AL LIQUID SILVER, MIAMI — If you were wondering where Al Liquid Silver has been hiding or why he has not been around the Los Angeles dance floors or stages, well...he was not hiding at all, but living, teaching, and performing his unique style in Miami, Florida. Sadly though, most current LA Salseros/as might even wonder: "Who the heck is Al Liquid Silver?" Yes, the LA Salsa scene has changed a lot and newbies have flooded the dance floor. Moreover, the general dance level has severely declined and people seem to be more into easy-to-dance Bachata than into it-takes-more-skill-and-understanding-of-music Salsa. Well, Al "Liquid Silver" Espinoza is a professional dancer formerly based in Los Angeles who would add hip hop and pop locking to his salsa style. His team's performances were always filled with unique make-up, costumes, sound effects, and choreography. Like many other professional dancers in LA in the first decade of this…

GRANADA SALSA COMPETITION 2012 — The Granada Salsa Club in Alhambra, CA, will be holding their 4th Annual Salsa Competition from June 15th to August 10th. With a total prize purse of $10,000, they are expecting a lot of competitors to want to show what they have and earn a chance at winning some of the cash. The question is, will there be new faces or will it be the same old faces competing for the prize money? It is highly likely that new faces will probably appear in the Amateur competition, but the Pro level competition might consist of the same dancers we are used to seeing across LA in other Pro-level competitions. To register to compete, dancers can call 626-227-2572 or visit www.thegranadala.com. Their website is very confusing and disorganized and lacks a real way to register, so you might be better off just calling. The rules of the the competition can…

SALSARANKING.COM — SalsaHook.com is said to be the most popular Salsa website in Los Angeles. Our Google Analytics numbers seem to prove it, along with our Alexa ranking compared to other popular salsa sites based in Los Angeles. But where do we rank globally? 

Well, SalsaRanking.com is a website that shows the ranks of salsa websites around the world. While it itself has very low traffic rankings, the information it provides can be valuable to many salseros/as around the world.All you have to do is submit your domain and they will gather the info on your website and post it in their ranking files. Pretty simple and cool idea...which will also generate a backlink to your site, which is nice.  [ SEE OUR WORLD RANKING IN ALEXA.COM ]Certainly, being that websites like SalsaPower.com and SalsaForums.com have been in business 3-4 times more years than SalsaHook.com has been on the web, it is logical…

GRIZZLY DANCE COMPANY 2012 — This is a great opportunity for latin dancers to be trained in the style of Grizzly Hidriago and become better dancers on the floor, perform, compete, be under the spotlight, and win. The auditions will take place on February 4th, 2012 at 3 PM in the afternoon at the Gold's Gym in Hawthorne, CA. Come along and bring your friends with you. This is a chance to join one of the most recognized and awarded dance teams in Los Angeles. (CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL EVENT DETAILS & GET DRIVING DIRECTIONS). The age groups being auditioned start at 5 years old! Children will get a wonderful opportunity to enhance their talents and discover new skills, build self-confidence, and do something that will bring them lots of joy. There will be different dance troupes formed from the auditions according to the age groups available, Don't miss this…

NEW YEAR 2012 SALSA — Many people try to do something fun and go to clubs on New Year's eve. There are so many dull and boring activities out there, such as the drop of the ball in New York, boring shows on TV, or going to lame events or clubs where people just sit around, sip on a few drinks, take a few bites, and count backwards from 10 at midnight. Uh...Boring!But for those of us who love Salsa dancing and can dance efficiently (yes, that plays a role in having fun with Salsa), we have something that almost nobody out there understands. We want to tell the world about it and why they should all come dance with us, but many will be the ones who will still spend the night all bored and maybe be in bed by 10 PM, in the worst cases.   Our way of…

ALEX DA SILVA SENTENCE — Former "So You Think You Can Dance" choreographer and worldwide renowned Salsa dancer, choreographer, and performer, Alex Da Silva, has been through a painful life struggle that has made 'web' headlines and kept a lot of people in suspense about what will happen next. Since his first arrest on accussations of rape, what happens to Alex next has been a developing story that seems to have no end, even though we all know its culmination will come at some point. It was incredible how long it took for him to go on trial, while he could not meet bail and had to stay behind bars until the courts allowed time for his trial to commence. In time, he was given a date for the trial to commence, but it was postponed, and postponed again, and again. And now that the trial has finally passed and on…

SARAH OXLEY, LOS ANGELES SALSA — A few weeks ago I had a chance to go to the Warehouse on a Friday night and I happened to dance with one of the best follows that I have ever had the pleasure of dancing with in Los Angeles. Her name? Sarah Oxley. A truly beautiful girl, it is easy to imagine that guys are just flocking to her on the dance floor and are almost fighting for a chance to dance with her, simply because of her looks. I am always suspect of things like that, as I do not like to be classified as a 'wolf' and am there for the dancing, not anything else. But as I got the opportunity to dance with her that night, wow!, the feeling was amazing! No weight, so light, so much ease of follow; resulting in me being able to interpret to the salsa song so…

This article was inpsired by a Facebook post disussing the potential success and shortcomings of dating in the salsa scene.  Its an attempt to capture many of the opinions expressed in a debate which sparked a stream of over 50 comments.

The dynamics of dating in Salsa include aspects that both facilitate and hinder individuals from taking their on-floor connection to the next level - dating.  A recent blog post by Edie “the Salsa Freak” presented a perspective that dating in salsa is pointless and won’t work.  Yet, as you look around the scene, especially in San Diego, there are an increasing number salsa couples openly dating, becoming engaged and even getting married.  You also see successful relationships between dedicated dancers and non-dancers.  

Like anything worth working for, its not easy.  There are both missteps and pitfalls salseros and salseras encounter when mixing their dancing with dating.  At…

YOUTUBE MUSIC COPYRIGHT — YouTube.com is doing an oustanding job in tracking and properly giving copyright credits to the companies that own the musical content being played in salsa music or dance videos posted on their service. This goes a long way for salsa music lovers who used to get tired of asking in the comments section: "Does anyone know the song that's playing?"Inquiries that would go unanswered many times to the frustration of many who really wanted to know the artist, the name of the song, perhaps the CD it was on, and buy it either as an MP3 or a whole album. I truly believe that this is something that will go a long way for labels, bands, and artists who have struggled with making income, as MP3s are easily ripped and shared online, via email, or in burned dics. Salsa dancers and lovers everywhere know that they have been…

Sunday, the seventh day, a day for rest?  San Diegans must be impatient. Seriously, who wants to go out after an action-packed Friday and Saturday night, followed by football, church and family time? Apparently this addiction to Salsa so many embrace crosses all boundaries.   There is no need to drive hours to the infamous Sunday night festivities at Steven's Steakhouse to get a fix, as San Diego now offers not just one, but three alternatives for dancing on Sunday nights.

Longstanding options include Queen Bee in North Park, resurgent from its days as Hot Monkey Love.  Hosted by Alma Rodriguez and Michael Saltus, Queen Bee features music by local favorite Iran "DJ Mambo" Castillo, a pristine large dance floor, and a fluorescent bachata room.  As an all ages club, Queen Bee attracts students from SDSU, which bolsters the lesson attendance and provides a consistently flow of new faces.…

What is it about a Social?  

Seriously, a Social lacks all of the nightlife glitz and glamour.  There’s no red rope entrances, bouncers, velour couches, fancy lights, high fashion or bottle service. You want a reserved table?  You’re lucky to find some folding chairs.

Yet around the country, Socials continue to draw dance enthusiasts from great distances who get lost in their salsa “addiction” by dancing and enjoying the music. In Southern California, the popularity of Socials, and the attendance at these events have shown the model works and has a strong following.  Socials offer a relaxed night of dancing and an escape from the hype inherent with clubs.  

Often held at dance studios, these events offer something for every level of dancer at any age.  Not only do they bring out the top dance professionals…

Backstage everything seemed fine. Suddenly, your heart is racing, palms sweating, mouth is dry and muscles tense. It's time. You've rehearsed countless hours over months and it all comes down to the next three minutes. A teammate smiles and says "See you on the other side," while another shows a clenched fist, gives a confident nod mouths "Fuerte!" Your team is announced - "Go, go go!" - you climb the stairs onto the stage.

Your thoughts are jumping "Why does the stage look smaller?" "Cross left leg first," "I hope we can hear the song cue over the crowd," and "Watch steps left right, left." You struggle to look forward. "Damn it's bright!" The stage lights, off during Tech Rehearsal are blinding. "Stay away from the edge, it's quite a drop." Friends shout your name as you focus on the entrance steps learned just an hour earlier. "Stop, spin,…

Improvements in 2011, new date and location, makes the 6th Annual event a premier destination for 2012

This year's 5th Annual San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival will be remembered as an overall hit by the close to 2,500 who attended.  As the third major salsa event in the past two years held at Mission Valley's scenic Town and Country Resort, the 2011 event, held Sept 17-19th, offered those on hand a revamped show format, live music, and top notch workshops which exceeded expectations.

The events co-promoters, Albert Torres and Rivera Entertainment planned carefully to make the changes which not only would deliver on pre-event promises, but also bolster local attendance.  New concepts were introduced including a Fania 70's themed party on Friday night and a “Pro Salsa Footwork Showdown” on Sunday.  Both added flare and kicked off the post-show social dancing with good energy.   Friday’s theme was strongly…

CARLITOS & MARILYN, L.A. SALSA CHAMPIONS — The final round of Steven Steak House's 2011 Amateur Salsa Competition took place last Sunday, on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks in New York.Stevens Steak House, a venue that is known for being very patriotic, paid tribute on this special remembrance date with the Live music of a compilation of all the best musicians in the city of Los Angeles. The best musicians from every popular band in Los Angeles came together to unite their talent and musical gifts and play for a bustling crowd of salsa dancers who truly love salsa music.The highlight of the night and what every person attending expected to see, was the culmination of the SSH Amateur Competition, which has showcased some of the best salsa dancing Stevens Steak House has ever seen from an amateur group of dancers. The four couples…

Party like a rock star 72 hours straight and live to tell about it

SAN DIEGO | Triathlons test an athlete’s endurance, strength and will.  The average “Iron Man” participant burns over 10,000 calories enduring a 26.2 mile run, 112 mile bike ride, and 2.4 mile swim. Salsa has its own version of the triathlon, the Salsa Congress.  Seventy-two hours of workshops, performances, social dancing and after parties stretch the most vigorous to their limits.  Like any other athlete, salseros need stamina, conditioning, determination and a strategy to survive a Salsa Congress.

It’s a big weekend approaching in San Diego, when on September 15-18th, Salseros from around the world will converge on the Town and Country resort in Mission Valley.  The 5th Annual San Diego Salsa and Bachata Festival represents the 2011 Congress Season’s final warm-weather event in the Western United States.  A lot of anticipation, hype…