ALEX DA SILVA TRIAL SENTENCE 2012 — Today, the Alex Da Silva trial story that has captured the attention of the worldwide Salsa community finally culminated as the long-awaited sentencing hearing finally took place.Alex Da Silva, 43, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape. Two remaining charges were dismissed during the trial in 2011, as the jury deadlocked on them. — All alleged victims were his former students. Additionally, Alex Da Silva was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Given time served since his initial arrest in 2009, his sentencing is probably worth 7 years, of which he has to serve a minimum of 80% according to California law. Some even believe that even less time will be served given the overcrowding of California prisons.Judge Kennedy, who sentenced Alex…

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…

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…

JOE ARROYO SALSA, R.I.P. — Today is a very sad day for our Latin music community. At age 55, Colombian salsa singer Joe Arroyo has died Tuesday morning at a hospital in Barranquilla, Colombia. Rest in peace, Joe! 

Also, on the day of his death, it was announced that he was among the recipients of the Latin Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Joe Arroyo, born Alvaro Jose Arroyo González, was born on November 1st, 1955. At the age of 10 years old, he was already singing in one of Cartagena's popular music halls. 

In 1971, Joe was discovered by Ernesto Estrada, the bass player and singer of the band Fruko y Sus Tesos and he was signed with Colombian record label Discos Fuentes. He performed with the band for 10 years until 1981, when he began his solo career leading his own band, named "La Verdad." (The Truth)

ALEX DA SILVA'S TRIAL — The famous choreographer Alex Da Silva was arrested for accusations of raping 4 women between the ages of 20-26 years of age.

Alex Da Silva´s bail was initially set to 6.2 million dollars, and has gone down to 2 million dollars since. I think that´s an absurd bail being that Alex Da Silva has no criminal record.

Also, Alex has been treated very poorly since he´s been encarcerated. Let´s keep in mind that these are only accusations with no proof of anything. Not one of those 4 women had proof.

Alex Da Silva has been encarcerated almost 2 years with zero evidence of any kind of any alledge rapes. I´m hoping that justice will be done when this is all over with. I hope Alex Da Silva gets to process those 4 women. It´s absurd being in jail for so long with such…

ALEX DA SILVA TRIAL 2011 — Alex Da Silva's trial has been scheduled and further delayed quite a few times now, while he remains imprisoned and unable to meet bail. 

Many family members, starting with Alex's sister Stacy Da Silva, who currently lives in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, have pleaded for support.

While SalsaHook.com only writes about Salsa-related news that may be of interest to our user base, we are not legal experts by any means. Rape cases must be difficult to handle on both sides, unless concise proof exists. So far we understand by those who have shared their knowledge of the case with us that only claims exist and not any type of proof. But being that it was multiple women claiming similar stories, maybe that's why the LA County court system has been able to put Alex through this. 

Once again, we are not…

SALSA MUSIC MIXES — DJ Tiguere "El Tiguere del Mambo" from Tampa, Florida, is enthusiastically sharing music mixes for Salsa lovers all over the world through SoundCloud.com. 

DJ Tiguere describes himself as a person who loves music and dancing, and someone who appreciates all musical styles, but whose heart belongs to Salsa and Bachata primarily. That's good news for all of us, Salsa and Bachata lovers around the world!

When other DJs protect their songs and do not give you names of songs or artists, much less share the music with you, DJ Tiguere is freely sharing the music he loves so much simply because of that, he loves it that much and wants everyone to experience it!

Check out this super-cool mix he made: 

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Salsa Mix: Eargasm Vol 3 by DjTiguere

The songs played in this mix are as…

ILIANA ROSE MUSIC — Cuban American Musician, Iliana Rose, is a musical act that is currently trending in Los Angeles, CA.

--- CHECK OUT ILIANA ROSE SALSAHOOK PROFILE

A multi-talented musician who is a piano player, percussionist, clarinetist, and vocalist, Iliana has attracted the attention of many social circles outside of the normal Salsa and Latin music scene, where she presents her musical talents to people who would normally not get a chance to listen and experience our beautiful music. 

Iliana, who was born in Miami and was raised by her parents and grandparents in a strong Cuban environment, has a deep love and appreciation for the roots of the music that she plays. A graduate of the University of Miami (UM) with a double major (Studio Music & Jazz / Clarinet Performance), Iliana is truly a skilled and talented musician with the piano, percussion, clarinet,…

ANA ROSA DESIGN — Today, when you watch a Salsa show or competition in Los Angeles, part of what makes it a very pleasant experience is the fact that the dancers seem to be dressed so well with flashy and sexy costumes. This wasn't always the case in LA, where dancers used to simply wear matching clothes to function as costumes for dance performances or competitions.

Ana Rosa Design has played a principal role in what has changed how Salsa dancers dress on-stage. She began providing uniquely designed costumes to dancers in the Salsa Community around the year of 2008. Some of the first salsa teams and dancers to wear her designs were those related to the "Tropical Rhythm" dance company in Los Angeles. And as soon as other dancers and dance troupes realized how well-dressed TR dancers were, they also began going to Ana Rosa to get their…

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 — Alma Latina is a dance academy that stems from Tijuana, Mexico and is directed by professional world renowned salsa dancers, Sergio Jasso and Gaby Equiz. 

In the recent years, Alma Latina has taken the world of salsa by storm with their highly-acclaimed on-stage dance performances, their winnings of numerous dance competitions, and simply the pure talent that each and every one of their dancers seems to possess. All of which is directly representative of the training they all receive and speaks very well of the methodology that Gaby and Sergio implement. 

With their first satellite branch school inside the U.S. being in San Diego, CA, which is reasonably close to Tijuana, Mexico, Alma Latina seeked to move to Los Angeles, a world mecca of salsa dancing, and not just teach there, but also hold auditions for their four teams: amateur, intermediate, semi-pro, and professional. 

Eventually,…

DIA DE SAN JUAN FESTIVAL, FIESTA ALEGRE — Fiesta Alegre organizes the 16th Annual Día de San Juan Festival at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. The event will take place on June 12th, 2011 and tickets purchased before June 11 are just $25.

This year, Fiestaalegre Promotions is seeking to provide the best entertainment for your listening and dancing pleasure, with a lineup that includes:

- Frankie Vazquez- Ray De La Paz- Michael Stuart- Johnny Polanco- L.A. Plena- MC Javier Suazo- DJ Willieand plenty more...

EL FLORIDITA, HOLLYWOOD — El Floridita Cuban Restaurant offers the most authentic Cuban experience in all of Los Angeles. In business since 1987, El Floridita has become a Latin entertainment landmark in Hollywood, CA. 

The venue is known for being an intimate locale with a very unique old-world style setup that is complemented by the warmth and hospitality that patrons receive as soon as they walk in.

El Floridita offers a wide range of Cuban delicacies to choose from and which are intended to please the taste of every diner. From Moros and Cristianos, Mojo de Ajo, Platanos, Ropa Vieja, and Arroz con Pollo, to Yuca con Mojo, Camarones al Ajillo, Pierna de Puerco, and Vegetarian dishes, El Floridita ensures the complete satisfaction of all its patrons. 

And what could be better after a delicious Cuban feast than some hot Latin dancing to the best Latin orchestras…

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — La Orquesta Macabeo, la PVC, San Juan Habana, NG2, and Villariny Salsa Project are some of the new generation musical bands from Puerto Rico that are working hard to keep the Latin genre of Salsa alive.

"It isn't dead," confirms José Ibañez, musical director of Macabeo; rather, the followers of the genre don't attempt to follow the new generation of musicians and they stick to only following the most popular bands or artists. 

Ibañez believes that people simply like to live and remember the greatness of the old Salsa, or Salsa clásica, and they don't want to listen the new rhythms of today. 

On top of that, salsa bands all over the world fancy themselves with simply playing covers of old artists and bands, which maintains their popularity alive and trains the listeners or salsa lovers to only like those songs, those…

SALSA DANCING — "Soldiers Who Salsa" is a non-profit organization based in San Diego, CA, that uses Salsa Dancing as therapy for wounded Military members and their families. They partner up with therapists to teach salsa dance to amputees, brain injury patients, and patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. The goal is to bring about social, recreational, and physical therapy, while improving the quality of life for those who have served in the armed forces. 

Last week we wrote about a deployed soldier in Iraq who found Salsa dancing to help him cope with the stress of the environment at war. Now we know that Salsa dancing is being utilized at many locations around the world to help military members cope with the many stages of war.

SalsaHook.com is a website that was created, in good will, to simply…