OF ALL THE things I thought I might like about salsa — and I liked many things — holding hands with a stranger while learning new dance steps together was not one of them. I thought I might hate that.

It is the first Friday of the month at Durham’s Arthur Murray Dance Studio—Salsa Social night—and couples are twirling and prancing to the beat on the main dance floor. But around the corner, away ...

The dance that began as a folk tradition has exploded into the mainstream, from nightclubs to performance halls, senior centers and salsa schools. Today, histories and traditions are recounted on ...