As dances go, this is no mild salsa

"I want to see you sweatin'!" dance instructor Rosa Castro shouted to the crowd of 75-or-so people - mostly female but scattered with a few men and a single boy - gathered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last Wednesday evening.

On top of the steps that Rocky Balboa made famous as he trained to fight Apollo Creed, salsa enthusiasts were dancing their way to a different victory: On July 3, they hope to break the Guinness world record for the largest choreographed salsa routine. The current record - 4,100 dancers - was set in Barcelona, Spain.

The world record-breaking event is being sponsored by Sunoco Welcome America! and the Philadelphia Salsa Congress.

How do you orchestrate a salsa event that expects to include more than 5,000 people performing the same choreographed routine along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway?

Lessons, lots of lessons. At multiple classes each week the same 14 steps are being taught, beginning with the most basic step and ending with the frenen, which is similar to the basic, but includes four taps of the right foot.

The "right turn with a snap" is considered one of the hardest moves in this routine, combining a spin with a quick step back and a snap forward of the right leg. Among the most popular steps is the mambo.

Many participants at last Wednesday's class have been following the traveling classes around the city. "I have called this 'Follow the Scavenger Hunt of Musical Notes,' " said RoseMarie DeAngelis, who has taken classes at Rittenhouse Square, City Hall and the Convention Center.

A self-proclaimed dancer for 32 years and a nationally certified yoga instructor, DeAngelis, who has been attending at least three of the free lessons a week since they started in late May, described them as "vitamins" for the body and soul.

Counting off the salsa beat, "one, two, three . . . five, six, seven," Castro, a teacher from the CEG Performing Arts Academy in Fairmount, waved her hands until all members of the class that spanned three generations joined in. Having gone over the basic, slide and backswing steps, it was time to add the music.

Sandy Huitt, clad in turquoise pants and a matching floral shirt, danced in place, circling her hips and swaying her arms while she waited for the routine to begin.

She laughed when asked her age and refused to answer, but Huitt moves her hips like a teenager and has the arm movements of a pro.

"I jump around a lot in my house," Huitt explained, adding, "It's a lot of fun here. Nobody laughs at each other."

A regular at the salsa lessons, Huitt insists, "I'm not an expert," although she certainly is dedicated.

Coming from a job that starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m., Huitt had more than two hours to kill before it was time to salsa. And Huitt guesstimated that it would take her at least two hours to get back home via public transportation after the lesson ended at 7:30.

Pat Russell, 72, who kicked her pink sandals off a half-hour into the lesson, admitted afterward that she was exhausted. "My arthritic knees have to get in shape," she said. Russell and her 12-year-old granddaughter, Lisa Winder, plan to participate on July 3.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good," said Winder, who dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

The lesson ended long after the sun had descended behind the museum. A few people lingered to sip on juice and water provided by Goya, the salsa event's corporate sponsor. Many planned to show up for another lesson, maybe at The Rock School in South Philly on Monday or at Macy's in Center City on June 21. And there will be a final crash course on game day, July 3, beginning at 2:30 p.m. *

For a complete schedule of the free salsa lessons, visit www.americasbirthday.com/learntosalsa.asp. Even if you can't make the lessons, you are welcome to show up for "Salsa con Salsa! Fiesta Goya on the Parkway," from 2-8:30 p.m. July 3, 20th and the Parkway. Registration for the mass dance is at 6:30 p.m., but there will be live music all afternoon, with Tito Puente Original Orquesta with Ronnie Puente headlining.