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…

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…

WORLD LATIN DANCE CUP 2011 — So, after day 2 of the 2nd Annual World Latin Dance Cup, there was a complete crack-down on cameras and camcorders, where friends or relatives of those competing could not keep any memories of the competition. Flash was not an issue, as flashes can be shut off and would not interfere with any 'professional' recording being done at the event. The event grew in attendance tremendously when compared to the first day, with only 3 people attending the salsa social, and the second day, with quite a few more couples out there. But it definitely is not an event where International travelers should plan to attend to watch only. It is not a congress, it has a very limited number of people actually attending it for fun, everyone there is on business and will leave if disqualified, the wait for performances is long, and very…

Our SalsaHook.com Corresponent, Marcel Demallo, is at the 2011 WLDC and is reporting on the event, day by day. Thank you, Marcel, for your kind contributions to SalsaHook.com with this reporting and information.WORLD LATIN DANCE CUP 2011, THURSDAY — The second day of the 2011 World Latin Dance Cup was well underway yesterday with more competitors going against each other with their talent and skills. The day was a bit busier than Wednesday night, the nightly salsa social had plenty more attendees and it went until 3 am in the morning! Surely, a salsa dancer's dream come true! The music being played by the DJs is also splendid! The range of Latin Dance competitions that were held on Thursday at the 2011 World Latin Dance Cup, goes as follows: 

- Cha Cha Cha Division- Bachata Division- The Amateur/Professional Division- Over 65 Division- Junior Division Division- Team Amateur Division- Professional On1…

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…

THE 2ND ANNUAL WORLD LATIN DANCE CUP IS WELL UNDERWAY IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. A SALSAHOOK CORRESPONDENT IS THERE, CAPTURING THE ACTION AND PRESENCING THE GREAT DANCING. WORLD LATIN DANCE CUP 2011 — Very soon we will know the 2011 Champions of the World Latin Dance Cup being held at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Wednesday, December 14, the first day came and went and the event seemed to be gaining traction with it as attendees arrive to the location from various parts of the world. The first day of any event, especially when it is done so early in the week, can be a bit slow in attendance, but we are sure (and truly hope) that as the week goes on, more attendees arrive, check-in, and start participating in the Salsa nightly socials, competition audiences, etc. Good luck to all competitors and let the best one with…

SALSA CONGRESSES ARE DYING! — If you are reading this, you are probably wondering: "let's see what this guy has to say about this." Perhaps you are one of those people killing the congresses, or perhaps you are one of those people who are hoping that the truth gets out and maybe those killing the congresses will change their ways for the sake and love of salsa. I have a friend from the UK who tells me that the top things that you want to find at Salsa congresses are the: 1) pool parties, 2) good DJs (or bands...which in his opinion are not really necessary), and 3) top teachers. Admittedly, he also tells me that what is killing congresses is pretty much one thing: TOO MANY SHOWS!!!!!!!!!!!The funny thing is, this goes precisely along the concensus amongst all my salsa friends in Los Angeles and anywhere else. So, who is addicted…

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…

STEVENS STEAK HOUSE TOP MALE SALSA DANCER — Stevens did it again. A great event with great competitors, a great audience, great atmosphere, and the quality of entertainment that only Stevens Steak House can bring. The competitors this year were actually many more than in years past and a lot of new faces could be spotted. Controversy, as it could be expected, erupted shortly after the results were announced and the winners were crowned. This is nothing new in Los Angeles or wherever salsa competitions are organized and promoted. A sector of the crowd will always want one dancer to win, and another sector will want another dancer to win. Sometimes there are two or three dancers in the running, but most of the time it really is just between the best two. Watch all the videos below. The places in both competitions were as follows:

LA'S TOP MALE SOLO SALSA COMPETITION — On Sunday, December 4th, 2011, those willing to compete against each other in order to prove that they are the Top Male Salsa Dancer in Los Angeles, went head to head at Steven's Steak House in the now highly acclaimed: Steven's Steak House LA's Top Male Solo Salsa Competition.And then, after the winners were announced on both categories, pro and semi-pro, salsa dancers all over began voicing their deep displeasure with the results all over social networks within the court of public opinion. The problem is that while some understand that the culprits of the wildly disliked results were the judges, some opted to blame the venue and its ownership. You who are doing that got it all wrong. Do not blame the venue and its ownership. All the venue did was put an event together and sought to give out some prize money, while entertaining…

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…