The Puerto Rican singer Elvis Crespo's peppy rendition of the song Luna Llena rent the evening air as we entered the De Havana Lounge in Juba.

We had come for the popular salsa night that is held every Thursday night, and the place was packed with Caribbean music aficionados from different nations, races and backgrounds. Keen to be part of the crowd, we headed straight for the dance floor.

The salsa nights are the brainchild of Deng Aleer Leek, an architect and civil engineer who lived in Cuba for 14 years and was one of the hundreds of youth sent to the island nation to pursue their formal education.

He hit upon the idea about four months ago and pitched it to his cousin Deng Malual Leek, who happens to be the proprietor of De Havana.

Mr. Malual Leek pounced on the proposal, ever mindful of the need to offer something different in order to remain competitive in the burgeoning hospitality sector of the Southern Sudanese regional capital.

In addition to the Thursday night theme, De Havana launched dance classes for 10 Sudanese pounds, and word of mouth about the salsa classes raced through Juba like wildfire.

"There is a real need in Juba for any kind of entertainment," said the lounge's general manager Laurie Meiring. "People really need some form of release. In the first class, we had 20 people show up, and the next week we had more."

Piwang Ayang heard about salsa night from her friends. "I enjoy salsa because it is a workout," said Ms. Ayang, who goes to De Havana every Thursday. "It is a different culture from my culture, and the whole movement and coordination look awesome."

Vickie Desiree Baine was also at the lounge on the night we went. "I have been coming to De Havana for the last five months," said the travel consultant who moved from Uganda to Juba at the start of this year. "I did not know much about salsa. Then I started training here, and now I know so much about it."

The lounge's dance instructor is John Agar who, like Mr. Leek, learned his salsa moves during his 14-year Cuban interlude. "When I came back to Sudan, people asked me to teach," he said. "So I decided to teach."

When De Havana opened its doors in March 2007, it attracted a clientele of mostly elite Southern Sudanese, some of whom spent time in Cuba pursuing their university education. But increasing numbers of expatriates are now frequenting the lounge.

If salsa is not for you, another option is the Boom Boom Room, a soundproofed space at De Havana that can hold up to 40 people and plays music at eardrum-splitting decibel levels every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

"We play all kinds of music in the Boom Boom Room," said Mr. Malual Leek. "You can enjoy reggae, raga and hip hop."

But his resident dance instructor recommends salsa dancing as a great way to relax and unwind after a long day at the workplace.

"If we can do it in Cuba," asked Mr. Agar, "why not in Juba?" Why not indeed.