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SUMMER 2012 CITY PORTRAIT BERLIN GILBERTO SANTA ROSA SALSA-MOVE STAR PORTRAIT EDDIE TORRES ER t al on ti na

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Mundosalsa presents: Salsa congresses Havanna ! l s a tot a l i n 7 d ays S a www.baila-en-cuba.com o mundo 2. 2012 . - 1. 1 25.11

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OSCAR D'LEON y su Orquesta The King of Salsa Salsa concerts Sat., Sun., Mon., Tue., Thu., Sat., Sun., Mon., Tue., Wed., Thu., Sat., Sun., 27.10.12 28.10.12 29.10.12 30.10.12 01.11.12 03.11.12 04.11.12 05.11.12 06.11.12 07.11.12 08.11.12 10.11.12 11.11.12 Brussels (BE) Paris (F) Berlin (D) Hamburg (D) Copenhagen (DK) London (UK) Vienna (A) Munich (D) Zurich (CH) Cologne (D) Darmstadt (D) Groningen (NL) Amsterdam (NL) osalsa.net o www.oscardeleon.de

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city PORtRAit: BERLiN sALsA-MOVE By EDDiE tORREs cD- & DVD-tiPPs A quEstiON Of tAstE sNAP shOts stAR PORtRAit: GiLBERtO sANtA ROsA cONcERt: LA ExcELENciA

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CONTENTS FASHION EDITORIAL CITy PORTRAIT BERLIn FASHIOn HInguCkER 9 10 20 HAnDy ITEmS SOLAR SHOPPER & SALSA CyCLES 28 COnCERT LA ExCELEnCIA & OTHER COnCERTS 30 RECOmEnDED CD & DVD TIPS 34 DJ PORTRAIT DJ PEPE BASSAn FROm mILAn 36 SALSA-mOVE EDDIE TORRES & gRISELLE POnCE 38 A QuESTIOn OF TASTE STAR PORTRAITo gILBERTO SAnTA ROSA SALSA LyRICS SnAP SHOTS SALSA BuSInESS mARCHAnT & DAVInA FESTIVALS CALEnDAR REVIEw mAmBOCITy 5 STAR COngRESS PRIZE DRAw ImPRInT OuR PARTnERS 40 42 49 50 54 62 68 74 75 76

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EDITORIAL DEAR SAlSER@S, SUMMER HAS ARRIVED! At long last! Summer has finally arrived in germany. gone are those dark, short days, the sun is shining and making our spirits soar, we don't have to bundle up in endless layers of clothing to keep warm, and everything is green and cheerful. There are also many excellent music festivals taking place this summer, so we've put together a short list for you. Who knows, perhaps some of our readers will be travelling around Spain for their summer holidays and will have the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable concert evening there... Some european music festivals can be found in the RECOmmEnDED section from page 34. So what news do we have to report? The highlight has got to be our trip to the mamboCity 5 Star Congress in London, where we had loads and loads of fun. The Brits are a friendly folk who certainly know how to get the most out of every moment on the dance floor. In our REVIEW from page 68 we report back on our experiences at the congress. From now on, we will also be conducting surveys at all of the festivals, trips and congress that we feature in our reports. We want to find out whether our impressions of these events paint an accurate picture. The results of our survey at the mamboCity 5 Star Congress can be read on page 73. While we were there, we met up with marchant and Davina Birch of the Alchemy Dance Academy, who are very well known in great Britain and are popular dance instructors. The interview can be found in the SALSA BuSInESS section from page 52. In our SALSA-mOVE section, this time you'll have the pleasure of seeing Eddie Torres, the mambo king, in person! Together with griselle Ponce, he dances for you on page 39. We hope you find this issue entertaining and wish you a wonderful summer!

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BERLIN

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Share article with friends: CITY PORTRAIT SUMMER IN BERLIN - There's many faces to every city, but Berlin is special and especially diverse. If it were possible for a city to have a split personality, then it would definitely be Berlin! From district to district, even from street to street, not to mention between night and day, and most obviously between winter and summer, this city changes its personality, flair and charm like no other. "If you want to come to Berlin, then don't do it in winter!" is the basic advice of anyone who lives in the capital.

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CITY PORTRAIT BERLInER DOm "TRAumSTRAnD" escribing a city is no easy task. But to portray will find countless beach bars, deck chairs set amidst fine a city in which you've spent your entire life is sand and wonderfully chilled cocktails which you can enjoy virtually impossible. you simply cannot do it ju- while looking out over the water - in this case usually the stice. There's river Spree. only one thing you can do your first priority should - concentrate on certain be to get hold of a bicycle. FIlm lOCATIOn things and just forget about not just for a day, but for Camera teams and everything else. Hopefully the duration of your stay in blocked off areas the people of Berlin will forBerlin. Pedal power is defiare all part of the give me, it's certainly not an nitely the best way to get daily routine in Bereasy compromise. around in Berlin. you can lin. no other german Okay, so let's put ourselbypass all the traffic chaos, city can be seen ves in the shoes of someone and sometimes it's quicker on the big screen than public transport. most who isn't from Berlin, loves as often as Berlin. Even during the days salsa and wants to enjoy the importantly, you can stop when Berlin was separated into East and West, wherever you want and summer in the city. They'd filming permits were difficult to obtain and were be in luck because in sumtake detours. On a bike heavily fought over. In the early 1980s, to name mer the city and its inhabiyou just see so much more but one example, Roger moore filmed a scene while at the same time tants positively shine with a for the Bond film "Octopussy" at the border crosradiant summer vibe. Resdoing something for your sing known as "Checkpoint Charlie". matt Dahealth. Whenever you stop taurants and cafés place mon also got to know the city pretty well when at a red light, you'll find this their tables and chairs outhe filmed various scenes for the Bourne films here side, countless lakes invite provides a perfect opporin Berlin. And most people already know that bathers to take dip, there tunity for taking a look at Brat Pitt loves Berlin. the people around you. are street festivals, open-air The people in Berlin are a concerts and the salseros wild collection of truly oridance outdoors - open-air salsa can be enjoyed right in the heart of Berlin. Although ginal characters and walking contradictions. It's a thrown Berlin isn't located by the sea, scattered across the city you together, multi-cultural community full of clashes and com-

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SALSA BRASIL SAMBA CUMBIA BACHATA MERENGUE REG REGGAETON ROCK LATINO ZÜRICH VOLKSHAUS - HELVETIAPLATZ - KASERNE gEnDARmEnmARkT promises. What's really fun is observing such phenomena in Berlin's many parks. maybe it's best to start with Tiergarten, just to keep things simple. It won't take long to see what I mean by 'thrown together' when you see the myriad of people who have set up camp in the park with their blankets, Tupperware containers and yoga mats. glancing around, you will inevitable spot everything from a sun-worshipping couple to a small group doing yoga under the half shade of a tree, through to Turkish families setting up giant picnics, which the dogs running around the park would just love to join in with. Two highly intellectual mothers with their children are intently discussing whose child can speak better English (language teaching is really popular right now in the city's kindergartens). The unsophisticated bellowing of young working class girls (Prolltussen) might give you rather a shock. They make for a particularly attractive sight: slightly overweight, wearing tight jeggings with those infamous muffin tops swelling out between their waistband and T-shirt. Dyed hair, cigarette in hand, even though they are barely 14 years old, spouting linguistically intriguing street jargon: "Eeey maaan! Alter, gib das her! (literally - Hey geezer, gimme that!) (Alter (old geezer) being rather bizarrely used to refer to a female friend of the same age) Isch hau Dir gleisch eins in die Fresse!" (I'm gonna smack you one in a minute!). Okay, so these are clichés. Of that there is no question. But this is probably what you'll notice as a visitor to Berlin. At this point in your trip you could decide whether you'd prefer to enjoy a Berliner Weiße mit Schuss (a special Berlin beer served with a shot of fruit syrup) under the towering trees in the beer garden at CAnS 3 DIAS DE FIESTA ORQUESTAS LIVE DANCE SHOWS EXOTIC FOOD DJS & MCS TROPICAL DRINKS 32'000m2 MERCADO MUNDIAL STAUFFACHERSTRASSE 60, 8004 ZÜRICH WWW.CALIENTE.CH

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CITY PORTRAIT SIEgESSäuLE THE BRAnDEnBuRg gATE DuRIng THE FESTIVAL OF LIgHTS - Café am neuen See - or simply relax a little in a deckchair go to kreuzberg. On mehringdamm, one of the main streets, underneath palm fronds by the Spree. And as you're so close there's a fast-food joint called Curry 36 - it's always packed, to all of the tourist attractions, you might as well knock them and it's listed as a top tip in every tourist guidebook. Do the off at a leisurely pace, one sausages really taste that by one. The Regierungsviermuch better there? I really tel (government district) couldn't say. For those of SIghTSeeIng with all of its abstract shapes you who are a little more offers vast spaces to while health conscious, I can reaway the time. If you're feecommend mustafas geling up to it, you can queue müsedöner (a stand selling up in one of the long lines vegetable doner kebabs) at the Reichstag to enjoy which is just a few steps the view from the top of the away from Curry 36. Here, glass dome - you should too, the queue of hungry definitely check if you have people is always quite long. your passport with you first But it's well worth the wait though because you won't and the website of this cult Whether on foot, with a steamer, on an get in without it. Just around Turkish fast-food location is open-top double-decker bus, in a Trathe corner from the Reichsalso worth a quick peek! bi or with quirky but fun vehicles such tag is the Brandenburg And by the way, right as a Segway or various Funbikes, there gate. yes, you can simply opposite Curry 36 and musare endless possibilities for sightseeing ride right under it on your bitafas gemüsegrill, there's tours in Berlin. cycle. It's no problem at all. the salsa dance school If you happen to get hungry "La mambita". The owner right between the Reichstag is Betina Cabrera Pedroso, and the Brandenburg gate, who has contributed a lot you can treat yourself to an to the Berlin salsa scene. original Curry-Wurst (Berlin-style sausage with curry sauce) many of Berlin's salseros have learned the basics from her. For with French fries. They're quite tasty! Honestly! But if you want a long time, she and Franco Sparfeld, the organiser of the to eat the "best" curry sausage in all of Berlin, you'll have to large Berlin salsa congress, were a couple for many years,

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CLäRCHEnS BALLHAuS DJ WILBER unD DJ FLORI and together they ran the very successful dance school "más forget: purchase the extra bicycle ticket (Fahrrad-Fahrschein) Salsa". There was a time when you could easily spot who the along with your ticket otherwise there could be trouble. más Salsa dancers were on the dance floor. They were the In mitte, close to the main train station, you'll find the first in Berlin to dance the "Traumstrand" (literally: cross-body lead. If it's not Dream Beach). Located disummer when you visit, an rectly on the Spree, this is BeRlIneR CURRYWURST excursion to La mambita a small sandy beach comon a Sunday afternoon plete with deckchairs, bars is well worthwhile. That's and wooden decking. But when the popular social if you're looking for peace "mambo-Café" takes and quiet, it's best not to go place. But now it's sumthere on a Tuesday evening, mer and the mambo Café because at 7 pm that's when has its summer break. most two Peruvians, Flori and Wilpeople prefer to dance ber, take over the beach. outdoors. now it's back They are two well-established to Berlin mitte, where we salsa DJs in Berlin - everyone Sampling a Berlin-style curry sausage is a were relaxing earlier. Anknows them and everyone must for anyone who comes to Berlin. It yone who is finding the diloves them. If you see one of has become such an institution that a mustances a little far can also them, then the other is ususeum has even been created in its honour. take their bicycle on the ally not far away. These two Here a humorous exhibition has been u-Bahn (underground) or brothers are full of good vibes created where the visitors actively use S-Bahn (city railway). It's no and the music that they play their senses and get the full experience. problem at all, but never at parties is always highly in the first carriage! Time praised. Just to see these two and again you'll hear the original characters in action threatening announcements from the train drivers: "mit dem is reason enough to go to the "Traumstrand" on a Tuesday Fahrrad nICHT in den ersten Wagen" (Do nOT take bicycles evening. into the first carriage!)" - Loud, threatening and unfriendly. Another wonderful city beach can be found not far away Therefore, it's best not to get on in the first carriage. And don't at the nordbahnhof (north Train Station). "Beach mitte" is not

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CITY PORTRAIT VIEw AT BEACh MITTE only a nice beach bar, it also boasts over 30 beach volley- man unification became occupied by artists. Out of the ruins, ball courts, where summer can be seen in full swing. First-class they have created what is now a world famous Kunsthaus beach volleyball takes place here. There's also a very crea- (art house). The value of the art is disputed, but many Bertive rope adventure park lin residents and above all here. If you've always wantourists love the unique flair ted to see a Trabi (the icothat Tacheles has to offer. SHOPPING IN BERLIN nic Trabant car produced In the Zapata club there in East Germany) up close, are frequent performances then put on the safety helby latin bands. met and start climbing the So far so good. And ropes. Salsa is danced not what about the Berlin in the rope adventure park salsa club scene? If you but right next door every don't want to dance unThursday (from approx. 7 der open skies, where do pm) and Saturday (after apyou go? Just around the The best known shopping streets in Berprox. 4 pm). The dance floor corner from Oranienburlin are probably Kurfürstendamm and is under cover, so rainy weagerstrasse, at Auguststrasse Friedrichstrasse. Our recommendation, ther is no excuse for staying 24, is a little gem for those home. who like to dance and enhowever, is to visit Berlin's flea markets. You can easily see that joy good pizza! In fact, I'm here you can browse at your leisure evesummer in Berlin makes life talking about one of the ry Sunday and find the craziest things... really easy for tourists. You best pizzas in all of Berlin, An overview of the flea markets in Berlin don't need to go far, things if not the best in the whole can be found here: are very close to each other. world! The place is a called Of course, if you're already "Clärchens Ballhaus" - but underway in Berlin Mitte, be careful not to pass it you simply have to take a look at Oranienburger Straße while by, because from outside it doesn't look like a ballroom at the famous "Tacheles" is still there. The "Tacheles" building is all. The best thing to do is grab a seat in the garden out the the ruins of an old department store and just after the Ger- back, order a stone-baked pizza with buffalo mozzarella plus

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Workshops ¥ Cuban teachers Cuban live Band ¥ Shows GOVErnMEnT dISTrICT F e s t i v a l C u b a n o 28-30, sept.2012 Berlin, Germany whatever other toppings you like, and sit back and enjoy the mood inside these very old walls, which have seen some pretty wild times over the years. In Clärchens Ballhaus, swing and Charleston dancers swept across the parquet dance floor back in the golden 1920s. nowadays, it is Berlin's salseros who use the large dance hall every Monday evening. The music is provided by an old acquaintance we know from the Traumstrand: dJ Flori, performing as an exception this time without his brother. Another really great atmosphere for dancing can be found every Tuesday evening in the "Grüne Salon" at the Volksbühne. The interior with its chandeliers, velvet curtains, sofas, oak parquet flooring also transports you right back to the roaring 1920s. A word of warning: in the summer it can get really hot here because the salon doesn't have air conditioning. On wednesdays, Fridays and also Saturdays (Saturday is not quite as good) the havanna club in Schöneberg opens its doors for dancing and celebrating. Thursdays you should keep free for a tour through the trendy scene in the Prenzlauer-Berg quarter. You should end the evening by going to the Kultur-Brauerei. It's an old brewery with yellow brickwork that has been transformed into a complex of clubs and restaurants. At the Soda-Club there's salsa every Thursday and Saturday evening. A 'real' Latino club can be found at richard-wagnerPlatz: MiSalsa has great cocktails and a Latin-American atmosphere, but you are unlikely to run into Berlin's "super dancers" here. +49 1 Festiv 70 48 al Hot line 62 83 5 Israel Gutierrez / Leon Bembo Doris Martinez Alexis Borrero Regla / Maria Hernandez Yura Castillo / Santiago Hernandez Daily Vazquez / Choma Sumbu Garcia / Oli Rizo / Dj Pepe / Dj Ronny Live:JOSE TORRES & BAND from Cuba w w w. f e s t i v a l c u b a n o . d e featuring:

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kEL TORRES "ALLE LIEBEn BERLIn!" In Berlin you can pretty much dance every day, but you areas in Berlin, each with its own atmosphere and its more have to have a little luck to be right where the dancers hap- or less special charm. nothing stays the same for very long pen to be. For example here either; Berlin is conthere are evenings in the stantly changing. There Havanna that are just is always something new lAnge nAChT deR mUSeen fantastic! But it's Berlin's to discover - even for salseros that make these people who have been evenings so great. If living here for years and for some reason most years. The city's mayor of them happen to be once described Berlin as dancing at a party sobeing "arm, aber sexy" mewhere else, then it's (poor, but sexy), which simply bad luck. Sometiis basically to say that mes though, maybe it's culturally it's a world not always just about metropolis, but econodancing. great latin jazz mically it's rather provinand first-rate live music cial. Berlin is bursting with are also pretty cool. Berwealth, but instead with On the night of the 25 to 26 August over 100 mulin has a lot to offer when creativity, history and seums and exhibition centres will once again it comes to this. good locontrasts. open their doors to visitors. This event has been cations are certainly the "good morning Bertaking place twice a year for over 10 years. b-flat club, which is near lin, you can be so ugly, the Hackescher markt, so filthy and grey!" sings the Quasimodo club in Charlottenburg and the Junction Bar Peter Fox about Berlin. That is how you experience Berlin afin kreuzberg. ter a long, cold winter's night. "Everyone loves Berrrrlin! Te And as you can see, this article is getting longer and lon- amo Berlin!" sings the Cuban musician and citizen of Berlin ger without even scratching the surface of all the things you by choice, kel Torres. Who would have thought that a Cuban can see and do or leave out in Berlin. The city is simply too would sing an ode to this city? Anyone who has experienced diverse to include everything. Between the wonderful parks, a summer here! It's only too bad that the summers in Berlin lakes and forests there are countless extremely different are so short...

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CITY PORTRAIT SALSA In BERLIn InfoRMATIonS And dATES CITY-PORTRÄT SALSA CLubS HAvAnnA SodA-CLub MI SALSA SALSA dAnCE SCHooLS LA MAMbITA ASí SE bAILA CuMbAnCHA ZAPATISSIMo fESTIvALS bERLIn SALSAConGRESS 03 - 07 october 2012 LA SEMAnA CubAnA second or third week of May 2013 KARnEvAL dER KuLTuREn 17- 20 May 2013 muSEumSInSEL, In THE BACkgROunD FERnSEHTuRm AT ALExAnDERPLATZ

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Share article with friends: FASHION TURNING HEADS How do you manage to become tHe Head-turner (in tHe positive sense) of tHe evening, attracting stares of admiration tHe wHole nigHt long? notHing ventured, notHing gained! for women tHis summer, tHis means daring to wear lace and sHeer fabrics. tHe spanisH combination will especially cause a stir: black lace combined witH brigHt red accessories - be it lipstick, bracelets or a brigHt red decorative flower. men also need to be a little braver if tHey want to score points: crazy jackets - tHe more colourful tHe better - are tHe key item tHis summer. It's goIng to get hot, and the guys need to turn up tHe Heat, too! and If that's too much for certaIn men out tHere, a bow-tie is tHe easy way to pep up an outfIt. Just as long as It's brIght and flashy. PHOTO BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER On the left we see the beautiful Israeli dancer Shani Talmor at the Israeli Salsa Congress 2012. She is renowned for her elegant and sexy salsa style. All eyes were on her when she took to the dance floor!

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FASHION Share with friends: PHOTO BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER

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FASHION "OLÉ" To wear this, a woman needs to be a little brave. The wearer certainly shouldn't be lacking in self-confidence. Transparent fabrics, lace and strategic glimpses of more or less bare skin are increasingly being spotted on the international dance floors. A word of warning: the overall effect is very important - it's the picture as a whole that makes the difference between "too risqué" and "elegantly seductive". Left page: Diliana Karailieva looking ultra elegant in lace at the MamboCity 5 Star Congress. Dancing with her is Harry Lim in a stylish jacket with colourfully contrasting edging. Right page: Ana Cathaysa Medina Blanco in a very transparent lace top - here, too, we see the bright red decorative flower with matching lipstick and nail colour. PHOTO BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER

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FASHION Share with friends: PHOTO BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER

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FASHION "PATTERNED" Regardless what the temperature may be outside, the jacket has to stay on. With such carefully styled outfits, it's no surprise that vanity goes before comfort. Bold colours and striking patterns have been increasingly catching our eye since spring. You know, it's impressive how much star-appeal an outfit like this can lend to a dancer. If you walk into the room dressed in such an unusual example of male fashion, it's bound to attract attention like a magnet. If you fail to take the initiative yourself, you'll soon be asked to dance. Anyone dressed like that simply has to be a good dancer! Left page: Mouaze Konaté in his untoppable outfit at the international salsa festival in Münster. Right page: DJ Sezar Duran from Oslo appeared at the Indian salsa festival sporting a summer suit in all-over check, complete with waistcoat. PHOTO BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER

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FASHION Share with friends: SHEER HAS MANY GUISES The variety of sheer garments on offer is infinitely vast. Such head-turning apparel not only looks fantastic on the elegant dance floor - it's also great for workshops or even for creating your everyday summer look! We've put together a few different examples of sheer head-turners from the international salsa scene to give you some ideas. PHOTOS BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER

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HANDY ITEMS sOLAR-shOPPER www.wearable-technologies.com Sound familiar... you've been on the go all day - in the u-Bahn, on the Bus or walking around - and suddenly your batteries are dead! It really is a total drag when you suddenly can't listen to your music anymore. But never fear, this Solar-Shopper provides the perfect answer: the solar cells on the outside of the shopping bag stock up on energy which can then be to your mp3 player or iPod via a uSB connection. A shopping bag that's a recharging station at the same time - not bad, especially in summer! now nothing will get in the way of listening to music for hours on end while picnicking by the lake. Copyright: Wearable Technologies / simonehoermann.de

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Share article with friends: HANDY ITEMS sALsA cycLEs www.salsacycles.com "WOW! Did you see that?" Two professional cyclists - or at least they looked like professionals - just zipped past us decked out in full SALSA outfits! Even the rather crazy-looking bikes were labelled with "Salsa"! If you do a quick search on the Internet, you'll find: Salsa Cycles! This bicycle retailer has a lot of really great things on offer. Pictured here is the Salsa mukluk - Fatbike with 3.8" tyres for snow and beach - recommended retail price: 1,799 EuR. This American manufacturer distributes its bikes, components and clothing products internationally.

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E X C E L E N C I A alsa dura" means "hard salsa". But what floor with increasing regularity. Fast beats, hard exactly should be understood by the brassy sounds, shrill horn sections. What was also "new generation of really striking was the prosalsa dura"? It points minent role of the congas "They are going back to the to a previous generation of played by José Vázquezthis genre, relegated into Cofresi, which can often be more eclectic period when oblivion due to the market's heard in the foreground. But salsa was street music, playdemand for salsa romántica it was not only the band's ing with spirit and integrity (romantic salsa, a softer and sound that flew in the face and writing socially relevant more commercial style of of the salsa mainstream salsa). The hard sounds of the around the world at that music again," 1970s, as exemplified by Wiltime, it was also the subjects Aaron Levinson, Grammy-winning producer lie Colón, Héctor La Voe and of many of their lyrics. While all of the other Fania All Stars, successful salsa hits tended had been passé for many years. La Excelencia, to be rather on the shallow side, La Excelencia however, decided to return precisely to these roots addressed social issues in many of their songs, cri- as far back as in 2005, long before these kinds of ticising and provoking, giving new insights into the sounds were starting to be played on the dance problems that they as immigrants were confronted ThE NEW GENERATION OF SALSA DURA

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Share with friends: CONCERT "ECOS DEL BARRIO" - "Echoes of the neighbourhood" (in this case New York's Bronx) is the new album from La Excelencia and was just recently released. They have remained true to themselves, despite a new lead singer. It's the crème de la crème of Salsa Dura. A truly superb track is the very first song, "Pa'l Mundo Entero" - not just because of the exciting sounds that make your feet start tingling, but also because it is an expression of thanks to their fans: "Oye y esto es un saludo cariñoso para todos los países del mundo que no han apoyado. Todos los continentes la gente de Europa, África, América del Sur, América Central. Pa'l mundo entero ¡Gracias!" - "A warm greeting to all the countries around the world who have supported us. To all continents, to the people in Europe, Africa, South and Central America, to the whole world: Thank you!" The subjects of their songs certainly reflect the title of the album: you experience moments - most of them pretty unpleasant - in the lives of the people in New York's Bronx. The single they released in conjunction with the album, "La Economía", may be rather too fast for the dance floor, but it would make a perfect hymn for the Occupy movement. In our humble opinion, the cover (right) is also spot on. Pa'l Mundo Entero La Economía ThE NEW GENERATION OF SALSA DURA with on a daily basis in New York. They return to the The 11-piece line-up, which was set up in 2005 by roots of New York Salsa, a dance which was born the two percussionists José Vázquez-Cofresí and on the streets of the city. "Salsa de Conciencia" Julián Silva, fought hard for their independence was the name given to this genre and it is all about and authenticity. They found that larger record raising people's awareness labels were far too limiting. of certain social problems Even worse, they tried to ("conciencia" is the Spanish make them into something "We may not be the best word for awareness/conscithey were not. Having learindividually but as a team ence). ned from their experiences, we are Excellent!" As the founders of the the band established their new generation of salsa own independent label, Julián Silva dura, La Excelencia didn't "Handle With Care", under have an easy time making it which they have already in the business. But they are hard working musicireleased three very successful albums. Their first ans who know exactly what they want. They have album was "Salsa Con Conciencia" in 2006 - a also avoided the mistake of covering the stars of fantastic album, which sold extremely well despite the first generation. The songs are their own comthe independent label and strong counter-position positions and they are extremely varied and fresh. to the mainstream. From the very first song, "La

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LA EXCELENCIA TOUR-DATES Lucha" (The Fight), it is clear what awaits the listener - Salsa Dura del Barrio. Their second album, "Mi Tumbao Social", did not follow until three years later in 2009. They took their time to get it right because they knew it would be tough to follow the success of their first album - a wise move indeed because they certainly managed it. You can hear the three years of experience between the two albums. The sound is more mature, the compositions are just magnificent. The album "Ecos Del Barrio" was recently released in 2012 in conjunction with the single "La Economía". There are very few other groups on the New York salsa scene that mange to keep their line-up as constant as La Excelencia. This is particularly reflected in their performances. Anyone who has experienced them live will know what they are all about: La Excelencia live means pure energy, the audience is swept away with them right from the very first note to the last. On many nights the roars of applause are never ending and the crowds cry out for encores over and over. The success that they enjoy today was by no means foreseeable. Back in their early days, there were hardly any radio stations that were willing to deviate from the mainstream and play songs by La Excelencia. The clubs they performed in were often not "trendy" enough, people didn't like their casual clothing or their sneakers - in New York clubs salsa musicians are required to dress more elegantly. Others complained they were too Colombian, the beats were too fast, the sounds were too harsh. But what was criticised here was loved elsewhere, especially on the dance scene. Established salsa fans and hardcore dancers simply rave about La Excelencia. It is therefore hardly surprising that they are warmly received guests at numerous festivals and congresses around the globe. Salsa Dura is well and truly back, especially on the dance floors of the world. And what La Excelencia started to do with their music has been picked up by other young bands, for example the currently celebrated newcomer band from Barcelona "Tromboranga".

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Share with friends: CONCERT Konzert-HigHligHts 22.06.2012 | TRIER | Porta nigra BLOqUE53 This extremely successful band from Barcelona will be in Trier this summer with their new album in tow and are looking forward to letting their unmistakable 'Bloque sound' ring forth. We met up with Bloque 53 earlier on this year at their studio in Barcelona. Here's the link to the interview in our spring issue: FREE ADMISSION! 6.30 pm Salsa lessons with Salsa-Brava and Danceln, Zumba session with Lulu. 7.30 pm Concert begins with Bloque53 2 hours of the finest salsa dura around. JUAN LUIS GUERRA The Dominican singer, guitarist and composer is the king of the merengue. This summer he's coming to germany and Switzerland with his band 440. And he's not just bringing along merengue; bachata and a few salsa numbers will also form part of his repertoire. This multiple grammy Award winner is a world-class performer and you shouldn't miss out on this rare opportunity. 26.06.2012 | ZüRICh | Volkshaus Zürich 7.00 pm Doors open 8.30 pm Concert begins 02.07.2012 | MUNICh | Tonhalle 8.00 Concert begins 19.07.2012 | MüNChEN | Bayerischer Hof ALFREDO DE LA FÉ This new york-based violinist of Cuban descent is in principle responsible for violin being taken up at all by jazz or salsa bands. He has performed as a solo violinist in large salsa orchestras and has been on over 30 tours worldwide (with among others Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, José Alberto "El Canario", Cheo Feliciano, The Fania All-Stars and Santana). 8:00 pm Concert begins 07.07.2012 | NUREMBERG | mississippi Queen SEO FERNANDEZ Seo Fernandez is not only a musician, but also a dancer and choreographer. He has just released his second album, which he is presenting for the first time in Germany at the Mississippi Queen in nuremberg. 8:00 pm Concert begins

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RECOMMENDED Share article with friends: MusiC-Festivals 22.-24.06.2012 A giant camping area, huge party tents with a perfect dance floor and three large stages on which over 40 bands and DJs will be performing can be enjoyed by visitors in Bree (Belgium). In the Salsa Palace there will be salsa music all weekend long. As if that's not enough to whet your appetite, on 23 June Croma Latina, Juan Luis guerra and La Excelencia will be performing on the main stage, offering Salsa at its very best. green, family friendly and easily accessible for everyone - the organiser of the festival requests that guests travel in an environmentally friendly way either by bicycle or with carpools. AFRO LATINO FESTIvAL SALSA Y LATIN JAZZ FESTIvAL 20.07.-05.08.2012 In several Spanish cities the big Salsa & Latin Jazz Festival will be taking place for the second time. The host is the band from Barcelona, La Sucursal S.A., who will be presenting music at its very best together with big name stars. 20.07.2012 BARCELOnA, Poble Espanyol Larry harlow, La Excelencia, havana d Primera CALIENTE! 06.-08.07.2012 This summer Caliente! will be celebrating its 18th edition together with approximately 250,000 visitors from all over Switzerland and neighbouring countries. Over an area of 32,000m2, Zurich will be transformed into a latin music zone with a tropical atmosphere and high spirits. Over 200 market stands and bars are expected at the so-called mercado mundial. There will be non-stop performances by high-profile bands, show groups, salsa schools and DJs from the Caribbean, Latin America, Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. The shows are all free for the public. 21.07.2012 BARCELOnA, Poble Espanyol: Eddie Palmieri, Gilberto Santa Rosa 25.07.2012 SAnTIAgO DE COmPOSTELA, Plaza de la Quintana: Calle 13 26.07.2012 mADRID, madrid Arena: Rubén Blades, Calle 13 27.07.2012 BARCELOnA, La Farga d'Hospitalet: Rubén Blades, Calle 13 29.07.2012 gAnDIA nahe VALEnCIA, Falkata Arena: Rubén Blades 05.08.2012 CADIZ, Calle 13 ANTILLIAANSE FESTEN 10.-11.08.2012 And there's another festival taking place in Belgium this summer. It will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in Hoogstraten! On four stages - one of which is the "Palacio de la Salsa", the name says it all - 11 groups will be performing live every night from 8 pm to 5 am in the morning. DELDOngO PROCHAInE RECOnVERSIOn marlow Rosado y La Riqueña RETRO CD tips The French musician and composer Fabrice Delpech "Deldongo" started his career in France more than 12 years ago. His love of Latin-American music has many sides to it. There's not only salsa featured on his albums, but often you'll also hear Brazilian influences in his music. nevertheless, his fondness for salsa is unmistakable. What's special about Deldongo is that he sings in his mother tongue of French. His latest album, "Prochaine Reconversion", contains quite a few potential hits. We particularly like the cha-cha "matelot". Highly recommendable! La Parlotte matelot marlow Rosado takes his orchestra "La Riqueña" on a trip back in time to the 1970s. They cover the greatest hits from that period. "This is my homage to the music that made me become a musician, the golden decade of our music," says marlow, going on to ask: "How can I give these already perfect songs a touch of the 'Riqueña' style without losing their magic?" To ensure the success of his endeavour, he invited many of the great stars from that time to be featured in his new arrangements, turning "retro" into something very special. We really like it. Fuego (feat. Tito Puente Junior) Callejero (feat. José Arroyo)

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RECOMMENDED DvD tips cÁPsuLAs iNfORMAtiVAs We really gave it some thought whether we should recommend this DVD or not, but only because it's in Spanish. It's really only for people who are entirely comfortable with the language. However, in germany - especially those in the salsa scene - that's more than just a handful of people. So we simply decided to include it in our recommendations. Tito Ortos has done something extremely great here: he gives us background information. In Puerto Rico, salsa has a completely different significance compared to here in germany. Over there, you can even study salsa at university. It is therefore hardly surprising that in the first chapter, "The History of Salsa", Elmer gonzález, a very likeable university professor of salsa history, gives an almost 30minute lecture. A few musical and dance examples would have been nice to help illustrate the explanations a little better. But this is not a professional report with a big budget and a lot of complexity. It's more of a low budget production that a dancer has put together with love and care for his students and anyone else who is interested. In the second chapter, one of the most important Palladium dancers, mike Ramos, tells us about the good old days: the Palladium era. you can really feel all the emotion and excitement which he still has burning away within him. Sometimes he's a little difficult to understand, and his stories are not nearly as well told as those by the history professor in the previous chapter. nevertheless, it is really wonderful to get an impression of this completely different world from an 'eye-witness'. The chapter is only about 7 minutes long and it's an enrichment in any case. The last chapter is called "musicality". Finally here we are provided with one musical example after another. Tito's father's small orchestra receives the lion's share of the attention. Each individual instrument played in salsa is analysed with regard to its role in salsa music. The structures and rhythms are explained and for every instrument Tito shows us exactly how he dances to it. This is a musical journey especially for those who want to dance On2. The DVD provides the basic knowledge that in principal every ambitious salsero should know if they don't already. It is also great practice for those who wish to improve their fluency in Spanish and is particularly good for those who want to expand their technical vocabulary with regards to salsa. TITO ORTOS: TITO ORTOS (PUERTO RICO): PACHAngA mOVES Those of you who occasionally visit congresses and festivals have probably been noticing that a trend has been developing for some time: Pachanga. more and more Pachanga workshops are creeping into the course schedules. So what exactly is this Pachanga anyway? It's a pretty groovy dance dating from the 1950s/1960s. you dance Pachanga alone - it's a kind of free-style or footwork which you can integrate into your dance. Of course it's not meant to be built into the standard salsa repertoire that you dance. The music has to be right so that you can spontaneously throw in a few Pachanga moves on the dance floor. With this DVD by Tito Ortos you can learn the basics and get the first step combinations for Pachanga happening. It's really a lot of fun! you don't need to think about it too much - simply dance around the living room with Tito in front of you. I've even heard that some people are using the DVD as their 'good mood' morning workout. But you can decide that for yourself. BOTH DVDS ARE AVAILABLE HERE: www.titoortos.com/en/store.htm STIMMENAUS AUS STIMMEN AUS STIMMEN ALLERWELT WELT ALLER WELT ALLER OUR TWITTERFRIENDS! @RitmoNuevo1 Pietro milillo from Bari is the admin of the salsa blog Ritmo nuevo. @juliovolcan @KieronyAnthony DJ Julio Volcán is not only the resident DJ in South Spain, he is also the presenter of the malaga Salsa Congress in October. A new-comer salsa duo from madrid with big talent. @DavidCastilloZ @JoelSalsa Joel Dominguez is dancer and instructor from new york. you should check out the interesting tweets by David Castillo from Valladolid (north of Spain).

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DJ PORTRAIT Share article with friends: DJ pepe Bassan mILAn, ITALy Strictly speaking, if we want to do justice to Pepe Bassan, the category and title of this article aren't exactly fitting. Of course he's indisputably one of the world's best salsa DJs, but he's so much more than that. He's a musician, author and composer, sound engineer and music producer. He also composes the music for many professional performers on the international stage. Furthermore, he's the director for sound, video and light for the musical "La Reina - Tributo a Celia Cruz" and is known worldwide as the voice of his web radio station "Onda Tropical", which is hugely successful in Italy and around the world. It is therefore no surprise to us that he's regularly invited to perform at no less than the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress - we're talking about one of the most important salsa congresses in the world! The standards there are very, very high. To our knowledge, DJ Pepe Bassan is the only DJ who has been continuously booked for this event for the last 12 years. In 2002 he received the Andy Award in Puerto Rico for his contribution as a salsa DJ to promoting and developing salsa (an award in memory of one of the world's best-ever mambo dancers of all time: Don Aníbal Vázquez). His musical career began a quarter of a century ago in 1987, back when he played bass in the orchestra "Los gemala". Pepe Bassan then went on to found his own orchestra, "La Playa", with whom he performed all over Italy for some six years. Later on, Pepe Bassan became a DJ at the legendary Sabor Tropical, the first Latin American nightclub in milan. He was also the musical director and DJ at the Tropicana Club Latino in milan for 12 years. His greatest creation is probably the programme "Onda Tropical", which he conceptually devised and presented for the Italian radio station "radio Fm" in 1994. After broadcasting for over 10 years, the programme became simply too successful to transmit it only in Italy. In 2005 it was turned into a web radio format and broadcast around the world via the Internet - with great success: www.ondatropical.it is one of the most listened to and popular web radio stations on the planet. And what's it like when DJ Pepe Bassan performs live? Dancers around the globe praise his music selections and he is one of the few DJs - on the salsa scene virtually the only DJ - who works not just with music but also with videos, simultaneously fusing the two into a combined experience for the eyes and ears. Despite his many years of experience and phenomenal success, DJ Pepe Bassan remains modest. "no es mal ser numero 1 - lo malo es creer serlo", he says. ("It's not bad being number 1 - it's only bad if you believe it").

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DJ PORTRAIT How do you like to work? What is your preferred music mix when you are DJing? What type of salsa do you personally like to listen to the most? What's it like performing in Puerto Rico? my way of working always depends on where I happen to be performing. Every location is different and every audience has different preferences. I always try to begin at a fairly relaxed level to gauge the ability of the dancers and to find out what the people like - more this type of salsa or more QuICk InFO: that type. Over the years Pepe Bassan I've gained a lot of expeBIRTHDAy: rience and I've develo05th February 1966 ped a really good feel for this. CuRREnT FAVOuRITE SOng: I personally like to listen "Increible" by the Latin giants to Salsa gorda, with Of Jazz, sung by his friend good rhythm, great Frankie Vazquez on the album lyrics, interesting har"Ven Baila Conmigo". monies, breaks, piano solos, not to fast, but with swing. A good example is "Increíble". I also like other styles as well, such as modern salsa, bachata or reggae sounds. It doesn't matter to me whether it's old or new. As long as my music gets those dancers out on the dance floor! How do you dance when it's your turn on the dance floor? Cuban or On2? Or perhaps L.A.-style? Over the 12 years that I've been fortunate enough to perform on the Isla Del Encanto, I've felt extremely grateful to the Puerto Ricans because they appreciate my respect for the music and give me a lot back. As an Italian, earning the respect and affection of another country - particularly a country in which salsa plays such an important role - is simply amazing. EQuIPmEnT: Apple macBook Pro 15" Serato Scratch Live + SL3 Serato Video Plugin Stanton SC System 3 controller numark Dj2go controller Denon Dn-x100 mixer Aiaiai TmA-1 Headphones Crane Stand Laptop Stand Sennheiser E845S microphone What's your recipe for success? Do you have any advice for aspiring young salsa DJs? If dancing means moving your feet, well okay, I guess I have been dancing (laughs)... behind my turntables for years. But I've never taken dancing so seriously that I've actually done a course - something which the teachers are no doubt very grateful about! no, seriously, I do like to dance, and because I'm a musician I prefer On2 because I naturally follow the clave or the muffled beats of the bass. modesty. Learn something about the music, its history, all the relationships and their meaning. Respect towards your elders, respect for colleagues' work. WEBSITE: Technology also plays an www.ondatropical.it important role because it allows you to communicate things. Being a DJ doesn't just mean playing one song after another, although that's what many people may think. music is like a language. If you don't know the grammar, you can say interesting things, but nobody will understand you. On the hand, you can speak a language perfectly, but if you have nothing to say only mindless nonsense will come out. The most important thing, of course, is respect for the audience who you are subliminally trying to educate. A good DJ can fire up the audience; he can make them discover new things, without forcing extreme directions. It's certainly not easy, but that's what makes a DJ. There are many who play records - but only a few of them are DJs. (laughs) salsa Mag reMiX SHORT VERSIOn - 4:05 min By DJ PEPE BASSAn SOngS InCLuDED: Agua Que Va A Caer - Tromboranga - Tromboranga Iyania - La Excelencia - Ecos Del Barrio Increible - The Latin giants Of Jazz - Ven Baila Conmigo A Que Se Debe - Bobby Valentin - Evolution me Dejaste - nino Segarra Feat Dj Pepe Bassan - Ondatropical Compilation FuLL VERSIOn - 12:26 min - On SOunDCLOuD.COm

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SALSA MOVE Photo & Videos by DPiX EDDIE TORRES THE mAmBO kIng For over 40 years, Eddie Torres, alias "The Mambo King", has danced and taught Salsa. his style: the mambo style, also known as the New York style. his timing: On2. Thousands of dancers have studied with him, many of which can now be seen on countless stages around the world, including Adolfo Indacochea, Franklin Diaz, Frankie Martínez or the founder of the Santo Rico Dance Company, Wilton Beltre. Like many of the talented individuals from new york, he grew up with his Puerto Rican parents in new york's Spanish Harlem, also called "El Barrio". At the age of 12 he discovered dancing: he saw how the girl he adored was dancing "latin" with another boy, and the other boy danced so much better than he could. Eddie immediately decided that one day he would dance better than anyone else. But at the tender age of 12, how do you learn to dance? There weren't any dance schools. There was, however, a club which was also open to teenagers: The Hunts Point Palace,

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Share article with friends: SALSA-MOVE which was open every Saturday from 12 noon un- the "The Tito Puente Dancers" - a great honour til midnight. From that day on Eddie was always for the two of them. at the club. He watched the good dancers, imi- At that time there were no structures or rules for tated them and drove them crazy with questions. mambo and salsa. There were no dance schools It wasn't easy to learn this way because a lot of and no systems or names for the various styles. the dancers didn't want him to copy their steps. In principle, these dances didn't really have a future because there nevertheless, he grawere only a few produally became better gRISELLE POnCE fessional dancers or and better. By the age teachers who could Puerto Rico-born griselle is one of of 20 he was one of the pass on their knowbest. It was then that the most sought after salsa danledge to the next geEddie met maria, who cers in the world. She is one of nerations. Eddie Torres became his dance the very few individuals who can recognized this propartner and later his dance entirely alone on stage blem and set himself wife. Working together the mission of teaching with her, Eddie Torres and completely mesmerise an his dancing to others, became a professional audience with her passion. Fremost importantly the show dancer. In 1980 quently she can be seen dancing younger dancers. He he danced with maria with Eddie Torres - as in our Salsagave his step patterns in a live performance - the "shines" - names. with Tito Puente and his move. She directs her own dance He began to analyse band at the Latin Expo studio in new york, models and the turns with his partin the new york Colioccasionally works as an actress. ner, breaking down the seum. To begin with steps into bars and the they danced to the individual beats of the song Cayuco and then progressed to Palladium Days. The audience was clave. He developed teaching methods which ecstatic and Tito had an enormous smile on his were adopted by countless dance teachers in face - it was a huge success. From then on Eddie new york and around the world. Eddie Torres is and maria were a regular part of Tito Puente's the founding father of mambo and new yorkshow. They were even allowed to call themselves style salsa On2. He is a true pioneer. Video by DPiX

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A QUESTION OF TASTE TROPICAL BBQ SKEWERS The marinade: Peel and finely chop the onion. Crush the garlic. Cut two slices of pineapple into cubes, wash the fresh coriander leaves and chop finely. Cut the beef into medium-sized cubes. Place everything in a bowl together and pour over the dark rum. mix together well and leave to marinade for approximately 4 hours. mix together the soya sauce, vinegar and oils, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add this mixture to the bowl, stir everything together and leave to marinade for another hour. The skewers: Peel and deseed the papaya, then cut the papaya fruit into cubes. Lift the meat and pineapple out of the marinade and leave to drain. now slide the meat, pineapple and papaya onto the skewers in alternation. Brush the skewer with the marinade and cook on the hot barbeque for about 4 minutes, then turn, brush with the marinade and cook for another 4 minutes. Serve the skewers with a sweet chilli sauce. INGREDIENTS for 4 servings 500 g beef 1 papaya 2 slices of pineapple 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 75 ml dark rum 4 Tbsp soya sauce 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp olive oil Salt, pepper, fresh coriander

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COCONUT & AVOCADO Sorbet Avocados are healthy! Did you know that although avocados are very rich in fat and calories, they contain valuable unsaturated fatty acids that are good for your body and have a positive effect on your blood fat levels. They reduce cholesterol and can therefore reduce the risk of cardio-vascular diseases. Avocados also contain important vitamins, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper and lots of fibre. Their special carbohydrate combination helps nerves and brain cells to be optimally supplied with energy - very good nutrition for the nerves. Method: Squeeze the juice of the three limes. Cut the avocados in half, take out the stone and remove the avocado flesh from the skin. In a blender, purée together the lime juice with the avocado, vanilla sugar, coconut syrup and coconut liqueur. Transfer the purée into a freezer-proof bowl, add some desiccated coconut to taste and place in the freezer for approximately 5 to 6 hours, stirring several times in between. Before serving, leave to stand at room temperature for ideally 10 minutes so you can form attractive scoops of sorbet. Decorate with slices of avocado and lime, sprinkled with a little coconut. Share article with friends: A QUESTION OF TASTE INGREDIENTS for 4 servings 3 limes 3 avocados 2 sachets of vanilla sugar 100 ml coconut syrup 40 ml coconut liqueur (e.g. Batida de Coco) Desiccated coconut

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"you will feel the influences of Flamenco, Ska & Alternative Rock en Español, The Fania All-Stars, El gran Combo, Ruben Blades, Willie Colón, and the very traditional Cuban son." Interviewed by nestor Luis, 2001, palosalsero.com gilberto Santa Rosa

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Share article with friends: STAR PORTRAIT GiLBERtO sANtA ROsA his Music REfLEcts thE tRANsitiON iNtO A NEw ERA. iNfLuENcED By thE RhythMs Of thE GREAt sALsA stARs Of thE '60s AND '70s, hE ALsO iNcORPORAtEs thE MORE MODERN, ROMANtic sOuNDs Of thE '80s AND '90s, cREAtiNG A LiNk BEtwEEN twO GENERAtiONs. VERy DAy At PREcisELy 12 NOON a young boy would sit spellbound in front of the TV in Lydia Caez's living room. The boy was born just two months after the famous salsa orchestra El gran Combo de Puerto Rico was founded, on 21 August 1962. Although only his parents, closest friends and relatives knew his name back then, that young boy, gilberto Santa Rosa, is today an internationally celebrated salsa star. In the city district of Santurce in the capital of Puerto Rico, he would sit in front of the TV at his grandmother's house every day at 12 noon to watch the "Show de las doce" (The 12 O'clock show) with regular performances by El gran Combo, led by Rafael Ithiera. And the young Santa Rosa was thrilled to pieces when his musical heroes entertained him with their music. He was a meticulous observer, absorbing every word that was sung, soaking up the gestures and facial expressions of Pellín Rivera, Andy montañez and mikey Ramoz. Even as a young rascal he used to imitate them in grandma's living room, singing their songs with all his might. To this day, gilberto Santa Rosa says in his interviews that nothing and nobody has influenced him as much as El Gran Combo. He says that a large part of his musical training is thanks to this orchestra and the other musicians that he used to watch on TV. At the age of nine, he saw the film "Our Latin Thing", which told the history of salsa in New york and the success story of Fania Records and all the legendary musicians that spread salsa around the world. This film left a lasting impression on the young fellow and no doubt laid the foundation for his later career, which is his passion and love for music.

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STAR PORTRAIT GiLBERtO sANtA ROsA nICknAmE: DATE OF BIRTH: PLACE OF BIRTH: mARITAL STATuS: InSTRumEnTS: WORkED WITH: EL CABALLERO DE LA SALSA (DER gEnTLEmAn DER SALSA) 21ST OF AuguST 1962 SAn JuAn, PuERTO RICO DIVORCED, 3 CHILDREn HIS VOICE HéCTOR LAVOE, RuBén BLADES, CELIA CRuZ AnD mORE AuDIO CLIPS: ELLA (2010) VIVIR SIn TI (2010) COnCIEnCIA (1991) OuR PLAyLIST: gILBERTO SAnTA ROSA Im WEB: gilberto Santa Rosa began his musical career in his register the band in the directory of musicians in Pugrandmother's living room where he used to sing along erto Rico, to their great dismay they discovered that with the songs performed by El gran Combo. His pa- a group already existed with this name. undeterred, rents encouraged his musicality and he was allowed they decided to rename themselves as "La Potencia". to take lessons at the music school. He learned to play The fathers of the boys took over the management of the saxophone and later the trumpet, but what he lo- the fledgling ensemble, drove them to gigs and managed their finances for them. ved the most was playing The band performed at nuthe Tumbadoras (congamerous festivals. The father style, Cuban drums). His fa"I saw that movie Our Latin of his friend marito was the ther finally granted GilberThing, and I fell in love with trumpet player mario Ortiz. to his wish and gave him He recognised the talent the drums as a present. In that lifestyle. (...) I lived harboured inside gilberto high school he founded a that era understanding and gave him the opportuduo with his friend Cheíto nity to sing a few songs on Cruz. They sang boleros, and identifying with those the record "Borinquen Flawith Cheíto playing guitar guys. I became interesand singing the harmonies. me" (1977) in the studio of At Christmas time gilberto Borinquen Records. gilberted in the music and grew was even casted for teleto was very surprised when up a diehard salsero." vision. At school everyone he came face to face with knew that gilberto liked to some fantastic musicians in gilberto Santa Rosa sing and was indeed very the studio - the production Interviewed by nestor Luis, 1993, palosalsero.com good at it. He was recomwas highly promising and mended for the Christmas for gilberto it was a great programme on Canal 11, honour to play a part in it. where he sang together with other children. This con- However, the record was not as successful as planned, firmation of his talent gave him the self-confidence he and mario Ortiz lost interest in the boy and began to needed to start his own band. They initially called them- dedicate himself to conducting the hotel orchestra of selves "La Evolución 65". However, when they went to the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. Luckily there were others

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Share article with friends: STAR PORTRAIT the year". We know that he didn't like the nickname, who recognised the potential that the young boy had but it simply cannot go without a mention: he was to offer. It didn't take long before he was snapped up unofficially christened by the press as "El Bebé De La by another orchestra: "La grande" under the direction Salsa". When Andy montañez left El gran Combo, he of Elías Lopés, in which Héctor "Tito Bay" Rivera and recommended to the orchestra's leader, Rafael Ithier, Edgar Zalduondo were singing at that time. He had that young gilberto should be chosen as his replaceonly been a member for just a short time when the ment. But Ithier consideorchestra headed to new red him too young for this york to record in the studio. role. gilberto didn't want It was Gilberto's first ever trip "Honestly, I was always to be a child star, he wanaway. And it was also the first afraid of that title. I didn't ted to be taken seriously. time that his father couldn't Thanks to his talent and be there with him. This was a want to be labeled. Obhis extremely rapid devevery difficult experience for viously you grow up and lopment, he was quickly both father and son, as his faable to loose his nicknather had always accompaeventually, in some cases me and child star image. nied him everywhere. hopefully; you mature. And It was initially planned During the great strike that gilberto would sing two by the hotel musicians, when you do, those labels songs on the album ("We gilberto worked with macan be hard to remove." Love new york", 1978), but he rio Ortiz again for the first ended up singing four tracks, time and performed in his gilberto Santa Rosa about his nickname two of which he penned orchestra as a guest sin"El Bebé De La Salsa" himself. A remarkable achieger. He caught the attenInterviewed by nestor Luis, 1993, palosalsero.com vement, considering that giltion of many great musiberto was barely 15 years old cians, including Rubén at the time. The press began Blades and Tommy Olito pay more and more attention to him, showering vencia. On that very same day he was asked if he him with words of praise. "A highly promising talent", could step in to cover for the lead singer of Tommy Oli"the boy with the beautiful voice", "the discovery of vencia because he had dropped out and they had to

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STAR PORTRAIT Photo: John Parra/ getty Images perform that day. gilberto was the perfect candidate, at university. Working together with the singers Bobby as Tommy Olivencia' orchestra was one of his absolu- Concepción and Antonio Eladio ("Tony") Vega, he te favourites after El gran Combo. He knew all of the found a strong platform for raising his profile as a salsero. It was hits like "Lluvia" songs and arrangements by and "Botaron la pelota" heart. The performance was that helped him to advana complete success and ce his career. On the side, everyone really enjoyed it. he also recorded a number So much so that they tracked him down at his high of songs with El gran Comschool prom and asked him bo. He continued to deveto cover for another conlop, his voice matured, and cert. These unique opporhe became a good "sotunities to perform finally nero de barrio" (a sonero resulted in a permanent is a singer that can improcontract as a singer with vise and spontaneously reTommy Olivencia. gilberto count entire stories without sang on the album "Como needing a written text - a sube la gasoline" (1979) and talent that few people posgilberto Santa Rosa about Willie Rosario, they performed together in sess). gilberto felt at ease Interviewed by nestor Luis, 1993, palosalsero.com with Willie Rosario - he learnew york. In 1980 he had the ned with him and worked great honour of collaboraon raising his profile, but at ting with the Puerto Rico All Stars ensemble on the recordings of "Homenaje a Ed- the back of his mind was always the idea of founding his own orchestra. However, he waited until the modie Palmieri". When the original singer Chamaco Ramírez retur- ment was right. After five years the time had come - ned to Tommy Olivencia's orchestra, this enabled gil- he was popular, his songs were being played on the berto step back from the position without a guilty con- radio, his name and profile were known enough. But in science, leaving him happily free to join Willie Rosario spite all of this, he was still very unsure about his decisiand his orchestra. This was in 1981 during his first year on. Would he succeed in creating his own unmistakab- "As a singer, as a dancer, and as fan of the music, Willie's band was and still is a total delight. There was great chemistry between all the band members during those years."

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Share article with friends: STAR PORTRAIT Photo: AFP/getty Images However, gilberto soon saw that the collective le sound? Would the public accept him outside of the image of his orchestra was very much restricting him great Willie Rosario orchestra? in his self-realization. His was consumed by his orgaunder contract with Combo Records he produced nisational duties and he the two albums: "good Vibfinally reached what was rations" and "keeping Cool" a very difficult decision on which he did a great deal "my first two records were for him: in 1995 he began of experimenting. They are basically experiments. his solo career. The album amazing albums - of this the"The man And His music" re is no question, but the gilWe were in search of the in 1995, a live recording of berto Santa Rosa sound had gilberto Santa Rosa sound, his magnificent concert yet to be found. On his third in the famous Carnegie album, "De amor y salsa", and by the third time out Hall in new york, was a everything suddenly seemed we got it!" milestone. He was the first to go "click". salsa musician to have In 1990 gilberto received gilberto Santa Rosa the honour of performing a contract with CBS - today Interviewed by nestor Luis, 1993, palosalsero.com Sony music - which opened in this hall, which is rethe door to a whole new served for only the best world. of the best. To open the His first album with the new record label, "Punto de show, he sang his very individual version of Lou Briel's vista" (1990), immediately went gold, then platinum. In "Represento". The absolute highlight of the concert that same year, gilberto became part of the "All Star has got to be the number "Perdoname", which he La Puertoriqueña Project" in which Andy montañez extended with a four-minute unwritten improvisation, also participated. He also received the "Billboard Lo once again proving his talent as a sonero. It is lucky for nuestro" award as the best male singer. everyone that this concert was recorded so that this The albums in the years that followed were also huimprovisation could be documented for all time. The gely successful: "Perspectiva" (1991), "A dos tiempos audience was so enraptured that gilberto decided de un tiempo" (a homage to Tito Rodríguez, 1992), to learn his improvised words by heart and since then "nace Aguí" (1993) and "De cara al viento" (1994). he has been performing his special version of "Per-

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STAR PORTRAIT doname" as the final song at many of his concerts, saving the best for last. He gave music his very own unmistakable style, which became a recipe for success around the world. To overcome language barriers, he even sang a song in Japanese, "De cara al viento", in Japan in 1995. He made the breakthrough as an internationally celebrated star, fulfilling one of his greatest dreams. But he had other ambitions, too. He wanted to combine classical music with salsa and have the experience of performing with a large symphony orchestra in a classical concert hall of the highest class. naturally he succeeded. What had previously seemed unthinkable, he made into reality: a salsa concert performed with the symphony orchestra of Puerto Rico on the most exclusive stage in Puerto Rico and entirely reserved for classical music, El Centro De Bellas Artes. The legendary concert entitled "Salsa Sinfónica" was completely sold out - it was an enormous success. The concept was so popular, in fact, that gilberto also performed with the Puerto Rican symphony musicians in the uSA, at a sell-out concert in the Teatro Teresa Carreño in Caracas, Colombia, and with the symphony orchestra of maracaibo in Venezuela to audiences of wildly ecstatic fans. In 1996 he released another internationally highly successful album, "Esencia", followed shortly after by "De Corazón" (1997). Other successes include "Romántica" (2001), "Vice Versa" (2002) and "Auténtico" (2004). His most recent album by the name of "Irrepetible" (2010) received positive reviews and features several duets with illustrious guests: he sings with Rubén Blades and Johnny Ventura, with appearances also from the Venezuelan band guaco and Felipe "Pipe" Pelaez from Colombia. His interest in young talent is also evident and he sings a song with the up-and-coming singer and songwriter kany garcia. With his romantic streak, his ballads and expressive salsa romántica, gilberto Santa Rosa thrills his audience just as much as he does with dynamic salsa brava. As a multi-talented individual, he successfully straddles the divide between the two genres in a convincing and authentic manner. Photo: Chris gordon / getty Images

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Share with friends: SALSA-LYRICS Que alguien me diga Los dias pasan, y yo me siento, sin darte un beso, como uno más. Cada mañana, hago el intento, para olvidarte, pero qué va! Tu recuerdo me golpea, aquí en el alma cada ves que me descuido. Como un cazador furtivo me persigue por toda esta soledad. Cuando creo que por fin ya te he olvidado y que voy a enamorarme aparece de la nada tu recuerdo y no soy nadie. Que alguien me diga, como se olvida, como se arranca para siempre un amor del corazón. Que alguien me ayude, se me hace urgente. Ando buscando entre la gente quien me quite este dolor. Busco alguien que me quiera por siempre, que me acepte en realidad como soy. Ese alguien que me de su cariño, la que sea, venga a mi por favor. The days are passing by and I'm feeling, without giving you a kiss, like anyone else. Every morning i'm trying to forget you but it's not working. Your memory strikes me here in the heart every time I'm careless. Like a hidden hunter it's following me through all this lonelyness. Gilberto Santa Rosa When I'm thinking that finally I forgot you and that I'm going to fall in love again it appears from nowhere your memory and I'm a nobody. Somebody tell me how I can forget how to pull out the love right from the heart forever. Somebody help me it's urgent. Passing people I am looking for someone who can take away this pain. I'm looking for someone who would love me forever, who would accept me really like I am. Could that someone please give me his love, whoever she might be, please come to me.

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BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER Surprise Dresscode @ India Fiesta Latina

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SNAP SHOTS Oshrat Elkelassie of Fire Dancers @ Israeli Salsa Congress Share with friends:

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BY VALENTIN BEHRINGER Debbie Inskip and Tarek of African Jet @ Salsafestival münster

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SNAP SHOTS Marco Ferrigno and Natalia Lopez Toledano @ India Fiesta Latina Share with friends:

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SALSA BUSINESS marchant & Davina

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Share article with friends: SALSA BUSINESS Marchant & Davina Birch If you run into good British dancers and ask them where they learned to dance, you always get the same answer: "marchant and Davina! They're the best teachers ever!" The Brits are more than willing to travel long distances to take lessons with these two. Irish, Scottish, English and meanwhile dancers from other European countries all swear by the "smooth", "soft" and elegant style of the South African and his beautiful wife and partner Davina. At the mamboCity 5 Star Congress near London Heathrow last may, we saw just how popular these two really are. With the array of big international stars present, the organisers had given the two more regionally known dancers a somewhat smaller room for their workshop. They simply didn't expect the storm of people that we witnessed there. We took a peek into the room towards the end of the workshop and couldn't even spot the teachers at first. They moved so effortlessly through the tightly packed crowd, giving advice here and there, answering questions and demonstrating again and again how the enthusiastic pupils could execute the figures they were being taught in a smooth and precise manner. The atmosphere felt like one big family, even though there were countless participants. So many in fact that they not only completely filled the dance floor at the centre of the room but also the carpeted areas around the edge. marchant and Davina managed to put a smile on the frustrated faces and helped awkward turns and figures to become noticeably more fluid. At the end of the one-hour module nearly everyone was dancing the steps they'd learned together in perfect synchrony. There was joy, glowing faces and applause, but there was also some frustration and annoyance: why on earth was the room so small? you just can't give marchant and Davina such a small space! We arranged to meet with the couple for an interview during the congress. We wanted to know more about the two of them, not only about their recipe for success and special approach, but also how they discovered salsa in the first place. We discovered that they are two very friendly people who are unbelievably different, but nevertheless harmonise with each other perfectly. Without having to even touch on the subject, it soon became obvious why they are so incredibly popular: it is their absolute dedication. It is so obvious that they both love the dance and they love the music. But the pair of them also love the teaching process. They love to find out how people learn to lead and to be led. They love to experiment and to tweak. They are fascinated by the idea of bringing people closer to the feeling of salsa, explaining it as a type language for communicating with your partner, a language which is not just about speaking, but more importantly about understanding. How can you communicate such subtle feelings and such individual and subjective perceptions? How can you teach someone to become a single unit with another dancer? In marchant and Davina we saw two stories that at some point had merged to become one. Two very different dancers who enhance each other perfectly, somehow melting into one. They are also two teachers who are able to continually learn from their students.

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SALSA BUSINESS Marchant, tell us, how did you become the dancer you are now? When did you start dancing and why? mARCHAnT: I started dancing when I was a kid, because in South Africa that's something your mum does with you. you don't do formal classes, you just dance at home. And then when I turned seven years old, I saw a ballroom demonstration at our primary school. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. It was so graceful. I grew up in the township and it was very rough. It was just such a graceful, beautiful dance - such a contrast to what I was normally used to! I just saw the people floating and when I went home I said to my mum: "I want to dance ballroom!" She was like, "Really?!" Well, it wasn't normal for a boy to want to do that. But I persisted and she put me in a ballroom school. I just loved it so much. I won a lot of competitions in ballroom. At that time my brother started getting into street dance. He was older than me and so I started tagging along with him and he would teach me street dance stuff. I began dancing in his dance group as well. He was a fantastic choreographer. It was with his choreography that I won the championships in South Africa. came to England I realised "Oh my god, it's the same dance!" But it's more like cuban. It's circular, more circular. So yes, I won our national championships. That was in 1999. The prize was a lot of money at that time in South Africa. I saw this as a chance to get away and see a bit of Europe. I first went to England and wanted to use that as my base. my plan was to backpack through Europe. But on the flight to England a stewardess recognised me from dancing and she told me: "They've got the same dance in England." "Really?" I asked rather sceptically. So she told me where to go. I walked in the club and thought: "Oh my god, it's the same thing!" So I started dancing here in England. Later on, Paul young, who did the Salsa uk Congress before, asked me to come and teach. "I'll pay you", he said. In Africa we are not used to getting paid for that. no one would take a class or pay a teacher because everybody knows how to dance! But he invited me to come and teach a class for him. And that was the start. Davina, what did you do before you met Marchant? How did you become the salsera you are now? DAVInA: I trained in ballet, tap, jazz - jazz dance as we in Europe understand it - as a child. Then I took a break from dancing because I went to do a degree in drama and theatre studies. I wanted to be a stage manager or something like that. But I just missed dancing so much while I was study- "When I turned seven years old, I saw a ballroom demonstration at our primary school. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. It was so graceful." And how come you live in England now? mARCHAnT: I won our national championships in jazz. Jazz in South Africa is what you call Salsa here in Europe because it is danced to jazz music - African and American jazz music. They dance to the snare drum which happens on counts three and seven. They can cross-phrase the timing as well. So it's basically salsa, but they think they are the only ones doing it. When I

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Share article with friends: SALSA BUSINESS ing. When I finished university I decided that I wanted to get back into dancing again. So I went back and studied to teach modern theatre dance and tap. I used to teach freestyle jazz - jazz as we know it. I freelanced for several years. One of my friends did a beginners salsa course. And I really love latin music, it sounds really good. But I used to work evenings all the time and I just didn't have the time to learn anything. Once I went with her to a club which was quite famous back in the day in London - "the Finca". It was one of the first latin clubs in London... most people were dancing cuban, so for me as a dancer, I could just go in and follow, it was quite simple. Then one day we saw a promotion for a salsa weekender and we thought: "Oh that sounds like a lot of fun!" So the two of us went to what turned out to be the uk Salsa Congress, and I walked in and... my jaw just dropped to the floor!!! Because everything I had done before was in that one tiny little club. There were 2,000 people there and I had never seen "cross body", and I didn't know what salsa was. I just flipped out! "I've got to learn this... I have to learn this!" It just happened to line up with the career break I was having for a few months. I had re-located and was looking for new jobs so I had a bit time on my hands. I thought why not go to class and learn how to do this cross-body thing. I didn't even know what cross-body-lead was at the time, I just kind of picked it up. (Laughs) This is going to sound awful, but at the congress I went to the beginners class and found that they weren't teaching the women back then - "I went home I said to my mum: 'I want to dance ballroom!' She was like, 'Really?!' Well, it wasn't normal for a boy to want to do that." it was all for the men, nothing for the women. I kind of zoomed up through the levels (laughs) to the intermediate level. I was probably one of those really annoying women at the congress, you know, just that kind of "in the wrong class" women. I didn't know what to do! I didn't know what anything meant. They started changing partners and I was so confused. I didn't know what was going on! So I came back and I thought I've got to learn this now. I really wanted to learn how to follow. The Finca had a class on Thursday evenings which was free and they had an intermediate to advanced class. I thought well that's the class I ended up in at the congress where I felt I was actually learning something. It just so happened to be marchant's class. It was really good and I thought he was a good teacher. Marchant, when you noticed her for the first time, what did you think? "I was probably one of those really annoying women at the congress, you know, just that kind of 'in the wrong class' women. I didn't know what to do! I didn't know what anything meant." First of all you could see that she was a trained dancer, but she didn't understand salsa. She was the nightmare-woman in my class, you know, the kind of woman that just goes up the levels without staying in beginners long enough. (laughs) DAVInA: It took me about two months before I knew what crossbody-lead was. All the guys I danced with would say "Oh, you dance kind of cuban." This was because I'd only really freemARCHAnT:

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SALSA BUSINESS styled cuban, so I was going around in circles. Eventually I asked them to explain what they meant. And they said: "because you are moving in circles, and we try to dance in a line." And I was like: "Oh!" And they explained: "That is the cross-body-lead." And I thought "Oh!" That's when I went to marchant and asked "Can you please give me some private lessons here, give me a foundation." mARCHAnT: Because she was very good in freestyle dancing, she is trained to dance on her own. But she had never done partner dancing. She had never trained in that. So following was the main problem... DAVInA: yeah. I didn't understand it. And that's a bit of a pro- "She was the nightmarewoman in my class, you know, the kind of woman that just goes up the levels without staying in beginners long enough." I was dancing with different partners, but I wanted to do something creative with her. I thought it would be good to start a dance team so I brought in a few friends that I had worked with before in other areas. We completed the team and I asked Davina to choreograph something from her background to Tito Puente's song "Timbalito". She did that beautifully. And the intro we choreographed together. That was the start of Alchemy Dance Company. If you see that choreography, it's basically Davina's work. I was really surprised what came out. It was really nice. I liked it. I wouldn't have expected that... We noticed that you tend to use the music of Tito Puente for your choreographies. Are you kind of a fan? DAVInA: yEAH, a big fan. blem in quite a few areas where you don't have a female teacher in class to explain to the women what you should be feeling. If you have a female, they might give you styling, they may say "step here" "step there", but you don't know why. you know, you quite often don't get that explained. And that to me is really important. First and foremost, that's my job, my job is to teach following. And that's what he taught me. That's the first thing. you can do styling classes, but don't interfere, learn to follow. mARCHAnT: We work with the philosophy of following. Leading is primary and styling is secondary. When I saw Davina, I thought she had amazing potential to be a performer but she didn't understand the fundamentals of partner dancing, so that's what we needed to focus on. It's basically through Davina's development that Alchemy Dance Company was started. yEAH!!! A big, big, big... BIg fan. Tito was very ahead of his time in what he was doing back then. He was going to the jazz clubs in new york - black jazz clubs - and he was not black, he was latino. I grew up with live jazz music in South Africa, so I love that kind of music. Tito's music, his smooth jazz is so beautiful... Tito is by far our favourite musician. mARCHAnT: The smooth jazz music you choose for your choreographies fits very well with your unique style. Your dancing style is so very smooth and elegant. How did you develop that? It comes from my love of smooth jazz music and from my ballroom training. What I borrow from the ballroom is the facility in foxtrot. Slow... slow... that kind of smooth foxtrot, the smooth feeling of foxtrot. I wanted to incorpomARCHAnT:

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Share article with friends: SALSA BUSINESS rate that into salsa. We like to do creative choreographies. We love jazz music, and I love to incorporate things from contemporary dancing, as does Davina in her dance. There are some things I like from jazz. If I see something contemporary, I ask Davina "How do you do that?" She shows me the correct technique and I say I want to have that kind of look or that kind of feel of a particular step from contemporary or jazz. Davina will then show me. You founded your own salsa academy. Your weekend bootcamps are very popular - people travel far to participate. Tell us the secrets of your success. DAVInA: It's been years of experimenting really, isn't it? Everything we do... We love teaching. One of the things we love is what we get back from our students. We've learned a lot from them, you know. When we want to get something across to them that they don't understand, we find another way to explain it. Different exercises that are going to help them develop those techniques. It's been years of experimenting. From my perspective, the female perspective - like I said earlier - I couldn't follow when I came into salsa. Well, some girls are very natural, it just comes easily to them. It didn't come easily to me at all, but we just experimented, didn't we? For hours it was "Try this", "Try that", you know, and that's how we developed a technique, a philosophy and the methods. mARCHAnT: Scientific methods to develop the feeling of following. It really is a feeling, and feelings are not normally scientific, but we took up the challenge of trying to find a scientific approach to finding the feeling. We have 5 levels "I went to Marchant and asked 'Can you please give me some private lessons here, give me a foundation.'" in our. When someone comes from a different school we don't want them to feel bad. you know, if they were advanced somewhere else and we turn around and say "no, you're not advanced in our school." That's why we work with a number system. We have something called an assessment dance. If you're new to our school, you come beforehand for an assessment. If you are male, you dance with Davina and I watch. She will give you feedback from the feeling perspective, I will give you feed back from an aesthetic perspective. What you feel you could work on, what is good, your strengths and your weaknesses. They will be in the right level. We know what each of our students need to focus on next. We tell them, okay, you've mastered that now, the next thing you need to work on is that. It's that kind of approach, it's like a school. There are lots of places or salsa clubs where students go and chose what level of class they do. But it doesn't work like that at our school. We allocate the correct level for our students. On your website I read that people can only attend levels 4 and 5 by personal invitation. What are the special criteria? Well the thing is... Hmm. Well, each teacher has a different style, right? Even though we all teach cross body style, we all interpret this so differently. In level 3 we get the students used to our style, to the smoothness, smoothing out everything instead of being sharp about things. We just smooth them out, give them the correct technique for the fundamental turns - inside turn, outside turn, single turn - in our approach. Once they get used to that feeling, then we say okay, now we will move you to level 4. And level 5 is on2. mARCHAnT:

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SALSA BUSINESS Why that? I mean, when I see you dancing, it's always on2. Why do you teach all the levels on 1 and only in the highest level do you start teaching them on2? mARCHAnT LOOkS AT DAVInA SEARCHIng FOR HELP... SHE JuST LAugHS... "yes, I have feelings for her, but this is dangerous. You know, it can spoil everything. So do I start talking to her? Tell her or keep it to myself?" mARCHAnT: Am I doing all the talking??? Hmmm. Okay... The salsa culture in England, what we call the "language", is on1. DAVInA: The common language... mARCHAnT: yes, the common language, that's what the majority of English dancers speak, what they dance. When we teach people from the beginning, our aim is that they can go anywhere in the country and dance with anybody. We don't want to isolate them from the rest of the community. So that's the first thing. When they get to about level 3, we say to them "there is an alternative language" which is called on2, which we feel you should also learn. Because once you understand both, as a male you can offer the lady the choice of "would you like to dance on1 or on2". For us a good lead and a good follower can do both. It's just a different rhythm, basically. So that's what we try to develop - multilingual dances instead of just one. We also do bootcamps and weekends where we convert people to on2. DAVInA: We started these weekends because we had taught a lot of weekenders before. We found that there were so many different classes at congresses and weekenders, and the teachers were all contradicting each other. It's not that anybody is right or wrong, it's just that it is all so different. Students get frustrated and confused, their heads get filled up with all those different ideas, especially in the lower levels. They want more - more progression, they want to get better. They might not have a teacher in their local area. We have people travelling from all over the place so they can immerse themselves in one methodology for the whole weekend. The difference we see in people between Friday and Sunday is like another person! Especially when you convert people to on2, because we ban on1. We say: "there is no on1 for the whole weekend". People just immerse themselves. They walk in and have never danced on2 in their life, they walk out and they can dance on2. mARCHAnT: It feels really rewarding. DAVInA: It is, yeah, we love it. mARCHAnT: It's our favourite way of teaching. So you spend almost every minute with salsa, creating choreographies for your shows, teaching in your academy, teaching at congresses, organizing your weekenders - do you ever have any spare time? Are you able to go on vacation? mARCHAnT: Well... yES. We both went to Cape Town! In Janu- ary for carnival. The carnival is just crazy - it's just drums and drums and drums... DAVInA: But funky drums! mARCHAnT: Funky drums! From congas and claves to snare drums and base drums. All types of drums and rhythms. It's the celebration of freedom from slavery on January 2 every year. And it carries on until February. DAVInA: A lot of people haven't heard of it, because actually it only goes through Cape Town city centre on one day

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Share article with friends: SALSA BUSINESS and that's January 2, which is when the slaves used to have their only day off. It's the only day they do the parade in the city centre. The rest of the time they stay in the townships. So on that one day we're talking about 25,000 people... it's massive. We joined a team last year and there were 1,000 people in our team. There are some bigger and some smaller teams, but it's just the most amazing experience... mARCHAnT: There are about 70 teams, so it's crazy! DAVInA: yeah, we like that. going to Cape Town is just amazing! you're surrounded by all these drums and this craziness, and you come back like: "yeah! Come on, let's choreograph something!" And you've got all the live jazz bands out there. The music... mARCHAnT: Everyone is a musician... or a dancer... (laughs) And that's why I never thought I would be a dance instructor. In Africa, if you say you want to teach dance, everyone will laugh at you because everybody can dance. They won't pay you to learn to dance!!! "I'm African, man, I've got rhythm! I don't do classes! Are you mad?" But they still don't know about salsa and keep calling it jazz? mARCHAnT: Salsa is travelling over there and salsa music, too. "Davina is not just my wife, she is my best friend, too. " groovy! you dance with them and you can actually feel the music through them. They don't lead complicate patterns, they just do lots of cross overs. I really enjoy dancing there. The musicality is just amazing. You don't just work together, you're also married as well. We'd love to know more about you two falling in love and becoming married. Tell us, tell us... Well, we have been friends for some years... And when you work with somebody and you enjoy working together, you realize that what you like is the same, what type of music you like is the same, what you like doing in your spare time is the same, and you just grow closer and closer together. you become best friends and you become just so attached and you fall in love... And yes, Davina is my wife, my best friend and my dance partner. mARCHAnT: DAVInA: We worked together three years before we actually became a proper couple. mARCHAnT: yeah. But before we went into that relationship, I thought to myself: yes, I have feelings for her, but this is dangerous. you know, it can spoil everything. So do I start talking to her? Tell her or keep it to myself? And we talked... We spend almost every minute together, and a lot of people say that's unhealthy. But you know, at the moment it works for us. DAVInA: yeah, and I think it works so well because we worked together a long time before we started our relationship. We knew each other, we were good friends. The relationship had time to grow deeper. mARCHAnT: yeah. As I said, she is not just my wife, she is my best friend, too. So they know it. And there are also some separate salsa clubs. There are people fighting about what is jazz, what is salsa, who is the better dancer. They make a big difference. But I say to them "It's the same!". It's all the same. There's just a different feeling about it DAVInA: Like marchant said before, people there have never actually been to class. They feel the rhythm and they are SO

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FESTIVALS Share with friends: sALsA fEstiVALs 05-08 JULY | USA, LAS vEGAS The 9th annual Las Vegas Salsa Congress will be held at the completely new renovated Tropicana Hotel & Casino. And they will be bringing the best salsa dancers into Las Vegas from around the world. For example Tropical gem from Italy and yamulee from the uSA. On saturday Frankie morales and his band will perform and set the dance floor on fire with their live music. 13 -15 JULY | GERMANY LAS vEGAS SALSA CONGRESS SALSA FESTIvAL hAMBURG Imad Productions organises one of 2012 the largest and most successful festivals in germany. Spoiled as we are, we were a little disappointed in recent years because the quality and overall mood had tapered off and the potential for improvement was not used. Either way it is definitely recommendable if for no other reason than the excellent line-ups and live music selections. This year the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary! June Atlanta Salsa Cuban Congress Wellington Salsa Congress Panama Salsa Congress Lady Salsa Festival Stuttgart Ibiza Baila Paris ubuntu Salsa Congress 01 - 03 JunE 01 - 03 JunE 01 - 03 JunE 01 - 03 JunE 01 - 03 JunE 01 - 03 JunE 06 - 10 JunE 07 - 10 JunE 07 - 10 JunE 08 - 09 JunE 08 - 10 JunE 08 - 10 JunE 08-10 JunE 08 -10 JunE 12 -18 JunE 15 -17 JunE 15 -17 JunE 15 - 17 JunE 15 - 18 JunE 19 -24 JunE 22 -24 JunE 22 -24 JunE 22 -25 JunE FrANce SPAiN Saint Tropez Salsa Festival mambo City Salsa Splash, Alicante New ZeAlANd PANAmA AUStriA Salsa Clubbing Salzburg Salsa Festival Dresden Portland Salsa Congress Capital Salsa Congress, Washington Croatian Salsa Festival, Rovinj GermANy SPAiN GermANy USA FrANce GermANy lAtviA Salsa Dance Dayz Düsseldorf Riga Salsa Festival Accra Salsa Congress ghana croAtiA GermANy SPAiN Salsa Camp Fürth guaguancó Festival, Barcelona Salsa Central Weekend, Wolverhampton Tabarka Salsa Congress Salsa Festival Thüringen, Bad Lobenstein Salsa Stras Festival, Strasbourg AFricA morocco GermANy irelANd morocco Salsa Contest, Casablanca Salsa Festival münchen Afro Cuban Salsa Congress, Waterford eNGlANd 24 JunE - 01 JuLy tUNeSiA 29 JunE -01 JuLy GermANy 29 JunE -01 JuLy FrANce PortUGAl Symposium International, Figueira da Foz

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FESTIVALS MAIN SPONSORS www.salsafestival.com The Grand Salsa Congress in the Heart of Europe! OF COURSE ThERE ARE MANY OThER FESTIvALS.. We've listed major salsa festivals for you for which the dates had already been set at the time of going to press. Of course more dates are likely to emerge, which we will keep on inserting and updating in the Festival Calendar on our salsa-forum.de portal. Have we missed a fantastic festival which should definitely be included in our calendar? Then write to us: redaktion@salsamag.de July 03 -08 JuLy 04 - 07 JuLy 05 - 08 JuLy 05 - 09 JuLy 05 - 08 JuLy 05 - 08 JuLy 06 - 08 JuLy 06 - 08 JuLy 06 - 08 JuLy 06 - 08 JuLy 06 - 08 JuLy 12 - 15 JuLy 13 - 15 JuLy Balaton Salsa Festival, Zamárdi Salsa Festival medellin Las Vegas Salsa Congress HUNGAry colombiA USA Orlando Salsa Congress Salsa del mar Les Sables d'Olonne Summer Salsa & kizomba Festival, Warschau FrANce PolANd NetHerlANdS lUxembUrG FrANce Salsa Beach Festival, Scheveningen Salsa Lux, Luxemburg Salsa Festival, Cannes mambo City Salsa Splash Hayling Island Salsa Festival konstanz Kongresshaus Zürich eNGlANd GermANy USA uS Salsa Championship Oakland Salsa Festival Hamburg SPONSORS PARTNERS GermANy www.yallo.ch www.bluecard.ch

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FESTIVALS Share with friends: sALsA fEstiVALs 24-30 JULY | CROATIA, ?IBENIK SALSA BEACh SPLASh This 6-day salsa event celebrates its première this year. naturally we can't recommend something that hasn't happened yet. But it all sounds very promising - the location, the line-up, what's being offered, the information on the website - everything indicates first-class organisation, a great setting and a fantastic atmosphere. We will be there to check it out and we'll be reporting on it in the next issue. 08-12 SEPTEMBER | CYPRUS, KYRENIA SALSA JAM CYPRUS Seven days of holidaying in Cyprus - holiday? This is a holiday where no one gets bored! There's sun, beach and salsa non-stop. Anyone who finds the usual 3-day festivals and congresses just too short should definitely head for this event in Cyprus. Together with fantastic dancers, you can certainly learn a lot here, have loads of fun, dance until there are blisters on your feet, and afterwards relax in the sun. 13 - 15 JuLy 20 - 22 JuLy 21 - 28 JuLy Benidorm Salsa Congress Salsa Festival Freiburg Puerto Rican Salsa Congress Festival Cuba Baila Freiburg Summer Salsacamp, Tønsberg Salsa Beach Splash Festival, ?ibenik Alaska Salsa Festival Salsa mambo Festival Palm Springs Salsa Rueda Festival Stuttgart SPAiN 17 - 19 Aug 24 - 26 Aug 24 - 26 Aug 24 - 26 Aug Salsa Festival Chemnitz Summer Salsa Holland, noordwijkerhout Baltic Latino Congress, Riga Expo Latino Calgary nyC Salsa Congress nyC Bachata Congress San Diego Salsa Congress Bachaturo Festival, Warschau GermANy GermANy NetHerlANdS lAtviA PUerto rico 21 JuLy - 05 Aug GermANy 24 - 29 JuLy 24 - 30 JuLy 26 - 29 JuLy 26 - 30 JuLy 29 - 31 JuLy NorwAy cANAdA 29 Aug - 02 SEPT USA 29 Aug - 02 SEPT USA croAtiA USA 30 Aug - 03 SEPT USA 31 Aug -02 SEPT PolANd GermANy Augu st 01 - 05 Aug 08 - 13 Aug 09 - 12 Aug USA USA miami Salsa Congress DC Bachata Congress, Washington San Antonio Salsa Festival September 06 -09 SEPT 06 - 09 SEPT 07- 09 SEPT Salsa Rueda Festival, Aarhus deNmArk International Salsa Bachata Congress, Tampa Lyon Salsa Congress FrANce

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FESTIVALS 08-12 SEPT 14-16 SEPT 21-23 SEPT 26 - 30 SEPT Salsa Jam Cyprus Havanna an der Ruhr, Duisburg cyPrUS 19 - 21 OCT 19 - 21 OCT 19 - 20 OCT 19 - 21 OCT 19 - 21 OCT 25 - 28 OCT 26 - 28 OCT 26 - 28 OCT 26 - 28 OCT 26 - 28 OCT Haarlem Salsa Festival Sensual Latin Dance Festival London Heathrow NetHerlANdS eNGlANd GermANy SwitZerlANd cANAdA Salsa Convention, St. gallen Festival Salsa Québec Hotlanta Salsa Congress Atlanta Salsa Festival, marrakesch Brooklyn Salsa Congress Bachata me mucho münchen Festival de Cuba Stuttgart GermANy GermANy 27 SEPT - 01 OCT USA 27 SEPT-01 OCT 28 -30 SEPT 28 -30 SEPT 28 -30 SEPT 28 - 30 SEPT mArokko GermANy GermANy FrANce DomeSalsa Cologne, köln unidanza Festival Hambrug Bordo mambo kiz Festival, Bordeaux Balkan Salsa Congress Borovetz Philadelphia Salsa Fest GermANy GermANy GermANy Salsa Festival Augsburg Cuba Te Baila Festival Cubano Berlin SalsaLove Frankfurt Salsa Summer Festival Singapore Bachata & Latin Festival bUlGAriA USA SiNGAPore O kto ber 03.-07 OCT 04. - 06 OCT 04. - 06 OCT 04. - 08 OCT 12.-14 OCT 12.-14 OCT 12.-14 OCT 17. - 20 OCT 17 - 21 OCT 18 -21 OCT 19 -21 OCT GermANy USA 01-04 nOV 01-04 nOV 02-04 nOV 02-05 nOV 09-11 nOV 09-11 nOV 09-11 nOV 15-18 nOV 15 -18 nOV 16 -18 nOV 22 - 25 nOV Berlin Salsacongress St. Louis Salsa & Bachata Congress Canada Salsa Congress Toronto Punta Cana Salsa Congress Tumbao Lille Salsa Festival, Lille Freestyle Salsa Fest, St. Petersburg Bachata Zouk kizomba Festival, maastricht Dubai International Dance Festival November Afro Bailar multicultural, Prague Salsa and the City, montpellier cZecHiA FrANce cANAdA GermANy SPAiN Bachata Festival munich Salsorro, Santiago de Compostela Salsa Festival, Warsow domiNicAN rePUblic FrANce PolANd rUSSlANd mAltA malta Salsa Congress uni Camp Regensburg NetHerlANdS GermANy UNited ArAb emirAteS eStoNiA USA itAly Tallinn Salsa Festival SF Bay Area Congress, San Francisco Roma Salsa Festival manila Salsa Congress SUriNAm itAly Salsuri International Salsa & Zouk Festival Sicilia Salsa Festival, Sizilien Salsa Power, Ljubljana SloveNiA AFricA

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FESTIVALS Share with friends: sALsA fEstiVALs 29 AUGUST-02 SEPTEMBER | USA, NEW YORK NYC SALSA & BAChATA CONGRESS Congress Two festivals in one - no, there's even more: not only salsa and bachata are given equal attention here, but also dance and music! Aside from great workshops, impressive shows and lively dance floors full of great dancers, the new york congress also offers a series of concerts featuring the biggest names from the music scene! This event simply has to be experienced. 03-07 OCTOBER | GERMANY BERLIN SALSACONGRESS Everyone who visited the congress in the last two years was simply blown away by what was offered. Rarely have we experienced such a committed production. The improvement from year to year is simply unbelievable. The label "The most international convention" is entirely accurate, as we have never encountered a more international public then we did here. It's most certainly the largest congress in Europe. Our only complaint so far: no live music. 2013 23 - 25 nOV 23 -25 nOV 25 - 30 nOV Seattle Salsa Congress Januar Scottish Salsa Congress Edinburgh World Salsa meeting, mailand Houston Salsa Congress Salsa Weekend Festival Tirol Dubai Latin Festival 11-14 JAn 17-20 JAn 17 - 20 JAn 18-20 JAn 24 - 27 JAn 25-27 JAn ScottlANd itAly GermANy cUbA Winter Salsa gala Hamburg Baila En Cuba, Havanna Hot Salsa Weekend, Stockholm 29 nOV - 02 DEC SwedeN AUStriA 30 nOV - 02 DEC GermANy Salsa Love garmisch Festival UNited ArAb emirAteS GermANy Festival Salsa Cubana, münchen Sydney Salsa Congress December 07-09 DEC 12 - 15 DEC 25 - 30 DEC GermANy USA Latin Festival Ludwigsburg World Latin Dance Cup Feria de Cali 31 JAn - 03 FEB AUStrAliA Februar 14 -17 FEB 14 -19 FEB GermANy PerU Euro Dance Festival, Rust bei Freiburg Peru Salsa Congress Lima colombiA

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FESTIVALS 17.-20 OCTOBER | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, DUBAI DUBAI INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIvAL This festival is taking place for the fifth time and it has really grown from its beginnings. The shows will take place in an amazing theatre and the hotel for the festival visitors is fantastic. Theme nights await us - by the way, the man who does the staging for the shows and theme nights is the same man who dazzled us with his skills in Berlin: Eric Lalta. 16 - 19 FEB 21 - 24 JAn Chicago Salsa Congress HkSF 2013 Hong kong Salsa Festival Salsa Addicted Festival Timisoara cHiNA 28 FEB - 05 mAR romANiA March 15-17 mAR Bologna Salsa Festival Salsa Cyprus Congress itAly 29 mAR - 01 APRIL cyPrUS Apri l 26-28 APRIL Salsa Spring Festival Athen Greece

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MAMBO city 5 stAR cONGREss 04.-07.05.2012 Share article with friends: REVIEW:

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REVIEW The mamboCity 5 Star Congress delivers what it promises: 5 stars. In our survey, participants awarded an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. That's a damn good result. The congress not only scores points with a good line up of stars, but above all with its incredible atmosphere. The parties are great fun, the organisers manage to create a family atmosphere despite the masses of participants. And it's not just the participants - the majority of which are from great Britain - who like to return time and again. The invited show dancers and instructors also seem to feel right at home at mamboCity. The Radisson Edwardian, which is located close to London Heathrow Airport, provides the perfect setting for the congress and all its events. The range of workshops on offer is more varied than at most other congresses and festivals. In addition to various styles of salsa, bachata and cha-cha, dances such as kizomba, semba, zouk and other Afro-Luso dances are also taught. If you plan well, you can effectively extend your repertoire in just a weekend. We also thought the choice of invited stars and instructors was excellent; a fact which was confirmed by the participants we surveyed. Criticism was raised about the number of overfilled workshops, but this is unfortunately a widespread problem, and to our knowledge no congress organiser has ever really managed to solve this issue. Our suggestion once again: screens on the walls clearly showing the instructors so that everyone can see their footwork.

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REVIEW: FRANKFURT CITY SALSA CONGRESS 2012 WORkSHOP As we were just going to check in at Berlin airport for our flight to London Heathrow, we suddenly stopped in our tracks when we saw a large, familiar figure in a winter coat with a hood coming towards us. "Hey, isn't that Super mario?!" We stopped and said a big hello to him. He had just travelled to Berlin to the Salsa gala, which was taking place on the same weekend as the mamboCity 5 Star Congress. "Oh man, does that mean you're not going to be at the congress in London at all?" we asked him. "There's no way I want to miss that. I'll try and come to the party on Sunday," was his reply. Something to look forward to indeed! A few minutes later it finally dawned on me what I had just seen: a winter coat with a hood! In Berlin we had been enjoying summery temperatures and sunshine, people were wearing shorts and T-shirts. A winter coat... I had a sinking feeling that we would soon have the pleasure of experiencing typical English weather. After a short flight from Berlin to London Heathrow, we gathered together our luggage and made our way to the bus. The mamboCity team had emailed useful information to us describing how to get to the venue. The public bus service stopped at the airport hotels free of charge. All we had to do was hop on board, travel five stops and no sooner were we at the mamboCity 5 Star Congress in the Radisson Edwardian. The hotel is elegant and has a friendly team of staff. Our first move was to check in at the mamboCity desk. Jean White was standing behind the welcome desk with other friendly-looking people, greeting the participants, distributing wristbands and programme booklets, and explaining the procedure. In her usual sincere and calm manner, she showed genuine pleasure at welcoming each individual guest who appeared before her. I was very pleased to see her again. The last time I had seen her was in Calpe at the mamboCity Salsa Splash Spain 2011, where I interviewed her together with her husband, Robert White. I was very much looking forward to her congress, which was being held this year for the ninth time. I had already heard a lot of positive things from many different people. After receiving a warm welcome, we then checked in at the hotel reception. The Radisson Edwardian is a relatively flat, lowlevel building due to its proximity to the airport, however it covers an extensive area. With all the different corridors, it was almost impossible to avoid getting lost and at first the hotel seemed like rather a labyrinth. Just as well that a map indicating the different function rooms was provided in the programme booklet. Once we finally arrived in our room we received several messages via our television containing information for us as congress participants. We were informed of small changes to the programme and in the workshop plan, as well as meal times at the hotel and special offers for an evening meal that we could reserve. Breakfast was available from 7.00 am - 10.00 am, which was a little alarming... But that was relatively early given that the workshops didn't begin until 11.00 am. As London is pretty pricey and the luxurious ambience of the hotel pointed to an equally expensive price bracket, we had prepared ourselves for a money-guzzling weekend. The drinks alone would make our wallets dwindle rapidly -

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REVIEW WORkSHOP the quantities of water that you get through at a congress like this are huge! The opening party on Friday evening began slightly later than scheduled, but the atmosphere more than made up for this. And now the best part: everywhere in front of and inside the rooms were tables with pitchers of water and glasses - water was provided here free of charge! That deserves a special mention. Somebody had really thought things through for this event. We would like to thank the organisers for their excellent initiative. The level of ability on the dance floors was just as good as the atmosphere. not all of the instructors and show dancers had arrived, but there were already loads of great dancers on the various dance floors. yes, you heard me right - dance floors, plural. There were several different rooms catering for different preferences: a slightly smaller and relatively dark AfroLuso room with kizomba and the like, a rather lovely room for fans of Cuban salsa, "sensual" salsa and bachata, and the main hall for salsa, mambo and cha-cha with a large stage on which Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Café were now setting up their instruments and equipment. Live music was provided in the very best quality, something which we were particularly pleased about. In the fourth smaller room, the after-party event was held from 4.00 am in the morning. A number of guests appeared to have switched over to plan B due to the early breakfast times: dance right through until 7.00 am in the morning, be the first at breakfast, take a quick nap and then go to the workshops! unfortunately, we didn't manage to put this plan into action and didn't turn up for breakfast until around 9.30 am. We were rather sho- cked to find that there was nothing left! Because the typical British breakfast (sausages, beans, scrambled egg, bacon, and whatever else it is they serve up) would be rather too heavy on the stomach for us, we searched in vain for a little bread, some rolls or croissants, marmalade, cold cuts... but alas there was nothing to be found. We enquired anxiously and were quickly assisted. It transpired that they were having trouble meeting the huge level of demand. The breakfast buffet - with the exception of the British specialities - was being continually "gobbled up". Around quarter to ten there was suddenly rather a commotion. The hotel staff bustled about in a frenzy of clearing away and cleaning up. At precisely 10.00 am we were instructed to leave the breakfast room. Wow. They were as cold and tough as steel. grumbling, and in some cases expressing their annoyance rather loudly, the crowds of congress visitors left the room. my only thought was that at least I now have something I can criticise: the breakfast. Ha! At this point I should say that on the next two days breakfast was provided without any hitches. It was just on the first morning that things were tricky. The workshops that we attended over the course of the day more than made up for this organisational glitch. There were eight different rooms in which 50-minute workshops were held every hour, non-stop from 11.00 am-5.50 pm. In total you could choose between 96 different workshop sessions during that weekend. When I took a break around midday and walked past a ladies styling workshop, I was rather surprised to see several couples standing in front of the door having a heated discussion. It was later explained

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REVIEW: MAMBOCITY 5 STAR CONGRESS 2012 THE ARTISTS AFTER THE SHOW to me what the problem was: melissa Rosado gave three ladies styling workshops one after the other - she called it bootcamp and the courses were very well attended. Therefore, with the majority of ladies being monopolised by the courses given by melissa Rosado, there was a chronic excess of men in other workshops! There were certain dancers who were rather annoyed by this. However, there were several workshops at the same time that they could have done without a partner: Latin Jazz with marco Farrigno, musicality with Burju & Victor or Pachanga with grupo Alafia, to mention just a few. There was no reason for them to hang their heads in disappointment. By the way, in great Britain you can attend any workshop alone without any worries - even those in which you learn partner work and need a dance partner. Among the British it is customary to regularly switch partners. We think this should become more widespread in germany, as the learning effect is much greater if you practice with different dancers. We enjoyed the day and rewarded ourselves with a good meal around 7.00 pm. We didn't have much time because according to the programme the shows were beginning at 9 pm and we didn't want to miss them. It was slowly becoming clear to me that I would have to forget my sightseeing tour of London. Alone the journey on the underground (Piccadilly line) to the centre of London would take over an hour, and then you have to allow time to travel back... At 9.00 pm sharp we arrived in the large "Commonwealth Hall" where we had already spent most of Friday night. The hall was now decked out with rows of chairs. We scanned the room for a strategic position from which we would have a good view of the stage and sat down in anticipation. We waited. The shows were really late beginning, both on Saturday and on Sunday. However, this did not dampen our good mood. To our great amusement we were able to watch a screen showing the latest Twitter feeds. And the longer we waited for the shows, the funnier and more interesting the screen became - the audience were twittering live! "How much longer do we have to wait?" "A Caribbean 30 seconds, I expect." "Shall we start a La Ola?" no sooner had this been twittered than a wave rippled through the audience! It was great! I enjoyed the delay in the shows because I found it fascinating how the audience began to merge into one big familiar group, communicating with each via the screen by the stage. People were joking and laughing. Suddenly we heard a voice from off-stage. The mC picked up on a few Twitter words and announced that the show would soon be starting. With the fantastic line up of stars that we had the pleasure of enjoying in the workshops, it was obvious that the shows would not be disappointing anyone. But what I really noticed was the exuberant enthusiasm of the audience. On both Saturday and Sunday the audience simply went wild after every performance, even more so on the Sunday I would say. I have never experienced so many standing ovations at a festival as we did at the mamboCity 5 Star Congress. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the dancers really enjoy being part of this event. many of the stars didn't arrive until Sunday, for example Juan matos

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REVIEW The organizers: roberT and Jean WhiTe From Cali (Colombia): luisa Fernanda suaza alvarez & eider rua giraldo complex is the perfect place and adolfo indacochea, to relax. and if all this dancing whose workshops you simply mamboCiTY 5 sTar Congress gets too much for your feet, shouldn't miss. even if you you can purchase a pair of don't join in, it's well worth more comfortable dance just watching! it is sheer danaverage age oF ParTiCiPanTs: 33 shoes from one of the stands. cing enjoyment! on sunday You can also look into the inthe organisers, robert and naTionaliTies: teresting inventions that were Jean, provided the crowning 80 % great britain 8% ireland offered at one of the stands: moment of the whole event 3,5 % italy gel socks and countless other when they thanked everyone 3% France amusing items that are meant at the end. Jean could no 2% germany 3,5 % rest: usa, australia, lithuania, belgium, to be good for your feet. longer contain her feelings, China, malaysia and others shedding tears of emotion. it We felt extremely at home at was a real family atmosphere. the mamboCity 5 star ConraTio (%) Women / men: 57 / 43 The personal touch came gress. The survey that we conParTiCiPanTs WiTh Congress exPerienCe: 83 % through again and again. ducted on sunday showed and who should i see on the that virtually all the other partiFrequenTlY Praised: dance floor on sunday, surcipants thought the same. We Free water; large choice of workshops; first-rate rounded by the usual gaggle asked them what they liked instructors of hopeful women, all waiting best about the event and reFrequenTlY CriTiCised: for their chance? super maceived praise upon praise. We overfilled workshops, poor visibility; long waits for rio. his plan had worked out asked for criticism, and there the shows which started late and he was clearly having was indeed some criticism. but fun with the beautiful italian almost a quarter of those surwoman on his arm. and the veyed had absolutely nothing weather? Yes, it was cold in to complain about. a tough england, but it didn't matter at all. if you're participating act to follow for other organisers. We can therefore recomin the congress, you don't actually need to go outside. For mend to everyone that they shouldn't miss the 10th annithose who are feeling too tired for the workshops, the spa versary of the mamboCity 5 star Congress next year. Photos by valentin behringer

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PRiZE DRAw cOMPEtitiON quEstiON: What aniversary will the mamboCity 5 Star Congress in London-Heathrow celebrate in 2013? Closing date for entries: 30.08.2012 PRiZEs: All correct entries will be entered in a draw for the following:: mP3-PLAyER: Samsung yP-R0 www.samsung.de COnDITIOnS OF PARTICIPATIOnS: Simply send an email with the answer to the relevant prize draw question to: gewinnspiel@salsamag.de Please make sure you include your first name, surname and your postal address. Winners will be informed within one week of the closing date for entries. Only entries received before the above-mentioned closing date will be included in the draw. Only one entry may be submitted per person. The automated mass submission of entries via third parties is not permitted. There are no cash prizes. The judges' decision is final. SALSA mAg T-SHIRTS neon yellow for men, plum for ladies. K! GOOD LUC Share with friends:

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RE V AB AL S :S IEW H EAC A SH SPL IMPRINT PuBLISHED By: Salsa-Forum Rue Joseph Le Brix 24 13405 Berlin, germany www.salsa-forum.de PuBLISHER: martín Aguilar-Paz EDITOR In CHIEF / ART DIRECTOR: gesine Rohrbeck ADVERTISIng SALES: martín Aguilar-Paz +49 (0)30 609 80 11-90 PRICE: Free PuBLICATIOn FREQuEnCy: Quaterly PHOTOS: Preview AuTumn EDITIOn 2012 15TH SEPTEmBER 2012 H PEn E Ag n Valentin Behringer: Fashion S. 18-25, Schnappschüsse S. 48-51 Salsa Business: S. 52-59 Review S. 68-73 DPix: Salsa-move: S. 36 martín Aguilar-Paz: Can uluocak: gettyImages Fotolia City PORTRAIT S. 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 City PORTRAIT S. 12, 16 Star PORTRAIT S. 40-46 (s. Bildnachweise am Bild) fotoAkL: City PORTRAIT S. 8-9 Tom-Hanisch.de: City PORTRAIT S. 11 malyshchyts Viktar, Alessandro Capuzzo, HLPhoto: geschmackssache S. 38 unpict, rafcha, yantra, Rob Stark, : geschmackssache S. 39 Scanrail: Vorschau S. 75 iStock nikada, City PORTRAIT S. 10 delectus: City PORTRAIT S. 13 hsvrs: City PORTRAIT S. 14 jameslee1: Twitter S. 33 fourseasons: Cover Product photos VIDEO: DPix: Salsa-move S. 37 TRAnSLATIOn: FROm gERmAn TO EngLISH: pauldeman.com CI T OR yP IT: TR A COPyRIgHT: Salsa-Forum, 13405 Berlin, www.salsa-forum.de www.salsamag.de www.salsamag.net Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

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