You don't have to start dancing at age two to become a professional dancer. Although some dancers seem to have spent their entire lives spinning and turning gracefully across the dance floor, they may have learned the steps just a few years ago.

Eli Torres is one of the latter, a professional salsa dancer who decided to learn to dance salsa as an adult. "I was determined to get it," he explains. For a year, Torres went to local salsa clubs to learn dance moves. His method of learning to dance was straight forward. "I watched, went home and practiced, watched and practiced."

Torres, a Philadelphia native, grew up dancing salsa at family parties, but it never seriously interested him until he was an adult. After going to Philadelphia's Eighth Floor (a club, which has since closed down) and seeing dancers' incredible salsa skills, Torres was hooked. During an intense year, Torres practiced dancing at home, and when he finally felt ready, he went to clubs and danced with anyone who would oblige, practicing at every opportunity he found.

In Torres' second year of dancing, Jim Bunting, the owner of Rittenhouse Dance Academy, approached Torres at Brazil's Night Club and asked him to teach dance at his studio. Torres accepted.

In the beginning, Torres explains, no one knew who he was. "I worked for Jim, he set up the classes, and I came in and taught them… I was just a guy that taught salsa."

Yet, within seven months, people began to know Torres as a professional dancer. His popularity as a skilled salsa instructor rose. He decided to teach independently, renting space from Bunting at Rittenhouse Dance Academy, and teaching group salsa courses, from beginner level salsa, to Afro-Cuban styling and spinning and shine techniques.

To keep progressing as a dancer, Torres attended salsa workshops with visiting instructors from all over the country. In these workshops, he learned the more formal aspects of salsa, such as counting out the steps and executing clean turns. He also attended specific teaching seminars. As Torres honed his teaching skills and dance moves, he decided to compete in Philadelphia amateur dance competitions in local dance clubs.

With only a few salsa spots in Philadelphia, Torres was confronted with a problem: no one would let him enter the competitions. Torres was seen as a professional, and although he had never competed, he was not permitted to compete as an amateur. Instead, Torres was invited to be on judging panels, but not to dance. Still wanting to compete, he decided to enter professional competitions instead, and has successfully competed and won on the professional level.

Torres continued to progress in the field of dance, and in April, 2003 he choreographed and performed with dancers from the Koresh Dance Studio to celebrate "Patrick Swayze Day," an honorary citywide gala ordained by the Philadelphia City Council. He has also performed for local television and news programs.

In addition to performances, competitions and instructing salsa classes, Torres has recently created a dance company called "Pure Ambition." After holding open auditions which over 50 people attended, Torres selected 16 dancers to make up the group. He isn't concerned with how much the dancers already know, but how quickly they can pick up the moves he choreographs. This criterion fits his style as a dancer who taught himself to dance by watching and practicing; for Torres, a dancers' professional training is less important than the ability to learn quickly and the commitment to dance.

Although originally called "Latin Empire," the new group decided to rename itself, because, according to Torres, "We have so many different people, Russian, Jewish, African American, Puerto Rican, Chinese … So we decided to call ourselves 'Pure Ambition.'" Torres' first plan for Pure Ambition is to compile ten choreographed salsa pieces and produce a professional performance at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. "To get that done, I need a lot of dedicated, hard training in the company."

Ultimately, Torres would like to travel with his dance company and perform around the world. With the speed at which Torres has pulled dancing together as a career, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him reach his goal soon.

If you are interested in taking dance classes with Eli Torres or checking out clips from his performances, look up his website www.princeofsalsa.com. Torres will be hosting a salsa workshop and dance party in February 2005, with one of LA's top salsa dancers here in Philadelphia.

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