Dance! Dance! If you haven’t noticed by now there is a revitalization of the LA social scene with the emergence of the LA LIVE in the heart of downtown LA.  With this re-birth comes THE CONGA ROOM. CONGA ROOM 2.0 version much different than its predecessor which was located in the Mid-Wilshire and Miracle Mile district. Think of it as a reinterpretation of venue only with a much sexier night club feel and in the heart of the aspiring Time Square of the West Coast. This venue strives to make a high-profile name for itself. The venue is located directly across from the Staples Center and neighboring the Nokia Theatre.

“My kids are growing up. I just turned 47. So if not now, when?” said club founder and principal owner Brad Gluckstein, explaining what inspired him and a co-owners group that includes a star-studded cast of Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez and Clippers guard Baron Davis.

“This is a legacy project, not just for my family but for the city,” said Gluckstein, a native Angeleno, real-estate developer and self-described “inherently Jewish” guy “with a corazón Latino” (Latino heart). With this passion and goal in mind, it is evident no expenses were spared in resurrecting the old Conga Room concept.

The new club, with 15,000 square feet and a capacity of about 1,000, is nearly three times the size of the funky, elbow-bumping old club. Gluckstein said the concept for the Conga Room “outgrew” its old location, which was hampered by poor freeway access and the neighboring residential area. The new location is a destination spot for not only fellow local Angelenos but also tourist who would like to experience the culture and influence of the Latin community in Los Angeles.

The inspiration of the design of the space were derived from Latin American design motifs from various parts of Caribbean to Buenos Aires. Architect Hagy Belzberg said that the acoustically engineered ceiling, made up of two-paneled sections that resemble white footprints, is an abstraction of a triangular salsa dance-step diagram. The floral-looking wall pattern behind the club’s main bar is a stylized butterfly, repeated like a musical refrain. Once an individual steps into the space, one is immediately gravitates towards the main floor; if you’re a dancer you know exactly what the architect had in mind – no frills Latin Salsa dancing.  A combination of symmetrical lines meshed with the fluidity of the chandlier lights translates the concept of dancing Salsa…orderly dance steps but done flawlessly one would not even recognize there are calculated steps. 

However, even this venue is going the Hollywood route by trying to work with various promoters.  This is never a good sign especially for a new venue.  The question is: can this venue dance its way out of a recession or will the party be ending sooner than it would like?

The Conga Room; 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015

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