For more than half a century, the Queen of Salsa carried her title with class and distinction. Her powerful voice and electrifying rhythm garnered more than 100 worldwide recognitions, multiple platinum and gold records, three GRAMMY® awards and four Latin GRAMMY® awards, as well as a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Celia Cruz also received three honorary degrees from the following US universities: Yale, Florida International University, and the University of Miami. 

Her boundless enthusiasm, genuine warmth, and deep-seated humanitarianism made Celia Cruz the music industry’s most accomplished and revered performer … and the world's most notable ambassador of Hispanic culture.

CELIA CRUZ'S LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Celia was born in the diverse Santos Suárez neighborhood of La Habana, Cuba as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso on October 21, 1925. She was the second child of…

(Mayan Nightclub, Sat Oct 3, 2009) - As the 2009 Mayan Team Showdown was underway, a big concern on everyone's minds and a motive of anxiety to all competitors was the question of if "Alma Latina" from Tijuana, Mexico/San Diego, CA, would join the Out-of-State/International preliminary division of the competition. Many dancers from all teams knew that if they did, they would be a great contender and a favorite to win the whole competition. Some dancers went as far as stating (even as they were in teams participating in the competition) that if "Alma Latina" was to enter the competition, they would be the sure winners without question, as their level of dancing and choreography is just too high.

Certainly, Gaby Equiz's & Sergio Jasso's "Alma Latina" from Tijuana, Mexico, has made its presence felt in the L.A. and California-wide Salsa Scene many times before, whether at shows or in…

(Mayan Nightclub, Sat Oct 3, 2009) - The defending 2008 champions, Luis Aguilar's "Tropical Rhythm," took second place in a battle of dancing and choreography like the Mayan nightclub and Los Angeles had never pesenced before. The 2009 Mayan World Salsa Team Showdown was an incredible event!

Their routine had strength, was very musical, almost theatrical, and was executed with a lot of heart and almost flawlessly. At the end, only 5 points separated them from their former place at this competition, behind Gaby Equiz's "Alma Latina" of San Diego/Tijuana.

The Tropical  Rhythm dance team is currently L.A.'s number one dance team, with the most committed members, the best choreographies, and the most appeal to a wide range of audiences. We surely hope that they are able to sustain the trajectory that they have carried so far, and remain strong for years to come, as many have been…

Many very successful business firms utilize the slogan "Our Clients Success is Our Best Advertising" or "...Our Best Testimonial," or other variations of it, as they feel confident in their work and the services that they provide to their clients. If you are looking to become a client of such business, you would look at the success they have helped their clients attain, and you would determine them to be exactly what you are looking for, if you wish to have similar success. On the other hand, if such business really has nothing to demonstrate with the services that they have provided to their clients, you would most certainly not do business with them and find yourself a service provider that will be able to help you attain the success that you seek.

TREAT IT LIKE A BUSINESS

In learning how to dance Salsa, such methodology of choosing…

PBS will be having a film series, "Latin Music USA," from October 12 - 19 on American music, fusions of Latin sounds with jazz, rock, country, R&B - music with deeper roots and broader reach than most people realize. It's a fresh take on Latin musical history, and one that they say, "it's gonna move you!" 

The film series will reach across five decades and across many musical genres to portray the rich mix of sounds created by Latinos and embraced by all. The shows will premier on October 12th (Episodes 1 & 2) and October 19th (Episodes 3 & 4), 2009, on PBS stations nationwide and on PBS.org/latinmusicusa. Let's watch!

Latin Music USA invites the audience into the vibrant musical conversation between Latinos and non-Latinos that has helped shape the history of popular music in the United States. Fittingly, the series launches in Hispanic Heritage Month, a…

Do you remember when you first were introduced to Salsa dancing? Do you recall what if felt like to be a complete beginner and not know your right foot from your left? Do you remember when you got your first turns right, when you were able to keep the beat and stay on beat (hopefully, for most)? 

The joy of discovering salsa dancing for the first time is not something that many old-timers recall vividly, and it's easy to forget at times why you love this music so much! The dancing that goes along with Salsa music certainly has been a keystone to its tremendous popularity amongst so many races, countries, and cultures! The music is wonderful and beautiful, but to so many who can't even understand the lyrics being sung, it is the 'dancing' that brought them to love Salsa. 

Recently, in Los Angeles, we met a…

SalsaHook.com version 2.0 website is now available to Salsa lovers all over the world, and we want YOU to be a part of it! The site is a marble of social media technology in itself...and it caters only to SALSA!? Wow, certainly the first of its kind in the world of Salsa. ;-)

The goal of SalsaHook is to promote Salsa music and dancing and help it become more popular wherever it already has a presence in the planet we live in, and in the future in the moon, space stations or crafts, other planets or galaxies. ;-) For now, let's stick to earth.

We would love to have you join our SalsaHook team, and be a part of something big! We believe that we will grow and be a mecca for salsa music, dancing, social networking, and much more! 

Come on, BE A PART OF IT!! ;)

The history of salsa music and dancing is one that has a lot of controversy surrounding it. Some music purists don't like the fact that the word Salsa is used to refer to it, as they say that such word should only belong in the kitchen. Others argue about who deserves the credit for the origin and creation of the music, Cubans or Puerto Ricans. Many have very harsh feelings on the subject that are more based on national pride than anything else. But for most of us who just happen to love the music, we don't really care about the controversies and simply want to give credit where credit is due for what we love so much.

In the recent years, it has been widely accepted that the music indeed has its origins in Cuba, where European classical rhythms and African drumbeats fused together and generated a partner dance enjoyed…

So, you are ready to buy dance shoes, but you don't know where to go? :) First of all, congratulations, and secondly, we want to help you!

Many times, even people who have been dancing for a while in L.A. do not know where to go to find good salsa dance shoes. Below we have posted a list of the most well-known stores in Los Angeles. We only picked stores that have been known to be around for many years; there may be new stores that are selling dance shoes right now, but we will not post them unless they remain in business for a long time, as dance shoe stores or retailers come and go all the time and we don't want to update this article 10 times in the next year or so. ;-) 

The stores we have picked are not paying for any advertising or…

When you fall in love with Salsa dancing and you begin to go out more, you may start realizing that many people wear a certain type of shoes and soon you find out they are actually called "dance shoes." To complete newcomers to the dance scene, people who have never taken lessons or ever heard of such a thing as "partner dancing", the idea of wearing shoes that are actually built with the concept of "dancing" in mind, is one that is a bit odd at first. But since you love your new hobby so much, and you want to improve, you inevitably start wondering if the shoes could actually help.

For guys, for the most part, a simple shoe with non-sticky soles will do, so this article refers solely to women. Sorry guys...but seriously, do not rush out there to get 1 1/2 inch heel shoes for yourselves!…

In the world of Salsa, there are very few cities that have generated a global impact by the styles of dance that they are accredited for creating, mantaining, and promoting. Los Angeles is one of these cities, and the short phrase "L.A. Style" is something that makes sense to salsa dancers all over the world. That phrase, if mentioned to salseros(as) dancing in Florida, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Japan, Korea, China or pretty much anywhere in the world where Salsa is widely popular, would instantly remind people of a specific style, specific names of popular salsa figures, or specific dance teams that showcase it in their routines. The name of our city, "Los Angeles", is globally recognized as one of the cities that has produced some of the best dancers in the world, some of the most popular dance teams in the world, and some of the greatest salsa events…

Fernando Sosa is known worldwide as one of the most achieved and complete dancers in Salsa. Web videos about him or his dance teams collect millions of views by users from all over the world, and his influence can easily be seen on many other dancers around the world. Few people know anything more about him, where he came from, or what his accomplishments entail. This is an attempt at giving a short biography on him for anyone who is interested. 

Fernando Sosa was born on May 19, 1977 in the South American city of Monte Video, Uruguay. During his childhood he frequented an important athletic club in Monte Video where he learned Artistic Gymnastics. At the age of 15, he arrived in Italy and met his great dance teacher (Maestro) Alberto Valdes, who showed him the doors to Cuba in order to deepen his Afro-Cuban dance roots…

The Conga Room, L.A.'s world-renowned Latin Nightclub, Restaurant, and Entertainment Venue will be a premier brand of the new L.A. LIVE in Downtown Los Angeles; a massive project estimated at more than $1 Billion and considered the largest investment in the history of Los Angeles. The Conga Room will be designed as a two-story building, with direct views into the Nokia Plaza, the Staples Center, and bordering attractions. It will feature Television and Radio broadcast capabilities, an estimated 6,500 square-foot of ground floor restaurant space, and approximately 9,200 square-foot of upstairs live entertainment and nightclub space that will include a large performance stage and several bars.

The Conga Room was founded by real estate entrepreneur Brad Gluckstein, and co-owned by Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, and Sheila E., and it has been dubbed "The Latin House of Blues" by many. In its first incarnation at the Miracle…

The story of Abel Peña and Sulmara Torres, as a dance partnership that has taken the salsa competition world by storm, is one that very few could have predicted, but which some hoped it would one day become as great of a reality as it is today. They first met at The Granada club in Alhambra, CA, where Abel, a seasoned local Los Angeles professional dancer, and Sulmara, a dancer who was already displaying many strengths in her dancing, had their first social dance and instantly felt a connection that meant something to them. They had a few more dances that night and after they decided to begin rehearsing and training together.

Abel and Sulmara trained in Los Angeles for several months before deciding to enter many popular L.A. Salsa competitions. At first, they were seen as underdogs by many, and not as a dancing threat by some of…