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…

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…

BELASCO THURSDAY SALSA NIGHT — So, last night was my first time at the Belasco nightclub in Downtown Los Angeles. Right off the top, driving up to Hill St. made me feel as if I was going to the Mayan on a Thursday night, which didn't feel right. But as soon as you park and get there, you KNOW this place is happening and it is sure to be a good time!There was a line outside for people wanting to get in. As you get in, you start realizing what a classic type of building this really is. It is completely restored and has state of the art sound, lighting systems, and just a great and classy environment that you won't find anywhere else in LA. There is truly no comparison to the Mayan next door...which is an ancient venue that has capitalized for years without any competition in the…

GRANADA SALSA COMPETITION 2011 — The Granada Nightclub in Alhambra, CA will be holding its 3rd Annual World Salsa Competition in September 2011! 

The competition will start on Saturday, September 10, 2011 and will go on until October 29th, 2011. With a total purse of $10,500 in prizes, it is sure to see a lot of participation from dancers in Los Angeles and maybe some visiting dancers from other cities. 

REGISTER & COMPETITION RULES:

If you would like to register to compete, you can go online at this link. You can also read the competition rules here.

The preliminary rounds will be a popularity contest for dancers who are competing...which means, the couples that get the most applause, regardless of talent, skill, or routine, will go on to the following rounds. But on the following rounds, judges carefully chosen by the club will decide the further fate of…

WHITTIER RADISSON SALSA 2011 — Every Friday during the summer starting at 6:30 PM, a mini-festival of summer and poolside Live Salsa music and dancing takes place at the Radisson Hotel in Whittier, CA. 

It isn't Cancún or Cabo, but it surely comes close in that the atmosphere is tropical, festive, and resort-like. 

[ See Event Details: WHITTIER RADISSON SALSA ]

Known as the Summer Live Salsa Series and commonly organized by C201 Entertainment, the weekly events take place every year from around the beginning of May until the end of September. There is NO COVER CHARGE and parking is easy to find around the area, if the hotel is full by the time you arrive. 

From 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, Live Salsa Music and dancing takes place right at the poolside of the hotel, and the lounge is also open in case you'd rather…

ADRIAN & ANITA SALSA — The names Anita Santos Rubin and Adrián Rodríguez might be completely foreign and unknown to, even, 'hardcore' salsa dancers in Los Angeles. But to thousands around the world, mainly in Europe, Australia, and Asia, the names Adrián and Anita are as well-known as Jennifer López and Marc Anthony are to us here in LA (notice I didn't dare compare them to any local salsero couple). 

In LA we fail to realize how much talent is out there and how much more advanced they are in skill, creativity, speed, cleanliness, showmanship, and execution.

LA is said to have been once at the top of the world when it came to Salsa dancing. We had the best of the best right inside our clubs and people would come from all over the world to our LA Salsa Congress to see "us" dance. Now, LA is…

LOS ANGELES FRIDAY SALSA — How many cities can say that they have more than five options in Salsa venues to go to on a Friday night? Can San Diego or San Francisco say that? How about New York? I am sure they can, and maybe they even have more. 

Well, what if we spoke about fourteen Salsa nightclubs happening every Friday night in the city of Los Angeles? (and that excludes The Mayan and other venues that we don't really consider "Salsa clubs") Yes, that's how many venues we have every Friday night in Los Angeles! 

A lot of people living in Los Angeles don't give any importance to this, as they are simply used to having the options and that's that. But when you love salsa dancing and you are stuck in a city that only has one, or two, or three venues on any given night…

SALSA DANCING SANTA MONICA — Salsa Dancing in Santa Monica has become a trend that everyone is following these days. From the longest running club, Monsoon's Cafe, to one of the newest, Wokcano Cafe, and those that have started in between, such as, Zanzibar Nightclub, The Club, etc., dancers from all sides of the city travel west on many days during the week to go have their salsa fix in the beautiful city of Santa Monica, CA. 

(IF WE ARE FORGETTING ANY VENUES, PLEASE LET US KNOW)

Monsoon's Cafe, which is on its 11th year running, has always been known for its Wednesday and Saturday nights salsa, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to celebrate the beautiful Latin salsa culture. They usually have a live band and DJ playing the best Latin tunes, they host salsa competitions, special events, and they work in conjunction with the…

LEARN TO DANCE SALSA — If you are new to salsa, or maybe a bit advance in your dancing, and would like to learn a really cool salsa pattern with partner and solo footwork, here it is for you: Tropical Gem at the 2008 Salsa Congress in Las Vegas. 

I had the privilege and delight of attending this event and attend their workshops (I only went because of the fact that Tropical Gem would be there), and this pattern was something new and unique and from which I've built up a lot more moves. Tropical Gem truly is a whole other level when it comes to salsa dancing. I truly recommend learning from them. 

So, in the video below, you will find Fernando Sosa and Tatiana Bonaguro, principal dancers of Tropical Gem of Italy, teaching a pattern that you can just play over and over again and practice…

MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA — Given that one of my all-time favorite Salsa singers was known to reach the top of his career in Colombia and is beloved by Colombians all over the world (Tito Gómez), and just the fact that I truly enjoy Colombian Salsa, I thought it would be good to write about a location in Medellín, Colombia that is known worldwide for being a major attraction when it comes to Salsa dancing in that city. El Eslabón Prendido is a venue that attracts a mixed and friendly crowd and has some of the best old-school salsa nights in the city.

El Eslabón Prendido is a small venue that offers salsa music and dancing on various nights of the week. Known for attracting tourists, as well as locals who simply love Salsa, El Eslabón Prendido is truly a hotspot "en el centro" of the city. 

With wax candles…

RUSHIN' TO DANCE — Some of the most fun dances in my salsa life have happened with people with simply couldn't shut up and just dance! They kept on talking through salsa songs, during every spin or double spin or triple spin, during dips, cross-body leads, and even shines! 

Now, when I refer to "they" I actually probably only mean one person...my old salsa friend Ally Perlina, who moved to San Diego a few years ago. She was the most fun to dance with only because I spent 80-90% of any song we ever danced to, asking her to just shut up and dance! She loved it too and knew it was annoying as heck, so she kept on doing it...or maybe she just couldn't help it. I dunno...

Well, have you ever found people like that? My friend Ally would talk about anything, from the music, to…

SALSA DANCING BEWARE — It is common knowledge that there are some professional salsa dancers in every scene who truly wish to make have a grand lifestyle off what they do with their dancing and teaching in the salsa scene. These pro dancers see each person in their classes as cash flow that they better squeeze out like a lemon before they are gone to learn from someone else or to not take any lessons anymore. 

These pro dancers will be quick to promote their "private dance lessons," their "shoe lines," or their "salsa wear fashion dresses," etc, etc., to dancers who have attended only one of their lessons. You will hear a line that sounds a bit like this about their private lessons: "if you truly want to learn to dance, you have to pay me to teach you privately, where all my attention can be given to…

WOKCANO SALSA TUESDAYS — When I met Szilvi Kovacs at an Alma Del Barrio event at Loyola Marymount, I could tell that she had a drive unique to only a few salsa lovers. Most people are just happy dancing; others have to contribute and be part of something within the niche that they've chosen to spend their time in. Szilvi was definitely going to do something to promote salsa dancing, salsa music, and her love for it all. 

Sure enough, Szilvi began promoting salsa nights at a club in Venice, CA, which was free to get in and was the talk of the town as a new option for Tuesday nights on the west side. Soon after, Szilvi and her salsa nights were featured on a local television news channel where they spoke of the health benefits of salsa dancing and the club itself. 

Today, Szilvi, who promotes…

SALSA DANCING @ SANTA MONICA, CA — Every Sunday at 4 PM, Philip shows up at the north end of 3rd Street Promenade, between Arizona Ave and Wilshire Blvd, with a portable sound system and speakers and starts blasting the best Salsa tunes right there on the street. It picks up around 6 PM and goes on until about 9 PM, weather permitting. 

Philip, who describes himself as an outgoing and fun guy who likes fast spins, long dips, sexy styling, and smiling lips, has been hosting this great Salsa attraction in Santa Monica, CA, for over 5 years now! He does it for none other than LOVE for Salsa dancing. There is a permit in place with the city of Santa Monica to be able to play music and dance at the 3rd Street Promenade, so it is all well-managed. 

The event is SO MUCH FUN and attracts…

SALSAHOOK.COM — After four straight days of dancing day and night at salsa workshops and salsa concerts of a salsa congress, the body tends to feel a little exhausted, the feet might hurt a little if you happened to disregard 'comfort' in the name of 'fashion', but the memories, adrenaline, and need to dance again, and very soon, is all over you as if you didn't have enough salsa. 

Hardcore salsa dancers who don't go to just one or two nights of a salsa congress, but choose to attend the full event, go to all workshops, and dance unstoppably all night long until 3 or 4 AM, know the great feeling and adrenaline rush that having so much salsa fun gives you. And they also know how feet tend to feel afteward, along with legs and muscles that you didn't even know you had. But in the end, it's all…