Ricasalsa.com

Salsa Blog

May 11th 2012

The LA Salsa Congress is just around the corner! In three weeks, we will witness the most exciting Salsa Congresses in the planet.

Live music

Thursday night- New Swing Sextet and Johnny Polanco,

Friday night- El Leon de la Salsa Oscar de Leon

Saturday night- The Grammy winner Luis Enrique “Yo no se mañana”

Sunday night- closing the congress is El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico!

Some of the best dancers in the world:

David and Paulina (MX)

Eddie Torres (NYC)

Johnny Vazquez (Italy,LA,MX)

Christian Oviedo (LA)

Griselle Ponce (NYC)

Tito and Tamara (Puerto Rico)

Mulato y su Swing Latino (Colombia)

To mention some:

The line up is great! Albert Torres always gets the best dancers to come and perform. It’s my 14th year doing the LA Congress! I remember the days of The Hollywood Park Casino in 1999, it was my first Salsa Congress ever. I attended it with Gabriel Romero’s salsa team, back then called Salsa 2000. We were three couples doing a song by Jose Alberto El Canario (Con Sandra en la Cama). That was my first performance and introduction to the world of Salsa congresses. Who would know that, 14 years later, Salsa would be stronger than ever and world renown. From the Hollywood park casino, to Salsa land, to The LAX Radisson, and now the Westin Bonaventure Downtown LA. Los Angeles Salsa Congress is one of the best in the world and the line up for the dancers is spectacular. There is no congress in the world has this magnitude of great dancers and live music.

I took RicaSalsa to LA congress in 1999. We only had 3 couples dancing to la Sonora Carruseles, el Rey del Boogalo remix with Federico Boogalo. Those were crazy, fun days. Salsa Brava, los Rumberos, Salsabor y Cache, Johnny Vazquez, and Eddy Torres Dancers were the main attraction in the congresses. Everyone was waiting for them to get on stage. My biggest inspiration was Salsa Brava, Luis and Joby always had a different concept for every routine. They are very dynamic performers of high caliber. Eddie Torres dancers had amazing patterns and body movement; Salsa Brava, Los Rumberos and Johnny Vazquez had also high-energy routines with lots of tricks and fancy costumes. The rest of the world is watching LA congress and seeing what will come next. I’m sure all of the promoters, directors, and dancers get so much out of the LA congress.

LA congress has always been the Super Bowl for salsa dancers in the United States. San Francisco Bay Area represents a lot of them. In 1999, the first LA salsa congress had the Bay Area’s Latin Symbolics, Salsa 2000 (now Mambo Romero) and Ava Apple. If I am wrong please correct me. In 2000, the Bay Area Congress represented RicaSalsa, Mambo Romero, and Latin Symbolics. In 2001, there was RicaSalsa, Mambo Romero, Latin Symbolics, Salsamania’s first year, Pretty Boys and Girls, and Francisco Vazquez’s new team in the Bay Area Rumba Rumberos. Each year, the bay area brings more people to represent. I am so lucky to have witnessed that period of time! Now the congresses have changed a lot. I remember when everyone wanted to close the show. But when the number of performances increased, no one wanted to close. Who wants to wait for 2 hours until performing! One of my favorite parts was when we interacted with the dancers. I know people who’ve been going to the LA congress for 13 years and that’s the only time I ever see them! It’s priceless.

It was honor to be a part of the LA Congress and to share the stage with these amazing salsa dancers. I have been on many congresses around the world but the LA Congress is just so unique. Albert Torres and his crew always do a great job! Every year, Albert makes the congress better than the last. The new hotel is amazing and perfect for such a big event.

There will four days of workshops, performances, more Salsa dancing, awesome live music, and let’s not forget the after parties☺ I cannot wait to see all of my friends and to represent the Bay Area.

This year, you will see RicaSalsa, Ricardo and Tianne; Salsamania, Latin Symbolics; and Osan & Paulette competing on Amateur division, who will proudly represent the Bay Area. If you know of any more teams coming, please let me know.

I cannot wait, ‘til next time!

Ricardo Tellez

Salsa Blog!

Teaching always is interesting, and a learning experience! I teach lots of beginners every week, lots a people who never dance before. They look at salsa as an exercise, a fun activity, because they found a deal online who knows. I been teaching salsa for 13 years and I still leaning how to make it easy for the students to understand the dance and more important the music. Learning salsa is tricky because is a patterns base dance. When I started learning salsa all I wanted to learn was more moves. I felt more moves I knew better I was. But later on I found the truth the hard way. Yes I knew lots of moves and I was lucky to be a fast leaner but learning patterns create pattern on you brain. I spend hours and hours memorizing long moves and then when I was in the night club, I was doing the same moves over and over. I begin a predictable dancer. More I teach and explore the basic I understood those basic will lead me to any other hard look patter is out there very fascinating. Basicly, if we learn the basics and we master the cross body lead, outside turn, spot turn, etc… we can create so much more and never dance the same! Every song have a different feeling and we can express the dance so much more. I feel my job is to teach this new dancers to understand this basic concepts. In my opinions it is the way it feels more than the way it looks.
This Week we are getting ready to dance at the SF Salsa Festival organize by Salsamania. It was nice to run the routines back to back over and over! Having a big salsa team 8 couples is fun but harder to get ready to perform. Our choreography some how does not feel right yet. I know we have a Work in progress! This is going to be a busy festival because im going to perform two time and I will be the official photographer. I cannot wait to be there and try my new 5DMark lll!