically lead the lessons in Uriarte’s events. “You get to sample different people’s styles and personal flavor. Everyone has a different take on the same move, so you get a nice variety.”
During these dances, people are encouraged to communicate not with words but with their bodies and movement.
“I feel like Latin dancers are some of the most friendly, kind and open people that are really social as well,” Kitner said. “It’s like a way of speaking without speaking. You have a dance conversation with the person.”
Though these social dances center on Latin music, Uriarte finds most of the attendees are Americans rather than members of the Hispanic and Latino community. He views this as an opportunity to introduce Americans to new Latin music, which provides a taste of the Spanish language, insights into the cultures behind the music, and the dance moves that tie it all together.
He wants to bring more Latinos to his dances. “I’m trying to intertwine more of the Hispanic and Latino community in Eugene to salsa, bachata, cumbia and other dance styles,” he said. So he’s trying to partner with local businesses such as the Barn Light Bar, which is owned by Salvadorans and which has been hosting his events since August 2024.
“I enjoy [these events] because I’m from El Salvador, and we dance cumbia, salsa, and bachata over there,” said Sarai Torres, one of the owners of the Barn Light. “Here, sometimes it’s difficult to find a place where you feel comfortable and welcome to dance. Now, we have a place with the hope that the community can come here, get a beer, and eat some tamales.”
Jenny Pacheco, a solo attendee, traveled from Salem to join the dance. Though going alone once felt intimidating, the Latin dance community’s inviting nature put her at ease, she said. She had attended events like these in Salem but was excited to see more happening in Eugene.
“I started noticing how the crowd works and everybody’s so welcoming that I was like, ‘Oh, I can go by myself, it doesn’t matter,’” Pacheco said. “People are OK if you’re a beginner; going slow or going fast, you will always find a spot here to feel comfortable.”
And that was Uriarte’s goal from the start: cultivate an inclusive space where people of different backgrounds connect on the dance floor, let the rhythm do the talking and keep the good vibes going.
“When you see people dancing together from different cultures, I’m drawn to that, even when they don’t understand each other, they simply extend a hand and connect on the dance floor,” the DJ said. “I want to see more people on the dance floor, having fun, laughing and making new friends.”
If you go
The next dance will be held at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, June 14, at Barn Light Bar, 924 Willamette St. in downtown Eugene. Details can be found on the Buenas Vibras Latin Dancing Facebook page.
