February

Swedish dancer Molly Hagman made it in Europe and now in New York

Undoubtedly, Latin music continues to enslave hearts around the world and the protagonist of this story is a reliable proof of it. It has been such a great honor for us to have known the story of Swedish professional dancer Molly Hagman, who has shared with us the most important facts about her career and how she has reached the point she is at today.

How Molly became interested in dancing in her home country

Nice and jovial Molly was describing in detail everything she has done in her career, thus answering most questions we had for her. She began by telling us that her dance studies began when she was still very young. Being only 15 years old, her best friend at the time convinced her to enroll in the Malmoe Dance Academy in the Swedish city of Malmö, to learn from instructors who introduced her to genres such as jazz, hip hop, contemporary music and ballet.

Two years later, when she was sufficiently prepared, she began experimenting with salsa and auditioning for women’s dance teams, one of them being the group Bellasitas, Molly and Maddy being the first two original members. Once the team was complete, they began to perform in congresses throughout Europe such as the Berlin Salsa Festival, the Hamburg Salsa Festival, the Copenhagen Salsa Festival, the Stockholm Salsa Weekend at the Capitol Stockholm in Sweden, the Scandinavian Salsa Congress, the Love Dance Festival, among many others.

Activity outside Europe

By the year 2014, the young woman studied a year of commercial dance at the International Dance Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark. As part of her education, she was able to travel to Los Angeles to train at the Millenium Dance Complex studio, where she remained for about three months and shared with some of its choreographers such as Gustavo Vargas, Jojo Gomez, Yanis Marshall, Tricia Miranda and many more. That time was enough for her to know that her destiny was the United States and that eventually she would like to live there. And she did.

Molly at the Malmoe Dance Academy — Molly when she was studying at the Malmoe Dance Academy during her teenage years

Some time later, more specifically in 2016, Molly moved to New York to study dance at Broadway Dance Center and the possibility to meet the best salsa instructors, many of whom were in that city. It is there where she made contact with Franklin Diaz, with whom she was dancing for a few months in a number of events, until joining the Yamulee Dance Company in the Bronx. She danced for that dance company for about six years, that is, until the year 2022.

During her time with Yamulee, she was able to participate in all kinds of events all over New York, Florida, Trinidad and Tobago and other places.

It is during this time that her passion for Latin music developed even more, since practically those whom she interacted with listened to salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton and the great majority of Yamulee’s members were Dominicans who gave much importance to their heritage. As mentioned before, Molly had already had contact with these genres, but this constant exposure only reinforced her decision to continue along this path.

Solo career

In 2022, Molly felt ready to start her career as an independent dancer thanks to all the training previously received. Since then, she has worked with her current dance partner ”Vittico La Magia” with whom she has performed in numerous festivals such as the New York International Salsa Festival in 2023 and 2024, the BIG Salsa Festival in the same years and the New York SBKZ Congress last year.

Molly in Harlem — Molly posing for the camera in the Graffiti Hall Of Fame, Harlem

She also told us that she was starring in the official music video for the latest song my Thalia and Los Angeles Azules – “Yo Me Lo Busque” that already has over 1.2 million views after being out for only 5 days! What was an incredible experience and dancing for such big artists. Similarly, she has participated as a dancer for several concerts by Dominican artist Yiyo Sarante in New York and New Jersey before thousands of people who enjoyed her great talent. She also danced with Grupo Niche and La India in some of their shows.

Additionally, she has been interviewed by important shows such as The Art Of Fashion TV, which was broadcast through the Manhattan Neighborhood Network and exposed to millions of viewers, giving Molly the opportunity to make herself known to a much larger and diverse audience.

Her role as a dance teacher

Molly has been teaching dance since she was in Sweden on some occasions, but where she further gained experience was in New York, which is when she has developed all her skills through the private lessons she today offers. She says that this is an area of her work that she really enjoys very much because it gives her the opportunity to teach other young people what she herself learned at the time and this satisfies her enormously. The need to create a new choreography for each class invites her to be more creative and to keep the interest of her students with new dances in each session.

Ms. Hagman has also completed with Malmoe Dance Academy’s professional dance teams on the Swedish national talent competition “TALANG”, (“This is Talent”) where she and her team won First Place. Talang is the Swedish reiteration of the Got Talent series. Talang features singers, dancers, comedians, variety acts and other performers competing against each other for audience votes and prize money. It’s a nationally recognized dance competition which was broadcasted on Swedish national television and to viewers around the world.

Molly at the fashion week — Molly modeling at the New York Fashion Week

Saxophonist and flutist Dave Victorino talks to International Salsa Magazine

Dave Victorino is a saxophonist and flutist who plays various Latin genres such as salsa, Latin jazz and swing in the city of Los Angeles, California. The American musician has been kind enough to talk exclusively with International Salsa Magazine about various topics, including his beginnings, current career and existing projects. We hope that our esteemed readers will like the details of this conversation.

Saxophonist Dave — This is saxophonist and flutist Dave Victorino

Young Dave’s beginnings in music

Dave recalls that his taste in music led one of his cousins to give him a flute so that he could start playing an instrument and see what happened. However, over time, the young man preferred the saxophone, which he found he liked much more at the time. He reckons that his interest in music began when he was just a 12 or 13-yeard-old.

His interest in the saxophone began with a friend of his mother’s who was a teacher of that instrument, so he was the first to teach him how to play it properly and, even after so many years gone by, he continues to remember everything he learned with him.

Education

Dave graduated with a degree in music education from Cal State Los Angeles and assured us that one of his greatest mentors there was saxophonist Barney Martinez, a very important figure in Latin jazz at the time. This was a time of great learning for what was to come professionally, and that knowledge continues to help him a lot.

He also studied with other important music teachers and professors who complemented his musical training almost perfectly.

What has Dave learned from his greatest collaborations?

Throughout his career, Dave has collaborated with groups such as The Henry Mora Big Band, Temptations, Al Viola, Fred Ramirez, Little Anthony and The Imperials and many others. Obviously, all these personalities have had something important to teach the musician when sharing the stage with him.

Dave refers to Henry Mora as one of his greatest mentors in this whole process, as he had much more experience than the artist, so he had a lot to learn and imitate from him.

Each professional experience is one more step on the road to excellence that Dave and any artist looks for in his work, which is achieved through practice and spending time with more experienced teachers.

Dave playing — Dave Victorino playing the saxophone live

Great inspirations

When we wanted to know Dave’s greatest inspirations, he could not help but first mention the group El Chicano, with which he played in the early 1980s. One of its founding members and singer Bobby Espinosa, who showed him some recordings of the Fania All Stars and Johnny Pacheco while playing one of the best solos Dave had ever seen. In fact, the artist considers Pacheco his favorite flutist from the very moment he first heard him.

He also commented that he really likes the way Stan Getz, a Californian saxophonist whose main genres were jazz and pop, played.

How his love for Latin music was born

Dave’s first contact with Latin music was with the group El Chicano, but then came other groups that playing genres that caught his attention.

For several years in the 1980’s and 1990’s, he played in a park three times a week and, on those same days, a DJ would play music by Johnny Pacheco himself, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and other salsa groups. He became so fascinated with everything he heard that, little by little, he began to transform his repertoire into one that also included salsa and Latin jazz.

Initially, he only cared about playing this music without understanding the lyrics, but then he began studying and learning a little Spanish to get a better performance in his work. However, he assures that this detail has never posed a problem or a limitation to get good performances in Latin music.

Dave and Barbara — Dave Victorino playing with singer Barbara Reed

Music Classes

Another interesting thing about Dave is teaching. He currently teaches saxophone, flute, clarinet and piano to a good number of students, who have taught him the virtue of patience and determination to always learn something new.

His students are of different ages and he teaches various levels.

Dave and Anthony — Dave Victorino playing with saxophonist Anthony Gil

También lee: Eddie Muñíz continues to head Swing Sabroso

Nolita Golding Soulful Latin

Europe / Reino Unido/ Londres

Nolita Golding has a new single & video with the amazing collaboration of Latin Grammy-nominated Tony Succar & LUKAS winner Alex Wilson

With her powerful, compelling voice, to kick off 2019 Nolita Golding launches her new single “There Must Be An Angel” This single release is a step-change up in her career, cementing her reputation as a world class vocalist who can seamlessly weave between Soul and Latin in both English and Spanish.

The 80’s hit “There Must Be An Angel” (penned by Annie Lennox & David A. Stewart) has been deliciously arranged by Alex Wilson into a Soulful Latin version full of Caribbean flavour and laced with Gospel. Driven by Nolita’s power vocals and personality, she sets the scene for a definite hit in 2019! Soulful Latin… the new wave to hit the dance floors!

At present there is a musical trend focussed on the wonderful cultural revolution of the 60s in New York, when Latin America’s sounds were fused with jazz, soul and rock. This gave birth to fresh new styles such as boogaloo, spearheaded by luminaries such as Pete Rodriguez, Ricardo Ray, Joe Bataan and Joe Cuba.

Nolita Golding carries the soul of those pioneers and her unmistakable style proves it. In her constant search for excellence, Nolita completed this new single at Wincraft Music Studios, owned by Steve Winwood. The production was masterminded by award-winning producer Alex Wilson and features special guest and Latin Grammy-nominated Tony Succar on timbales. In addition, Venezuelan percussion master Edwin Sanz and Cuban rock guitar powerhouse, Dany Labana, have added their magic … this band is simply smoking!

The creative process has been a unique and magical experience, resulting in a track fully loaded with rhythm, positive energy, Caribbean flavor and mucho sabor!

As ever, the impressive power of Nolita Golding’s voice combined with her bilingual skills has her in continuing high demand as the session vocalist who consistently delivers the goods!

We invite you to enjoy this new single, which comes out at the beginning of this month…
It was created just for you and we guaranteed you will fall in love with it!

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Nolita Golding Soulful Latin live concerts during her Europe Tour 2019.

Salsarria Orchestra. Back to our Roots

Latinoamerica / Venezuela / Caracas

The Salsarria Orchestra was founded in Caracas on July 20, 2018 by its director, pianist, arranger Wilfredo Agustín Castro Sarmiento.

Salsarria Orchestra, in its beginnings, the orchestra performed at events in the capital city where it was widely accepted by the Caracas public.

Very important musicians of national and international stature have marched through the orchestra such as: Orlando Poleo (France), Orlando Watussi (Italy), Federico Betancourt, Luis Esteban Spain (El diablo del Son) among others.

The Salsarria orchestra has participated in important Latin music festivals such as the “Bicentennial Festival Suena Caracas” with a stage presentation.

Orquesta Salsarria - Pal Bailador — Orquesta Salsarria – Pal Bailador

In 2014 they recorded their first album entitled ¨De Vuelta aNuestras Raíces¨ having acceptance in the national and international salsa audience.

Its director and founder Wilfredo Castro is the composer and arranger of all the songs, I love you Caracas, Simply (international success), Las Leyendas, Carnival Comparsa for Caracas, Different Swing, That day you decide to return and in my neighborhood, and preparing his second record production.

Nahití Ortega. Dance is her Passion and Life

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

Nahiti Ortega, is a Venezuelan with exceptional talent, more than 25 years as a performer of traditional Venezuelan dances, this time International Salsa Magazine has the privilege of conversing with this artist of international stature.

She began her Dance studies in the Popular Culture workshops of the Bigott Foundation, taking classes in different regions of the country.

It also conducts courses in other international dances such as: African, Colombian, Cuban, Argentine, Dominican, Bolivian, Brazilian, Chilean, among others.

She expands her knowledge by taking other workshops on dance accessories, body expression, rhythm, dance analysis, theory of popular culture, anti-stress elements of music and singing, vocal technique, artistic makeup, stage costume design, organization of special events, corporate image, online tradition, training of teletrainers, pedagogical resources of a virtual classroom: moodle among others.

Augusto: What does dance mean to you personally?

Nahití: Dance is life…

Life begins with a dance, since we are conceived, we dance when a child is inside his mother’s womb, when the earth turns on its own axis, when the waves of the sea reach the shore, when the wind blows and moves the leaves of the trees… in all those movements a beautiful dance is produced, as well as life itself.

“The Dance is so important that the celestial heroes created the world with the power of the dance, and the whole earth is the magical work of the first dancers. The very existence of human beings is the result of the dance. Therefore, dancing is ensuring the continuation of existence” (Morela Maneiro)

For me, dance is a way of life that connects me with the depths of my being and allows me to undress and show myself as I am. My movements are the physical expression of everything intangible that happens to me. By moving I highlight the relationship I have with myself and with my surroundings.

Augusto : Is there or was there any guide that inspired you to this art?

Nahití : My father has always been my inspiration and my guide; Since I was little I always wanted to dance, one day he asked me, do you really want to dance? and I said yes, it was then he who took me by the hand to study dance and introduce me to this wonderful world.

Throughout my career I have had incredible teachers, which I must mention Professor Freddy Medina who, due to his discipline, demand and dedication, I learned to differentiate and perform a large part of our traditional dances and Omar Orozco who taught me that dance, beyond if interpreted, it serves us for life itself.

Augusto: Name me the best anecdote in your career, nationally and internationally

Nahiti: Hahaha… Woow! Throughout my career I have had many anecdotes, I can tell you a few:

One of the ones I remember right now was in a presentation with Master Cheo Hurtado where I had to show the difference in the execution of the Venezuelan Joropos, when I got to the dressing room and took out the costumes I realized that I had two shoes on the same foot, namely; I had two right shoes, you can imagine my frightened face, after this I had a fit of laughter and my friend Rossmary Rondón, also a dancer, seeing the situation and my reaction, asked me if I was crazy, why was I laughing?…

? and I replied “because I still have to solve it and I don’t do anything to bother myself”. Finally I danced with my two identical shoes and nobody noticed that detail, only she and I knew. And everything went well.

Another was on a long tour of Asia, we were in Korea and we did 3 shows a day, I remember that on the third of the day we did the monkey dance, in this piece we invited the public to join in, in the performance we threw ourselves on the ground and then we couldn’t stop quickly due to fatigue and it made us laugh a lot, the public had to act by imitation and since they didn’t know what was happening, they ended up getting our laughter.

Augusto : Was your father an influence on your work?

Nahití : Undoubtedly yes, I greatly admire my father, he is a great artist one of the best in his style, he has always been a reference in the musical field, I have learned that with discipline, perseverance, dedication and love for what you do you can achieve the proposed goals, my father currently has more than 50 years of uninterrupted artistic career, which shows that his formula works.

Augusto : Tell us a little about your career as a teacher

Nahití : In my classes I usually teach the origin of the dance to be worked on, the main body movements, basic steps and choreographic sequences, depending on the level, as well as breathing and physical preparation for each dance. I also introduce the student to the personal search so that he can achieve his own style and projection.

Augusto : We express, how was your work as Artistic Director of Vasallos de Venezuela?

Nahití : I like to stimulate the members mentally, we create a world together with some characteristics and rules. For me, each body has a story to tell, each one has particular movements acquired through their experiences that they can contribute, so I try to find ways in which the members can identify with the motivation, get involved and feel willing to propose. What I seek is to find during the process, movements that adapt to what I propose.

I also like to work a lot on muscle memory through repetition, to make the movements non-robotic. We work deeply, the gestures and the staging is important for each one to take out and project their personal style.

Augusto: Do you have future projects?

Nahití: Many projects, tours, concert that I won’t tell you details for cabal hahaha…

Augusto : Explain your experience as manager of Coco y su Sabor Matancero

Nahití : It is really wonderful, seeing how successful my father’s career has been and now his Manager, it is a great commitment, all the years of experience in the artistic world made me worthy of this responsibility. In this short time we managed to record his new record production entitled “Con Todo” in which we managed to bring together great artists such as: Mariana “La Sonera”, Wilmer Lozano, Rodrigo Mendoza and El moreno Michael, and we have already visited several countries for its promotion. , United States, Chile, Peru and Panama, we have just performed a concert in one of the best venues in Venezuela, just as we performed its baptism.

Nahití Ortega, has a long history at the National and International level, has an extraordinary personality that transmits joy, good vibes, harmony, feeling for what she does that comes straight from the heart, taking into account her particularity and professionalism of the teachings of her dad.

He began his activities in the field of Popular Culture by participating in the Agrupación la Patria y su Gente led by Professor Freddy Medina for three years; In 1994, she participated as a special guest of the Agrupación Autochthono de la Vega in the “Barcelos Festival”, belonging to the CIOF – UNESCO circuit, in the countries of Portugal and Spain.

In 1995 he joined the group with Venezuela directed by Professor Oswaldo Lares in which he worked for four years, participating in the “Caribbean Festival 95” in the cities of Cancun, Cuzumel, Playa El Carmen, State of Quintana Roo – Mexico, in 1996, he carried out the Afro-Venezuelan percussion workshop in the Popular Culture workshops of the Bigott Foundation, dictated by Professor Jesús Paiva, with a duration of three years.

She participated as a dancer in the Oscar D´ León video clip “Mírala Como se Menea”, as well as in the Venezuelan film “Juegos Bajo la Luna”, directed by Mauricio Walerstein.

In the teaching area, he has taught traditional dance workshops at a national and international level.

As well as accessories for dance, body language, dance therapy, clothing, basic stage makeup, artistic makeup, staging, among others.

Among the institutions in which he has given workshops we can mention some such as: Popular Culture Workshops of the Bigott Foundation – Venezuela University of the Arts in Lima – Peru.

Simon Rodriguez University. Nucleus Barquisimeto -Venezuela

She has done work as a dancer, choreographer, image consultant and producer for various groups.

In 1993, he joined the group “Vasallos del Sol” of the Bigott Foundation under the direction of Professor Omar Orozco.

In 2000 she joined Danzas Itanera, as a dancer, costume designer and image consultant for the group.

He has shared the stage with artists such as: Serenata Guayanesa, Un Solo Pueblo, Francisco Pacheco y su pueblo, Simón Díaz, Cruz Tenepe, Vidal Colmenares, Cristóbal Jiménez, Gurrufio, El cuarteto, Caracas Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Armed Forces , Coco y Su Sabor Matancero, Oscar de León, Guaco, Invisible Friends, Aquiles Báez among others.

He has toured the entire national territory, appearing on countless stages with participation in international festivals. In 2009, she participated as a dancer and workshop facilitator at the X Meeting for the promotion and dissemination of the intangible heritage of Ibero-American countries “Fiestas and Rituals” in Lima, Peru. Currently Manager of Coco y Su Sabor Matancero and dance and artistic director of the Vasallos de Venezuela group.

Photos courtesy of Nahití Ortega