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Enticed by the economic possibilities in the region, Colombia is courting Asia the only way it knows how: Through the art of salsa dancing. By sending pairs of professional dancers shimmering across the Asia Pacific, the Latin American country hopes to forge closer social and cultural ties with a major slice of the region, from Japan to South Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

This week, Indonesia is the focus of the dancing delegation as world salsa champions Lina Maria Penagos and Johnny Felipe Perdomo host a series of shows and workshops across the capital. The main show, at Usmar Ismail Hall in South Jakarta on Wednesday night, called “We Are the Colombian Pacific,” presented a spectacular production of flying skirts and fancy footwork.

“Salsa is something that is very close to our culture,” Alfonso Garzon Mendez, Colombia’s ambassador to Indonesia, said at a press conference in South Jakarta earlier this week. “By bringing salsa to Indonesia, we hope to strengthen our relationship with Indonesia in many ways. Today it is salsa, but in the future we hope there will be opportunities for many other exchanges as well.”

The ambassador is the first in the newly reopened Colombian Embassy in Jakarta, where Colombia had maintained only a consulate for the past nine years. Recognizing Indonesia as a growing power in the region, Colombia reopened its embassy here earlier this year and the salsa show is its first cultural program.

Aside from a shared history as members of the Non-Aligned Movement of states during the cold war, Colombia and Indonesia are also members of the CIVETS grouping of emerging markets with young populations, which also includes Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa.

As Colombia continues to angle for greater influence in regional groupings such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, it hopes that a strong relationship with Indonesia can help get its foot in the door.

“We regard Indonesia as a leader in the Asia Pacific,” Mendez said. “Not only in its democratic development, but also in terms of its leadership in multilateral organizations. We hope that by forming closer ties with Indonesia we can also expand ways to cooperate with other states in the region.”

The classes and performances by the world salsa champions in Jakarta this week are just the first step toward building better Colombia-Indonesia relations, he added.

In some ways, the dance has already begun. Since the 1990s, salsa has gained a sizeable following in Indonesia’s cafes, nightclubs and sports centers. Many hotels and restaurants also host regular salsa nights to attract participants, as well as an audience.

But despite a widespread love of the dance in here, few know of its origins in the cities of Colombia, such as vivacious Cali in the country’s southwest.

“Cali is known as the capital of salsa,” said Camilo Ruiz, an anthropologist traveling with the dancing duo as part of the promotional team. “It is also the second most important city in Colombia.”

Ruiz explained that salsa developed through decades of trade and cultural exchange between the Caribbean and the United States, incorporating elements of jazz, blues and African rhythms.

“When we cook, we make salsa: A mixture of various things. So that is where the name comes from,” he said.

But it was in Cali that the dance picked up speed, quite literally. In the 1950s and ’60s, when many record companies began producing singles intended to be played at 33 rotations per minute, DJs in Cali tested the skill on their dance floors by playing the singles at 45 rotations per minute.

The quickened tempo sent feet flying in an attempt to keep up, forming the basis of the style of salsa found in Colombia today, where footwork is the greatest challenge. The pace of the dance resonated with the hectic lives of Cali’s cosmopolitan inhabitants.

“Salsa is very connected with cities,” Ruiz said. “It has a very urban rhythm. I think that is why it is well accepted in Asia — it suits the rushed rhythm of the streets.”

Both Cali residents, dancers Penagos and Perdomo are looking forward to sharing their knowledge of the dance with the salsa enthusiasts of Indonesia. They will be leading conferences and workshops today and Friday for university students and anyone else interested in learning more about the dance.

There will also be a workshop for children at an orphanage in East Jakarta on Friday afternoon, followed by a dance party for the public in South Tangerang.

While the dancing duo speaks no Indonesian or English, with minimal prompting from an interpreter they are able to communicate much of their knowledge through movement alone. They arrived for a performance in front of media representatives earlier in the week dressed in lime green outfits with touches of silver and gold. Without a word, they moved into place as the music started up on a portable CD player.

The high-tempo beat saw the pair flick each other across the space while barely touching the floor, ending with a strong pose heavily grounded to the floorboards. The small audience cheered for more.

The energy of salsa appears to be something that speaks just as strongly to Jakartans as it does to Colombians.

“Salsa is an element of our culture that is practiced in every region of Colombia,” Ambassador Mendez said. “From the rhythms to the colorful costumes, it is an everyday dance of the youth to express their ambitions.”

Youth and ambition are certainly two things that the populations of Colombia and Indonesia have in common. Only time will tell if the new dance partners are able to keep in step.

Conference and Colombian salsa workshop
Thursday, noon
to 2 p.m.
Universitas Budi Luhur
Jl. Cileduk Raya, Petukangan Utara
South Jakarta

Salsa Party
Thursday, 8 p.m.
to 11 p.m.
Latin Night Tempus Club
Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan No. 1
Mega Kuningan South Jakarta

Salsa Workshop for Kids
Friday, noon
to 2 p.m.
Yayasan Pondok Taruna
Jl. Tugu No. 7
Kecil Cipayung East Jakarta

Salsa Party With Live TV Streaming
Friday, 3 p.m.
to 7 p.m.
The Radiant Center of Music,
Film and Performing Arts
Jl. Pahlawan No. 37A Rempoa Ciputat
South Tangerang