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Hot and spicy at Vision Night Club

4/17/2013

Vision is offering a Zumba class on Friday, May 3 to teach first-timers how to fit in with the pros on the dance floor.

Vision is offering a Zumba class on Friday, May 3 to teach first-timers how to fit in with the pros on the dance floor.

Latin culture can be so sexy and addictive, it’s like a drug. After only a week of being back in Des Moines after an exotic stay in Puerto Rico, I found myself desperate for a fix. So when I found out about a grand opening of Vision Night Club on Saturday, April 13, I couldn’t wait to slip into the tight, mini skirt and impractically high heels and check it out for the first time. Once I arrived with my friends, though, it was clear Vision was not new news among local Latino night-lifers.

In fact the club first opened two years ago in West Des Moines’ Governor’s Square, and after being so successful it outgrew the 5,050-square-foot space, owners decided it was time to move. They didn’t move too far, though, just across the street from the old location.

“The last location wasn’t big enough, and we wanted something new,” owner Jose Aquino, better known as Kino, told me.

Walking into the new location, I was blown away by its size: high ceilings, roomy VIP areas, a bar that takes up an entire wall and a lively DJ bobbing from a loft overlooking a huge dance floor glowing with color and lights.

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Kino wasn’t lying. By 11:30 p.m., the entire 8,000-square-foot floor space was wall-to-wall with sexy Salsa dancers and friends buying each other stiff drinks. High above the dance floor, DJ XAN was situated into a crow’s nest overlooking the lively crowd like a king gazing upon his kingdom. He’s one of a line-up of both local and out-of-state DJs that Vision will feature at its new state-of-the-art locale.

“We like to bring in local DJs and support the scene,” Kino said.

The music featured sounds from the hottest tracks both north and south of the border while music videos cast upon the walls on large projection screens on opposite sides of the club. The music isn’t the same tired boom-tick-boom top 40 you’ll hear at most dance clubs but a refreshing mix of salsa, bachata, house and the occasional hip-hop gem, separating Vision from others in the metro.

Nestled into a VIP sofa with a bottle of Grey Goose, my friends and I looked out onto the dance floor to a sea of long legs stepping perfectly in time with the hips of their male dance partners. It was mesmerizing but intimidating, as we summoned the courage to join the party on the dance floor. But despite our differences, we still felt comfortably welcomed and a part of something truly awesome.

“We like to treat everybody like family, to feel welcome and keep coming back,” Kino said.

Vision is a chance to get dressed up and feel tropical for a night — to show off that dress or those shoes that you wouldn’t wear outside playing dress-up in the privacy of your own bedroom. It was an exciting escape from this bi-polar Iowa weather. It’s funny how a fruity drink and a night of dancing can take you south of the border in your own mind, without the worry of losing a passport or an awkward customs search.

Between the music and the dancing, it’s easy to imagine you’re on a lavish destination vacation. The cool people and hot culture are the euphoric icing on that tres leche cake. CV

Vision Night Club
1720 25th St. Suite 400, West Des Moines
(515) 224-5286
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
Capacity: 310
 

One Comment

  1. Kristina says:

    When are the male dancers coming back for a male review
    I missed the last one

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