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We bring trombonist Félix O. Rodriguez from Santurce to ISM

The beautiful island of enchantment Puerto Rico has always given birth to many of the best salsa exponents of all time and the source of talent that has come out of that place has been inexhaustible. It is always a pleasure to be able to talk with a boricua of those who continue to leave their Latin heritage on high and, this time, it was the turn of the arranger, composer, sound engineer and trombonist Félix O. Rodríguez from Santurce.

It was very kind of the artist to give us a few minutes of his time to answer some questions for International Salsa Magazine and then we will be elaborating a bit on the topics we discussed with the salsa exponent.

Félix from Santurce — Trombonist and sound enginer Félix O. Rodríguez from Santurce

Félix’s beginnings in the music world

Félix’s first contact with music was at home, as his parents listened a lot to salsa, merengue, bachata and Latin music in general. While listening to this music, one of the things that attracted him the most was the sound of the trombone, especially in artists such as Willie Colón, Oscar D’ León, Gilberto Santa Rosa and many others.

Once he reached the seventh grade in school, he decided to take music lessons and chose that instrument to start his training due to his fascination with it, something that today he does not complain about because he assures that he has done very well.

In this learning process, noticing Félix’s interest in the trombone, his father, who was a professional orchestra musician, invited him to rehearsals so that he could soak up this whole atmosphere from an early age. It just so happened that the trombonist of this orchestra could not attend a rehearsal, so they gave the opportunity to the young boy to take his place for that night.

After two or three shows, Félix was selected as house trombonist when he was only thirteen years old. Although he was not old enough to enter nightclubs, he was allowed to be present because he was part of the orchestra that would play there.

Orquesta Innovación and musical arrangements

When he entered high school, Félix began to study a bit about music theory and related topics such as chords, writing for a specific instrument, percussion and other subjects.

The young man worked so hard to train that, at only 15 years old, he was already perfectly capable of making musical arrangements, starting with transcriptions of music existing so far and copying notes from those songs. After several years on it, he finally started writing his own original music.

In fact, he went on to record a couple of songs with Orquesta Innovación (the second orchestra he was in), a couple of original songs that unfortunately were never released, but served as experience for what would follow.

University of South Carolina

Félix acknowledged with laughter that this was the only university he applied to, so it was almost an obligation for him to be admitted. Fortunately for him, it was.

He had to perform some tests with instruments and show examples of material of his own authorship to prove his musical skills. Everything he had learned so far was mostly based on salsa.

Thanks to his effort and dedication in previous years, he was admitted to the University of South Carolina, where he studied music theory and trombone for five years. While there, the musician learned everything necessary about the historical aspects of all variants of classical music, jazz, marching band, orchestral symphony and many more.

The formation obtained in his studies is still useful to Félix in the arrangements he makes today. However, he made it clear that his passion was and still is salsa and Latin music in general.

Félix during a performance — Félix during a live performance

Military life and musical activities during those years

Upon graduating from the university, Félix was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army, following his father’s example, who was perfectly capable of meeting his obligations in the military and continuing to exercise his passion for music without having to give up either.

As fate would have it, the artist met up with a former colleague from Orquesta Innovación, which led them to revive their passion for music and to create Orquesta Ideal, with which he spent eight years at Fort Bragg (U.S. military installation), North Carolina, his first stop as an officer.

Over the years, he was assigned to units in Spain, Germany and Korea. It didn’t matter where he went because there were always Puerto Ricans and Latinos eager to get together to make music, which Felix took advantage of to be in touch with music, whether as a trombonist or a DJ.

When asked if these events in which he was involved in were open to the public, he said yes in most cases, as military bases allowed entry to anyone, but unfortunately that changed with the Twin Tower Bombings on 9/11.

Berklee College of Music

During the last years of his military career, Felix studied production, mixing and remastering at Berklee College of Music in order to go preparing for his return to music once his retirement was official.

In addition to playing the trombone and arranging, the musician also loved production, editing, mixing and mastering, so he wanted to learn much more about all of these areas and thus have more control over his own work.

Given that the Covid-19 pandemic was starting at that time, his hours at the military base where he worked were significantly reduced, which he took full advantage of to dedicate more time to school and continue growing as a professional musician.

Félix recording — Félix in a recording studio

‘‘Con La Música Por Dentro’’

In the year 2021, Felix released his first EP titled ”Con La Música Por Dentro”. In a world still hit by the pandemic, the artist found it very difficult to record and promote his first solo musical work.

He wanted to record with live musicians, but because of this same situation, it was not possible, so there were endless backing vocals he had to do and instruments he had to play himself in order to make the EP happen, so his name is the one that predominates in almost all the credits of the material.

Fortunately, he succeeded to establish a recording studio at home and was supported his friend and singer João José, who recorded voices, piano and bass for the three tracks that make up the EP.

Atlanta

When we wanted to know why he chose Atlanta as his final destination to settle permanently, he told us that he did it to support his wife, who has got a good job in that city. He remembered the time when he started in the army and his wife and daughter always followed him wherever he traveled for his military duties, so he considered that it is time to return everything his partner has done for him and decided to follow her this time.

He had to look a little to meet musicians and re-weave those connections in the industry and the Latino community in Atlanta, so he had to start from scratch in that sense. The good thing is that everything worked out for him and, as soon as he arrived in Atlanta, he was contacted to play with Willie Gonzalez. The bandleader liked his skills as a musician and offered him to continue playing with them, and so it has been to this day.

Metamorphosis: from music to photojournalism, a reinvention without limits

In the salsa scene, we are privileged to have the presence and companionship of Felix “Guayciba” Ayala.Guayciba is one of the greatest photojournalists Puerto Rico has ever produced.

He has moved from the musical notes that embrace our ears to now capturing visuals that awaken our five senses of unrepeatable moments.

I appreciate and share first hand the reference of how this idea begins, how the seed of wanting to be a photojournalist is planted, after having directed the Guayciba Group for 12 years.

“In the mid-’80s, a group of friends and I got together. We started playing and put together a Christmas repertoire. People liked it, and they told me, ‘Hey Felix, you should form a group, you sound great.'”

Encouraged by the public’s reception, they set about the task of banding together and formalizing a repertoire of Christmas music, which they later expanded to include popular music. In 1987, the group did not yet have a name, but the musicians were already rehearsing and playing in a bar in Santa Rosa (Bayamón, Puerto Rico).

In 1988 they started calling themselves Murciélago Sound Machine and got their first professional contract, for which they charged $200.00. During one of the rehearsals, Felix’s neighbor, who owned a movie and video rental store, offered to give him the name of his store: Guayciba; which he had already registered with the State Department.

The rest is history.

Felix liked the name, even though he still didn’t know what it meant. Guay-ciba means to take care of the stone. It turns out that our Taino Indians communicated by carving messages on stones, which we now know as petroglyphs.

This form of communication of our Indians, the Tainos, was engraved on the stones that are part of our heritage.

Since 1989, Guayciba claims to have lost his last name – Ayala – to replace it with the name he is known by in the media, Guayciba.

On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix "Guayciba" — On the salsa stage we have the privilege of having the presence of Felix “Guayciba”

This was the name of the musical group of which Félix Guayciba was the director, composer and singer. As the main member and founder, he took on the task with commitment and in 1989 they released their first record production, entitled Nuestra música primero en LP, because CDs were not yet widespread in the market.

Felix remembers that the first singer of Grupo Guayciba was Gisela Ortiz. Some time later, Gisela got thyroid cancer and when she lost her voice, she had to be replaced by Aidita Encarnación.

Guayciba recalls that Aidita made her debut with the group during the “Coffee Festival” in Maricao and remained with the group until it disbanded in 2000.

In 1991 they produced Echemos pa’lante, which opened the door to radio stations on the island. In 1992 they produced Por ti doblaré rodillas, and in 1993 they released what Felix considers their masterpiece under the title Borinquen, nido de amores.

Félix affirms that this production became the classic album that consolidated them in Salsoul, Z-93 and Estereotempo. Later they released La revolución apoya lo nuestro. In 1999 they released their last album, Contra viento y marea.

In this last Guayciba production, Maestro Luis ‘Perico’ Ortiz made two arrangements: “Déjame Soñar” by Perín Vázquez, which Tito Puente had already recorded on the 100th album, backing the voice of Tony Vega (Antonio Vega Ayala), the cousin of Félix Guayciba Ayala. The six albums of the Grupo Guayciba were recorded in the studio of Maestro Pedro Rivera Toledo, and in Contra viento y marea Maestro Rivera Toledo recorded the saxophone.

In his last album, the song “Por nada la cambiaré” was composed by Guayciba and dedicated to his homeland, Puerto Rico.

They never recorded Christmas music because their mission was to defend our music, the seis, the bomba, the plena and the guaracha, among other indigenous rhythms. The time came for the group to disband, but as Guayciba affirms: “We left a legacy for the musical history of our nation (…) Guayciba was, is and will be one of the best musical groups in the history of typical Puerto Rican music. I have retired, but at least we have left a legacy for history, we have left a mark”.

With the arrival of the new millennium, Guayciba’s musical stage ended to give way to the visual arts, making it clear that he had not retired from the humanistic arts, but had reinvented himself and now stood out in the visual arts.

The images captured by Guayciba’s photographic lens are full of life and movement. The viewer sees as if the artist, athlete or object in the photo comes to life.

Guayciba reflects while explaining how the image speaks or remains silent, depending on the adjustment made, the movement given, the position and the light.

He hastens to clarify: “I have used my musical career to distinguish myself in photography. I photograph artists the way I want them to photograph me.

I try to make the image I take of an artist or a show speak. In photojournalism, the photo has to speak.”

Guayciba made the decision to move from music to photojournalism as a result of a deep depression that he faced and fought with professional help. Once the decision was made, he began training at the University of Puerto Rico.

He never forgot what one of the specialists who was part of the medical team that helped him recover told him: “I have faith in you. If you are going to be a photojournalist, I want you to be the best photojournalist”.

Felix attended classes every Wednesday for three hours. He remembers his first photographic experiments. One that comes to mind is Ricardo Arjona, who performed for an entire season at the Centro de Bellas Artes. Felix would leave his weekly class to go to the CBA, where he would stay until late.

The next day he would go to a megastore to develop the photos from the night before and bring them to the professor to evaluate the shots. The professor would give him advice on what to do to improve the photos he had in hand.

Another moment he remembers with emotion was in 2002, when Fania played a concert at the Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in Bayamón.

Guayciba already had a digital camera, and during that concert, he says he used 25 rolls of film with 36 exposures each.

He says this was his first international assignment. The first time he photographed an international artist was when he was still a photography student, practicing with Ricardo Arjona in the Fine Arts Department.

As a result of that coverage, he got in touch with the Guatemalan artist, who was thrilled with the photos Felix took, saying at the time that they were the best photos he had ever taken, adding that the Puerto Rican had captured his best side.

Felix has continued to evolve and has had the opportunity to cover concerts by Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, among others. He says: “The only thing I don’t do is pornography, weddings or quinceañeras”. His specialty is artistic shows and sporting events.

Guayciba is the longest serving photographer to cover the Coliseo de Puerto Rico since its inauguration in 2004, when Sonora Ponceña, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and Roberto Roena’s Apollo Sound performed in that memorable concert produced by Pepe Dueño.

One of the highlights of his career was a trip to Cuba in 2009, where Guayciba was the official photographer for the Puerto Rican delegation that went to the Cuba Disco Festival, which was dedicated to Puerto Rico in that edition.

He has taken more than 24,000 pictures of Cuba. The most memorable experience of his trips to Cuba was visiting the resting place of Che Guevara.

He continues to learn from all the images he has taken and published. “At one point, during the performance of the 2013 musical Pedro Navaja, the Caballero de la Salsa, Gilberto Santa Rosa told me, “You have to let yourself be criticized and you have to accept criticism as long as it is constructive criticism.”

Felix added and still maintains: “It depends on who is criticizing you, because there are people who criticize you just to make fun of you; yes, you know, out of envy”. In fact, Felix understood that he had the best photos of Gilberto.

When he went to see him to show him, Santa Rosa told him: “They’re good, but these photos where I’m alone don’t say anything because it could be at the Fine Arts Center or it could be in some theater. This concert is symphonic, where is the symphony orchestra?” Santa Rosa was right. “From that ear flattery I learned that you have to take the picture of the artist and the complements like stage, orchestra, etc.. It’s like writing a story. You have to include the day, the historical setting, the characters, and make sure that the viewer can get a picture of what happened there in the moment. It’s more of a frozen in time effect.

Guayciba considers Conrado Pastrano her teacher and mentor. She expresses gratitude for all that she has learned in photography and acknowledges that there is still more to learn.

Conrado is an exceptional colleague who takes the time to explain ways to correct unwanted effects in images. Guayciba has developed her own unique style by studying the works of other colleagues and drawing inspiration from each of the photojournalists whom she admires.

Guayciba is highly regarded as one of the top photojournalists in Puerto Rico, although he is humble and has never claimed the title for himself. He recognizes that there are others who may be more talented than him. His motto is: “I may not be the best, but I am proficient in my craft and the photos I take convey a narrative.”

When he is at the ball park, he adeptly adjusts his lighting, shutter speed, and lens to capture the intricate details on a ball despite its velocity exceeding 100 miles per hour. When artists perform on stage, Guayciba faces the task of restoring their natural appearance despite the color filters and stage lighting often making them look unnatural or cartoonish. Overcoming these challenges and bringing the images to life, imbues these artists with renewed enthusiasm for their craft, a pursuit they have devoted over two decades to.

At 68 years of age, he prays daily for longevity. He abstains from drugs and alcohol, including wine, champagne, and cider. His sole indulgence is tobacco and photography.

To view Félix Guayciba’s artistic works and keep in touch with this vital advocate of Puerto Rican culture, please visit the publication at www.guayciba.com. To email him, please use [email protected], or follow his IG account at https://www.instagram.com/guay54/.

To reach him by phone, please dial 787-637-8617. He is always available and eager to assist with his usual helpful demeanor.

Also Read: Bella Martínez presents “Las memorias de Jimmie Morales: un conguero para la historia” [Read more…] about Metamorphosis: from music to photojournalism, a reinvention without limits

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero

North America / United States / New Jersey

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero hails from Caracas, Venezuela.

Where his father, a respected percussionist in his own right, tutored and encouraged his son to become one of music’s best percussionists.

Luisito comes from a long line of outstanding musicians including his uncle, Carlos Nene Quintero and cousin Robert Quintero.

He studied at the respected Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela (The Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela) and his percussion technique soon garnered attention from his colleagues.

Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Luisito joined the popular music ensembles Grupo Guaco and Oscar D’Leon, where he enjoyed worldwide acclaim.

Luisito Quintero has worked and recorded with many of music’s legends including The Rolling Stones, Vanessa Williams, Paul Simon, Santana, Jack De Johnette, David Sanborn, George Benson, Joe Sample, Bill Cosby, the late Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Richard Bona, Ravi Coltrane, Nathalie Cole, Diana Krall, Giovanni Hidalgo, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Spanish Harlem, Willie Colon and countless others. One of his recent projects finds him as musical director for Louie Vega and the Elements of Life Band, as well as extensive work with Jack DeJohnette’s Latin Project. He has also had the privilege to tour and record with the Tony & Grammy award winning Jazz artist, Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Quintero himself has earned more than thirteen Grammy certificate awards for his participation in numerous recordings.

Luisito Quintero has two solo projects under Vega Records/BBE, entitled “Percussion Maddness” and “Percussion Maddness Revisited”.

Timbalero - Luisito Quintero — Master Timbalero Luisito Quintero – Photo

Scheduled for release in the spring of 2013, his upcoming production entitled “3rd Element”, features guest artists Gato Barbieri, Oscar Hernandez, Doug Beavers, Richie Flores, Steve Khan, Reynaldo Jorge and his cousin Roberto Quintero. Currently, Luisito is the touring & recording percussionist for the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea and for Spanish Harlem.

Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

Carlos Vicente Quintero De Jesús, better known as Nene Quintero, was born on October 21, 1946 in the Caracas neighborhood of Marín (a neighborhood of percussionists par excellence), in San Agustín del Sur.

In a family that has produced several musicians, among them his brothers the former “Madera”, Ricardo and Jesús “Chu” Quintero, who died in the Orinoco tragedy; Rafael who lives in Marseille or his nephews Luisito (the “chamo Candela” of Daiquirí), Robert and Chuíto, who live in New York.

During his adolescence he was in several groups and then he played with Los Dementes, the Venezuelan group Pan suerte de Santana with César Monge (Dimensión Latina) and Alfredo Padilla (La Salsa Mayor), Porfi Jiménez, Frank Quintero and Los Balzehaguaos, Yordano and many others.

Carlos "Nene" Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies — Carlos “Nene” Quintero comes from a family of musical prodigies

-What would be the five main moments of his career?

Nené lists them:

1- Having worked with people I went to see at a radio station and then I got to play with them. That was in the 70’s, in a place called Playboy in Altamira, with their bunnies and everything.

I worked with Lewis Vargas and Rafael “Gallo” Velásquez on trumpets; Moscatt was the saxophonist; Willy Pérez, pianist; Jorge Romero, bassist of Aldemaro Romero’s Onda Nueva; and Marcelo Planchart on drums.

2- When I heard on the radio a song I recorded with Los Dementes: “Rómpelo”, which was very popular. I saw myself as a very famous person, I was heard on the radio for the first time.

3- When Eumir Deodato came and proposed me to go with him to the United States.

I was not in conditions to go because I was working very well, I was doing a lot of jingles, I had two children who were starting to study.

I was sacrificing something that was taking shape: my family. I told him I could go, work and come back. The surprise was when a letter arrived for a tour of Mexico and the United States.

Deodato is a very kind person, he gives you freedom to work, we communicated in “Spanglish” and “portuñol” and he loved beer.

4- Seeing Celia Cruz when I was a kid in Marin, going to visit friends like Johnny Perez, from Sonora Caracas, and some time later working with her, even in her last shows, in Montreal.

Celia’s birthday was the same day as mine, and she looked older, but as soon as she started the music and said “sugar!” she was different, she was transformed.

5- Working lately with my nephews Robert and Luisito gave me a lot of emotion: The three of us on the same stage in New York with Celia Cruz.

But there are more experiences. Eros Ramazzotti, for example. “I chose to go to New York and Miami when things got tough here. I worked with Gato Barbieri and with salsa people.

I would go back and forth, two months out and back. I was recording with a saxophonist who worked with Eros and, the following year while I was in Miami he called me for a six-month tour.

I said yes, they called me the following year again and I spent three years with Ramazzotti touring all over Europe, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Central America, Mexico and Miami.

-Any anecdotes with Ramazzotti? –

Once on his birthday he rented a track where they raced cars. We were drinking, driving, talking, talking, listening to music and they brought a cream cake for Eros.

At one point when he was very close to me with the cake in his hand, I put it in his face. It was a mess with everyone throwing things and pieces of cake at each other.

But I got the impression that he was upset and I went over to apologize and explain to him that it was something that could happen on any South American birthday, especially with a cream cake. He told me not to worry, that it was fine.

Other jobs came through Ramazzotti, such as with Jovanotti and Lucio Dalla.

-And how was it with Little Louie Vega, one of the producers and DJs of the moment?

-I met him through Luisito. We have been touring Europe, the United States and Japan for the last three years, and we recorded with Pushim, a Japanese woman, a song that was in the Japanese top ten.

Meanwhile, “Nené’s” routine continues to be more international than ever between the United States, Europe and especially France, where he has been working with a group that bears his name: Nequin Group, with whom he recorded an upcoming album.

“Working abroad is like working here, but in another language”, he reflects on the matter and says that he is preparing a method for percussionists to work with their feet as well as with their hands.

Carlos Nené Quintero con mi Signature congas (Roberto Quintero)

-What has seemed new to you lately in Europe or in these parts?

-Those jazz works in which there is no conventional group with drums or bass, like what I did with Gerry Weil and Pablo Gil at the Corp Group Cultural Center.

THE BATICONGA AND THE “MCGIVER SET”.

The baticonga is a hybrid: drums with conga. I use bass drum, hi-hat, cimbals, toms, snare and cymbals of various thicknesses.

It has a special redoblante with a rim that does not protrude from the leather so that it does not bother when hitting it like a tumbadora.

It is an idea that I have been maturing. It was born because of Yordano’s album that made him famous, Manantial de corazón, there I recorded all the percussion and when it was time to play it live we needed a drummer and two percussionists. We got the drummer, but things were missing and I started to add electronic pedals, electronic drums, octapads and to use feet and hands.

Then we did an unplugged set and it had to be acoustic with congas, bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals.

The McGiver set is a djembe with brushes, cymbals with rivets, a conga that is just like a lid, like a tambourine, and I mount it on top of a snare drum stand and a cowbell. A set that does it all.

SIX INFLUENTIAL PERCUSSIONISTS

Alejandro Blanco Uribe and Airto Moreira: “I saw a lot of Gerry Weil with La Banda Municipal in the 70s and Alejandro as a multi-percussionist with effects and accessories.

That led me to look at Airto’s proposal and to fall in love with percussion at a time when I was playing guitar”.

Trilok Gurtu: “For his fusion of oriental music with rock and jazz. I’ve been hearing him since Oregon, and when I heard him with John McLaughlin on the live album in London my jaw dropped.”

Jack DeJohnette: “As a drummer he has a very floaty groove, he can do with the beats what he wants and the rhythm is always there.”

Tony Williams: “Another drummer. I saw a video that aroused my interest because his technique is like the one I use with the baticonga”.

Giovanni “Mañenguito” Hidalgo: “Since he came out the thing changed, he gave another level to the congas or tumbadoras, with him there has been a ‘before and after'”. – with Roberto Quintero and Luisito Quintero.

Also read: Argenis Carruyo is known in the music scene as “El Volcán de América” (The Volcano of America) due to the power of his voice

John Narváez and Elizabeth Rojas from Salsamania

John and Liz from Salsamania

Between days 23 and 25 March, 2023, the San Francisco Salsa Festival took place, which brought together some of the cream of The Bay Area Latin music scene. One of those attending this great event was the main editor of International Salsa Magazine, Mr. Eduardo Guilarte.

On site, he had the opportunity to share with other guests and some of the organizers such as Elizabeth Rojas, affectionately known as Liz, and John Narváez. We had the chance to talk with both dance professionals to know more about their beginnings, festivals and projects. Do not miss it!

John and Elizabeth — Colombian dancers John Narváez and Elizabeth Rojas

Beginnings

After several attempts to schedule a meeting with John and Liz, we finally managed to talk with these Colombian dancers and entrepreneurs, who began by thanking us for the contact and the opportunity to promote their passion for salsa and the community they represent.

This love they have for the aforementioned musical genre has much to do with their roots. Both were born in Colombia and left the country when they were 12 years old (they are the same age) because of the violent situation caused by the guerrilla that existed in those years.

Although those were hard times, John says these were very nice years from which he has fond memories. He remembers almost all his family members singing or playing an instrument, while he was the only dancer. All this influenced him in such a way that Latin music remains his north after so many years.

Moving to the United States

Since the social situation did not allow them to live in their country, they decided to move to the United States and apply for political asylum. At the beginning, it was not easy and the focus was on working hard to get ahead in this new country and to learn English. However, all that changed over time.

With the arrival of economic and family stability, priorities changed. John comments that his interest in music and dance perked back up due to the family gatherings that his relatives celebrated such as birthdays, quinceañeras, weddings, among others.

Although at the time dancing was not considered a serious profession, both John and Liz began to practice it at amateur level. Once they turned 21, they started going to the most popular salsa clubs, but it was all for recreational purposes. It was years later before they began to analyze all the technical and historical part of dancing to understand it better and take it more seriously.

John, Liz, and Barbara — John and Liz with Barbara on Despierta América

Dancing as a profession

John and Liz started to take dancing seriously in 1999. They both attended a three-day salsa event in Los Angeles, but what they did not know is that this was the first world salsa congress in America.

This gave them the opportunity to share with the best salsa dancers in the world and they saw such impressive things that they were inspired to return next year with a well-established dance team with which they could participate fully in these activities.

Being full of motivation, they decided to create Salsamania Dance Company and performed with their team at the festival. They started doing the same thing every year, which helped them gain experience and evolve their styles.

After earning the trust of the festival organizers thanks to their talent and professionalism, they were given the opportunity to start teaching salsa workshops at the aforementioned congress. This is how little by little John and Liz began to build the reputation and credibility they have today.

In 2004, it got to a point where John took the important decision to quit his job to devote himself to dancing and Liz was quick to do the same. His resignation came with the opportunity to take a three-month trip to Hong Kong to teach salsa in a community where people did not dance it.

They managed to build a community from nothing, since at that time, Hong Kong was not a place where people listened to salsa. However, everything went well and the dancers managed to seamlessly connect with the local audience. As John rightly said, ”salsa is a universal language and you don’t have to speak that language to feel the music”.

On returning to the Bay Area, they began to practice dancing as a profession in the United States.

On this point, Liz commented that her parents became very upset with her when she quit her job because of dancing, but today, they admit that it was the right decision and support her totally.

Liz and John dancing — Liz and John during a social dance in Boston

Salsamania Dance Company

Liz told us that it was difficult to create Salsamania Dance Company because it requires a lot of discipline and healthy coexistance between different types of personalities to create a group like this and keep it together. Fortunately, John is an industrial psychologist, so he helped to prevent these aspects to be a problem.

Basically, Liz is responsible for the company’s management and John is the one who takes care of the human part of all the staff.

They started the whole process like any regular company and drew up the contracts for all those who were going to work with them, making Salsamania a much more established, structured and serious project in the eyes of everyone else. Today, it is one of the largest companies in the Bay Area.

They also took it a step further and built a salsa academic program with a thoroughness and detail that has not been seen in other projects of this kind.

San Francisco Salsa Festival

San Francisco Salsa Festival is one of the biggest salsa events in California and the United States in general and we were fortunate to have representation there with our editor Eduardo Guilarte.

It began to be celebrated in 2008 with the support of international salsa promoter Albert Torres, who was a fundamental piece in the development of the festival and talent recruitment for an event of this size, as there were many things John and Liz had to learn. That is why they are both incredibly grateful for what the congress organizer did for them back then.

To recruit artists, the dancers only require candidates to be good teachers, to share with the salsa community and to put on a good show for the audience.

They also often invite colleagues they have known for years and some recommended to whom they give them the opportunity to shine and make themselves known during those days.

Every year, they look for dancers, dance instructors, DJs and live orchestras. For Liz and John, the thing about live bands is very important, as they are concerned that there are so many clubs and venues that no longer hire these talents. This year, they focused on local bands that play on Thursdays and Fridays in San Francisco and were very happy with the results.

It is expected that the next San Francisco Salsa Festival is scheduled between days 22 and 24 March, 2024 at the same venue, which is the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

The orchestras hired to perform for next year are Cabanijazz, The Latin Rhythm Boys and Orquesta Boyacán. The dancing couples are Alex and Judy from Colombia, Colombians Felipe from Colombia and Kathe and Mauricio and Danny from Mexico.

John, Liz, and Oscar D’ León — John and Liz with Venezuelan singer Oscar D’ León

Difficulties in the pandemic

As dancing is an activity with a lot of physical contact and closeness, we were curious to know how they lived the pandemic and what they did to keep their project afloat in this situation.

Though they admit that those months were not easy, they have always been very disciplined with their money and had enough to resist as long as possible without working.

They tried to make up for lost time by teaching classes via Zoom as did most of their colleagues and designing new choreographies to apply when they went back to their usual activities.

In addition to this, both had not spent time with their respective families in a long time, so they also took advantage of the absence of work to reunite with their loved ones and take up those important contacts that were lost due to stress and routine.