Palm Aire Women's Club members learn to salsa

By Lesley Dwyer
| 8:15 a.m. December 13, 2025

Katherine Pike (on the left) salsa dances with the cast of "Casa Havana:" Dairon Batista, Isabella Serrano and Jack Gaudreau.

East County
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At 82 years old, Lakewood Ranch’s Janis Wasserman is the oldest ballet student at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School.

She took ballet classes as a child and began taking lessons again at age 76.

Wasserman is also a member of the Palm Aire Women’s Club. She invited the Tania Vergara Dance-Theater to perform an excerpt of “Casa Havana” at the club’s monthly luncheon Dec. 12.

“Casa Havana” is billed as “a dramatic dance-theater story that examines the bonds of family love, romantic relationships and the dynamics between young people full of dreams and the painful departure of a son who chooses to leave.”

A purple sofa and a table and chairs set the scene in modern-day Cuba. With no words and just a few signs to distinguish who’s who among the trio of actors, the story unfolded through facial expressions and dance movements.

The dance-theater is debuting the full-length version of “Casa Havana” in 2026.

After the show, the audience was treated to a salsa lesson.

Jack Gaudreau, Isabella Serrano and Dairon Batista perform for the Palm Aire Women's Club Dec. 12.

The performers teach club members how to salsa dance after the show.

Dairon Batista dances with Tania Vergara Perez after the show.

Sandy Keir is the president of the Palm Aire Women's Club.

Dairon Batista plays the older brother or "the sassy one."

Isabella Serrano is the female lead in "Casa Havana," a dance-theater production.

Jack Gaudreau is a dancer with the Tania Vergara Dance-Theater.

author

Lesley Dwyer

Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.