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Bringing salsa dancing from Spanish Harlem to Downtown Manhattan, the Tribeca Film Festival kicked off its Drive-In series at the World Financial Center on Thursday with "The Spirit Of Salsa." The documentary film explores the struggles and triumphs of a dance class at Harlem's Santo Rico Dance School as the students strive to become salsa pros in six weeks.

Co-director Francisco Bello believes that salsa is an escape for normal New Yorkers.

"[They're] people from all walks of life, who by moonlight are wonderful salsa dancers, from an [emergency room] doctor to a police officer, to retired teachers. Really great New Yorkers that find something on the dance floor that they can't find anything else," says Bello.

Tomas Guerrero, a dance instructor at the Santo Rico Dance School, found it challenging to teach students with various levels of experience.

"We had a lot of different students profiled in the actual movie, but they were all from different levels. So I had to get them all on one page, and that was the challenge," says Guerrero.

Despite the physical challenges of the dance, the students in the documentary refused to give up.

"We were doing an excessive amount of dancing. Not just for the film, we were dancing a lot in the school. We were going three times a week, sometimes four times a week," says Cutie. "My lower back gave out and my knees were giving me trouble, and I said, 'nope, I'm not going to give up,' and we continued."

Festival-goers gathered Thursday to watch the film and try out some of their own salsa moves, with live bands, dance contests and lessons from the pros.

Like the students in the film, many attendees, including those lacking a dance background, were encouraged to take a turn on the dance floor.

"The music, the spirituality of it, that's what really inspires them," says Guerrero.

For more information on "The Spirit Of Salsa" or to learn more about Tribeca Film Festival's Drive-In events, check out www.tribecafilm.com.