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…

GRANADA SATURDAY SALSA DANCING — The Granada in Alhambra is still a venue that caters tremendously to Salsa dancing and is surely one of the top salsa venues in Los Angeles, CA. There are signs of a small decline in popularity according to people's opinions, stating that some Saturdays the venue is only half-full, but that's probably just a sign of the economy we are living in the United States, and how less and less people have discretionary money to spend on recreational activities like going salsa dancing. But last night, when I had the opportunity to attend after quite a while of being absent from the venue, I saw no sign of a decline! It was packed, the dancers were glowing, everyone was having fun, and it even seemed a bit too crowded at some points of the night. It's certainly a happening club!Orquesta Tabaco y Ron was playing live at…

THE WAREHOUSE FRIDAY NIGHTS — Anthony Long, promoter of The Warehouse Friday Salsa Nights in Marina Del Rey, CA, should be thanked by some type of salsa commission in Los Angeles for providing over 3 years now, of such a great salsa dancing venue in the city! Seriously, where else would we go to? Indeed, the Warehouse continues to be a top Salsa dancing spot in Los Angeles that attracts some of the best salsa dancers and the happiest crowd in the city. After months of not being privileged to visit this spot due my recent hiatus from salsa (going out and stuff), I was finally able to go last night and I must say, what an amazing time I time! The music by DJ Charlie is just great (he is still singing on the mic to depressing-this-girl-left-me salsa song lyrics--a must see for all!), the floor isactually longer and wider than…

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…

JOHNNY VAZQUEZ 1999 (Year) PERFORMANCE — For anyone who has ever been anyone within the world famous Los Angeles Salsa Scene, Johnny Vazquez is a name that resonates strongly and carries a lot of weight with it. Johnny is truly a legend of the west, of Los Angeles, of Salsa, of the L.A. Salsa Style that is taught around the world. Johnny began dancing at an early age following the footsteps of his brothers Francisco Vazquez and Luis Vazquez, both of whom are also Los Angeles Salsa mega-stars. All three of the Vazquez brothers are legendary around the world, but Johnny Vazquez, in specific, is a legend ranking at a level of his own. What would it be to be Johnny Vazquez and be known for so many accomplishments? We'll have to ask him one day...Well, this is a video posted by Anthony (Tiny) on Youtube.com. Anthony is an afficionado videographer…

SALSA SCREAM 2011 — Salsa Scream is a multiple-day Halloween salsa event being planned for the dates between October 27 and October 30. This Halloween salsa event will be the place to be for Halloween this year!!BUY PRE-SALE TICKETS HERE & SAVE MONEY!!! Click!(Pre-Sale ends Wed., Oct., 26 at midnight)

The event will be held at the IRVINE HYATT REGENCY HOTEL (see exact location and get driving directions) and it promises to be one event that will have you screaming, literally, of salsa joy and happiness! Salsa Scream will have salsa and bachata dance workshops, performances, and open dancing to some of the best music by some of the very best DJs in the city. (see complete event info here) The open dancing goes all the way until 4 A.M.!There will be an open Dance Competition with a total of $2,000 in prizes and a Best Costume Contest with…

ALEX DA SILVA VERDICT 2011 — The jury found Alex Da Silva guilty on 2 counts, one of raping a 22-year old woman in August 2002, and another of attempted rape of a 25-year old woman in August 2009. All other chargers were declared as a mistrial by the judge, which included 2 additional rape charges on 2 additional alledged victims. Alex faces up to 14 years in prison and will return to court in November 8. With the 2 years of time served that Alex already put in, and the shortage of jail space and California's financial struggles, sources tell us that Alex Da Silva could quite likely be out between 1 or 2 years. Although others believe he might have to serve up to 85% of his sentence time. The idea of a shorter time in jail (even though already extensive) may come as a true disappointment for so many people…

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…

Attending a regional festival or congress is much like a vacation. For most, we save and scrap for months to have enough money to attend these grand events.  Its not much different for performers, who incur team dues or studio fees months prior.  Then for ladies, there’s the lavish costumes, makeup and hair.  Yet the euphoria experienced sparks a buzz of “where are we going next?” even before the current event ends.

What would you sacrifice to squeeze in a trip to San Francisco, Puerto Rico, Miami, New York or Zurich?  Would you eat sleep on the floor, eat Top Ramen, or (gasp!) curtail your nights of social dancing?  The lengths some go to borderline urban legend.

With careful planning and smart spending, you don’t have to sacrifice by staying at…

World's biggest salsa promoter shows "Unity Through Salsa" by helping local charity raise funds for San Diego youth in need

SAN DIEGO | In a recent surge of support, Dancers for Humanity has gained a key sponsor in Albert Torres Productions (ATP).  In addition to integrating the Dancers for Humanity fundraising efforts with the San Diego Salsa and Bachata Festival, an ATP event, ATP has donated full-passes to the 2012 Los Angeles and The Las Vegas Salsa Congresses as prizes which will be featured and given away during the festival.  This contribution brings the total of goods and services raised for prizes at this event to over $5,700.

Mr. Torres himself orchestrated this gift while travelling between New York, Los Angeles and  Argentina.  “Its great what ATP is doing for Dancers for Humanity in helping us raise funds for San Diego Youth Services StoreFront Shelter,” shared Dennis Bermeo,…

A perpetual spark drives "Salsa Susie" to make her dreams a reality

SAN DIEGO, CA | Texas?  Really?  It’s hard to believe, but its true that the Director of Ooh La La Dance Company, Susie Nguyen, a.k.a. “Salsa Susie” started her path to La Jolla, California from the Lone Star State.  One of four children to parents who met at a Vietnamese refugee camp, she has consistently broken through barriers to live her dream.  She can’t help it - it runs in her blood.  

“Entrepreneurship runs in my family, my parents ran a Mom & Pop convenience store, the most successful in our small Texas county.  They sold it and moved us to Monterrey, CA.” It was in this sleepy Northern California town that Susie battled her parents’ traditional Asian culture, moving out in her early teens so she could participate in high school cheer, becoming…

Alma Latina forges ahead in the face of darkness

SAN DIEGO, CA | Miles until empty, it says “7”, we should be OK.  Traffic is backed up on the 5 South, but there’s hope as the 52 on-ramp is flowing, maybe we’ll make it. Racing across the 52, the gauge is dropping quickly. Crap, it’s down to 4 already!  My mind is turning “Must have been the parking lot on the 5 caused by cars flooding the roadways all at once."  Everyone is trying to head home as San Diego and most of the southwest shut down when power blacked out at 3:30pm.  

At this point, the situation is desperate and I'm cursing for a Prius.

Miles until empty is “1” as I pull off to the Convoy station.  The line to the pump is five deep, people are camped out, and it looks like a scene…

SALSA WEBSITES LIVING IN THE PAST — Judging from a standpoint of a web developer (salsahook.com was developed by parent company, Makeview.com), it is unthinkable what would make people in the year 2011 feel that adding music to their websites is a good thing. It is not!

For one, it is annoying! Then it takes up time to load, depending on file size and connection speed, and may surprise anyone visiting the site. And finally, wasn't that practice ended in 2004?

Either way, users will choose NOT to visit the site again if they found that it was disturbing, annoying, and imposing. Why would you, a website owner, impose a youtube video or sound clip on users that are visiting your website?

Unfortunately, if you feel the need to be that imposing to "attract" attention to your specials or your musical likes, there is probably something wrong…

PUERTO NUEVO, MEXICO | It’s Sunday night, close to midnight and I still can’t wipe the smile from my face while scanning photos from the weekend.  It didn’t matter that we just crossed the US/Mexico International Border on foot, and were waiting an extra 30 minutes for a teammate to clear customs without a Passport.  A lack of sleep from consecutive nights of non-stop action and an early Monday morning workday didn’t phase my euphoric feeling either.  In the face what is has been coined as PCW (“Post-Congress Withdrawal”), I was fulfilled.   

Luckily, in mid-July I made a decision to attend the Rosarito Salsa and Bachata Retreat, hosted by Alma Latina Dance Company.  

Now, behavior psychologists will tell you that satisfaction is the intersection of your expectations and actual experience. For instance, when you attend Salsa Congress or…