Esencial: Salsa, Cumbia, Latin Funk, and House

Stephany Medina and DJ Los Present: Esencial

Esencial is Nashville's community dance party for salsa, cumbia, Latin funk/house, and other Latin-inspired sounds. It was created for Latines of our generation and music lovers who value Latin culture in their community.

Spearheaded by Stephany Medina and Charly Ortiz, Esencial began as a gathering of friends who wanted to build a space rooted in nostalgia. The goal was to celebrate the music they grew up with while also introducing the modern sounds shaping today's dance floors. Alongside percussionists Euge Sosa Barboza and Jimmy Lopez, the four collectively bring Esencial to life as a high-energy, culturally grounded experience.

In the last year, Esencial has become a go-to space for music that bridges generations and cultures, uniting people through the sounds that raised us and that continue to shape the future of Latin dance music.