Salsa

Salsa dance instructor Alex Da Silva lured at least four women into the bedrooms of his home, where he allegedly raped them, by using ruses such as telling them he wanted to show them new clothes or needed help fixing his computer, police said Monday. Da Silva, a salsa dance instructor and choreographer for Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of sexually assaulting the women over the last six years.

Alex Da Silva, a salsa dance instructor and choreographer for Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," was arrested Saturday on suspicion of sexually assaulting four of his students, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. Da Silva, 41, is accused of assaulting the students in his two homes in the San Fernando Valley over the last six years, police said. He is being held in lieu of $3.8 million bail.

  Total time: 1 hour Servings: 6 Note: The chicharrones de queso are adapted from Jimmy Shaw, chef-owner of Lotería Grill, who serves them with warm tortillas, guacamole and salsa verde. Make the salsa one day ahead to allow the flavors to blend. You will have extra salsa; save the remainder for another use. 5 tomatillos, peeled of their husks and finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 cucumber (not English), peeled, seeded and finely diced (about 1 cup)

In a world where nothing ever stays the same I am left with only things I cannot change -- Alonso Brito, Co-writer, "Things I Cannot Change" -- The PUBLICITY photos for the new album by Alonso Brito have that air of Havana hipness that has cloaked many contemporary artists coming from the island. It's a chic mystique derived from that incongruous juxtaposition of stylish fashion against drab communist gray.

Attention all rude and narcissistic salsa dancers who bumped, elbowed and butted my wife and me on the dance floor last Sunday at Paseo Colorado, the Pasadena mall that hosts free music events in its courtyard: Salsa is a social dance. It's not roller derby, bumper cars or sumo wrestling. So try not to clobber the guy next to you, crash into other couples or force fellow dancers off the floor.

Two Step Salsa was the hot horse Sunday at Hollywood Park, taking control early and dancing his way to a 3 3/4 -length victory in the Grade III $107,100 Affirmed Handicap, a 1 1/16 -mile jaunt. Two Step Salsa, ridden by Martin Pedroza, had not run around two turns in his previous four starts but easily turned back bids by Dixie Chatter and Tres Borrachos at the top of the stretch. Two Step Salsa, trained by Julio Canani for Everest Stables, has won four times in five starts. He paid $4, $2.

His name is synonymous with the business of salsa dancing. Albert Torres is a former drug addict and petty criminal who escaped from a dead-end life by becoming a music entrepreneur -- please don't call him a promoter -- best known for his global dance competitions called the Salsa Congress, a name that hints at his belief in the unifying power of the music. But four years ago, at his sixth annual congress in Los Angeles, Torres thought he'd met the end of the road. He says he was swindled out of more than $100,000 in ticket sales by a trusted worker who nearly ran him over during a confrontation in a parking lot, with Torres clinging to the hood of the car like a movie stuntman.

For the second Sunday in a row, the Grade III feature at Hollywood Park belonged to owner-breeder Jeff Nielsen's Everest Stables Inc. After the 14-1 upset by maiden Million Dollar Run in the Railbird seven days earlier, Two Step Salsa, the 3-1 second choice, led virtually throughout to win the $107,200 Lazaro Barrera Memorial by three lengths.

  Total time: 40 minutes Servings: 4 to 6 Note: If possible, use handmade whole-wheat tortillas. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon walnut oil, divided Juice of 5 limes, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper Pinch sea salt 6 whole-wheat tortillas 1 pint of strawberries, diced, about 2 cups 1 teaspoon sugar...