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Bachata Festival 2017 in San Francisco, California

North America / USA / California

The Ultimate Bachata, Salsa, Kizomba and Zouk Experience… A Dance Convention for Beginners, Intermediate & for all levels of dancing! The 9th Annual SF International Bachata Festival

Date: JULY 21st – 24th, 2017
Bachata | Kizomba | Zouk | Salsa (4-Party Rooms)
3 days and 3 nights of dancing
Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 10am until 6am!

Photos from the 2017 Bachata Festival in San Francisco

Transform your dance skills in one weekend with these world renowned dance instructors plus a dance experience of a lifetime!

Live Band
Dance Workshops from 10am to 5pm
Performances Every Night Ÿ Social Dancing until 6am
Jack and Jill Contest prize Giveaways

SFIBF, (San Francisco International Bachata Festival) is the largest and hottest Bachata festival in the world, located in one of the greatest city in the world – San Francisco. Created by Rodney Rodchata Aquino, along with its sister event Reno Bachata Festival, they are the first Bachata festivals in the USA. It celebrates the music and dance of Bachata, preserving its roots and accepting its evolution, as well as Salsa, Zouk and Kizomba.

Festival Line-Up

More than 20 instructors, DJs and Live Band for this year’s festival!

Adam Taub (Colorado)/ Bachata:

Adam Taub is one of the few ones who have seriously studied authentic bachata (the way Dominicans dance). SFIBF is extremely proud to present him with his special music, history and dance workshops at the San Francisco International Bachata Festival – July 21-23, 2017.

Adam Taub is a documentary film director from Colorado whose films include La Quinceañera, Don Angelo, and El Duque de la Bachata. His film La Quinceañera won the 2007 award for Best Documentary at the Angelus Student Film Festival in Hollywood, California and Best Documentary at the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

Alberto & Nola (Australia) / Bachata:

Nola Komis is the Founder, Director and Principal Instructor of A Touch of Salsa Latin Dance Studios in Sydney, Australia. A Touch of Salsa runs classes in Salsa, Bachata, Zouk and Kizomba. They also offer competition courses, workshops, performance courses and more and will this year will be celebrating 11 years.

Nola Komis and Alberto Torres-Perez have been teaching together for the past five years and they are both passionate and love sharing their passion for dance. Nola and Alberto have both travelled to Athens, Geneva, New Zealand, Hawaii and all over Australia where they have taught workshops at Festivals/Congresses to packed participants and have received many great reviews for their classes.

Nola and Alberto are looking forward to being part of the San Francisco Bachata Festival in July 2017.

Emelie Andagan (Sacramento) / Salsa:

The Yemaya Salsa Dance Company was founded by Emelie Andagan & Heather Wong-Xoquic in October, 2000. Emelie learned to dance salsa after only a few years due to her extensive dance background of over 20 years and many years of experience as a ballet and jazz student, and later a teacher at the Ballet Theatre of Dover Dance Conservatory.

The troupe started as a small group of only four couples that rehearsed twice a week in various garages and practically anywhere with a smooth surface. She owns and manages Yemaya Dance Studio in Sacramento, and is the main director of Yemaya dance Company.

Luis Aguilar (San Francisco) / Salsa:

Luis Aguilar debuted in 2000 with the Salsa Mania Dance Company in San Francisco. Since then, he performed with such giants in the Latin music industry as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, the Tito Puente Orquestra, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Jose “El Canario” Alberto, Oscar de Leon, Eddie Palmieri, the Spanish Harlem Orquestra and Sonora Carruseles. In addition to his impressive performance credits, Luis has taken 1st place in many Latin dance competitions and Congresses such as The San Francisco International Salsa Congress and the Bay Area Salsa Dance Competition.

Since joining forces in 2007, Luis and Anya have become the ON 2 WORLD SALSA CHAMPIONS for the second year in a row, along with having become two time undefeated San Francisco Congress Salsa champions in ’09 and ’10, undefeated two time New York Congress champions in ’09, ’10, Puerto Rico Hustle and Salsa champions ’09, and are currently the North American Salsa Champions and two time winners of the NY/NJ salsa open. With their combined backgrounds, Luis and Anya make a dynamic duo that brings a fresh new element to the salsa dance floor.

Benga Da Beatz (Ohio) / Kizomba:

Benga is a Nigeria born international dancing sensation, with backgrounds in several African dances, ballroom dances, American dances, and latin dances. From Waltz to Tango, Makoussa to Kizomba, hip hop to west coast swing, and Irish dance to Bollywood. Benga has intensive dancing experiences all across the globe.

An Afro Beats and Afro-cuban solo performer, and a latin dance instructor well known to many now as the Da Beatz. With 26 years of African Dancing and 6 years of professional latin dancing, Benga is teaching and promoting at every Latin events possible with his own vibrant style of Fun Swagness.

Cymeone Mopao (France) / Kizomba:

Cymeone Mopao is a well-known kizomba instructor based in Paris. He is one of the first instructors to have taught kizomba in France beginning in 2009. Born into a family of musicians, he was accustomed to lots of music and quickly adapted to the dance lifestyle. As he immersed himself into dance, he became proficient in African style dances such as ndombolo and coupé décalé.

When he was 18, he joined a group of dancers called “les coeurs brisés “. From there he became interested in other Afro style dances like Zouk, Kompa and Kizomba. He gave his first Kizomba class in 2009 and became one of the most wanted instructors in international festivals. In 2010, he was the first French instructor to teach Kizomba in the United States (New York).

Bruno & Olga (Los Angeles) / Zouk:

Bruno and Olga started dancing together in November 2015 and have since taught and performed at numerous events around the country from local workshops to large international congresses.}

In 2016 they took second place in the semi-pro division of the Zouk US Open with their now well-known choreography piece “Worth It” and shortly after got featured in the “Fences” movie, that’s currently in production stage. Olga has a rich dance background in classical ballet, modern, contemporary and commercial jazz, as well as hip hop and heels choreographies. She is also an All-Star west coast swing dancer. Bruno is trained in hip hop, salsa, kizomba, tarraxinha, semba, and of course brazilian zouk.

He has been on the social dance scene of his hometown Braga, Portugal since he was 14 years old. Since his move to the US he’s been mainly focusing on zouk and kizomba, training and teaching around the country with his partner, performing in ISDC dance company for a while, and currently codirecting the Zouk team at Ivo Vieira’s Dance company and learning from the best dance professionals in the world.

Sandro (Brazil) / Zouk:

Sandro Soncini is a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor from Florianopolis, Brazil. He has studied and trained in dance for over 10 years. Sandro is experienced in many partner dance styles, and has intensively studied the concepts of body movement driven by his training in tango.

In 2010 Sandro moved to Argentina to continue to develop his dance skills and education at DNI tango school. Sandro has participated in various congresses and competitions, including BAILA FLORIPA DUO, where in 2012 together with his partner he placed 3rd.

Sandro has taught in zouk throughout Canada, United States and Brazil. Currently Sandro is living in Vancouver, Canada with a focus on promoting zouk in the Pacific North West.

Bachata Festival 2017, Tickets / Passes:

Tickets: Full Passes $200.00 Unlimited. (EXP July 15th)
Tickets at Doors: $250 Buy Your Passes in mybachatafestival.com

Location: The SF Marriott Hotel 1800 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA 94010 Discounted Nightly rate of $141 a night (you must use the site – www.sfibf.com) Free Shuttle 24 hours a day.

Liz Rojas and John Narvaez share their experience with the San Francisco Salsa Festival

The San Francisco Salsa Festival is one of the most important Latin music events in The Bay Area and California in general, so we could not miss it. Eduardo Guilarte, senior editor of International Salsa Magazine attended on our behalf to witness firsthand everything that happened over the three days of the festival, as in previous years.

To learn a little more about the most important facts related to the festival, Elizabeth Rojas and John Narvaez have made room in their busy schedule to talk with us and relate some elements and details of this fifteenth edition, which we are infinitely grateful.

John, Liz, and Angie at the festival — John Narvaez, Angie Seminario y Liz Rojas

How was the 15th edition of the San Francisco Salsa Festival organized?

Liz tells us that the organization of this edition started last year immediately following the previous festival to avoid wasting time and handle contingencies as soon as possible. Whenever they complete an edition, they immediately start to organize the next one, since all the details to keep in mind are too many to leave them for another time.

Liz and John always have to confirm orchestras and artists in advance, but they have a very efficient team of friends and partners to help them with everything related to the event. For this reason, every year it has become easier to make the preparations faster and more efficiently.

Novelties compared to other years

As for the novelties of this edition compared to other years, it could be shown that there was much more influx of people wanting to enjoy the activities offered. In addition to that, the dancers made sure that the program included more guests for classes, dance workshops on Friday, shows and competitions, which in turn helped to attract more interested public.

Another innovative detail was the invitation to local teachers in order to attract their students and people from their academies in general.

Latin Rhythm Boys at the festival — The Latin Rhythm Boys playing at the San Francisco Salsa Festival

Adding to all this, Liz and John sought to take much more into account the bachata dancers and artists in order to offer a little more variety in terms of musical genres and not just salsa.

Situation with the Orquesta La Máxima 79

No matter how majestic an event can be, there are always facts that can tarnish a little the satisfaction of organizers with all that has been achieved. This not so pleasant situation was the regrettable absence of the orchestra La Máxima 79, which was unable to travel to the United States at the last minute because of visa related issues.

John described how the days went by and the visas for the members of the group were not issued, to the point that the immigration department had not even conducted the first interviews. Because of this, they began to consider the possibility that La Máxima might not perform their show as planned.

However, this didn’t stop them from having a card up their sleeve, so replacing La Máxima 79, they hired the amazingly talented Ray de La Paz, whose concert was amazing and delighted the audience with his fabulous show. They had to do much more publicity in the last few days due to the unforeseen change, but fortunately, it was all worth it.

They met Ray de La Paz in Hong Kong in 2004 during one of his shows where they were dancers on stage with him. Although they did not know him at the time, they really liked how he sang, so they called him up for the festival. They proposed to him to participate through Javier Cabanillas, another musician hired for the festival, who was a friend of his and kindly provided them with his contact information to invite him.

Ray at the festival — Ray de La Paz on the red carpet at the San Francisco Salsa Festival

When we wanted to know how the organization deals with last-minute inconveniences, Liz commented that they already had a plan B for such an eventuality. The main organizer of the event, Angie Seminario, and John had already talked about what to do in a situation of this kind. Likewise, they did not wait for the last moment to replace the missing orchestra, but acted quickly and worked on an alternative in parallel. At this point, John highlighted the importance of cultivating good connections and relationships with many musicians, so that they can count on them in emergencies.

Despite everything, they do not give up and will do whatever it takes to bring La Máxima to the festival next year. They are already working on this issue with the company’s lawyer.

The hardest thing to organize the San Francisco Salsa Festival

Together with last-minute absences, another problem which Liz and John face when organizing the festival is the hotel booking process for the time planned. Booking for the selected days and times of the festival and the multiple activities to be developed can turn to a headache, even more so than the organization of the workshops and concerts.

Also, the economic and time requirements can be very complex depending on what an event needs. The fines imposed by the government on venues that exceed the time limits with their events are well known, so planning failures should be avoided at all costs.

John also added that it is always very complicated to deal with people and the selection process of the best staff to work with is not always easy. ”We always look for people who are equal or better than us. We make sure to surround ourselves with people who are even smarter and more capable than us so that they can see what we can’t” said the dancer and entrepreneur.

John, Anfie, Liz, and Ray at the festival — John Narvaez, Angie Seminario, Liz Rojas, and Ray de La Paz

How John and Liz feel now in comparison to the first festival

When compared this latest edition with the first one, John says that both he and Liz are extremely proud of what has been achieved so far. The artist assures that for him it is a great honor to be able to have Liz by his side, then thanks her for accompanying him and making the festival and the rest of the things they have achieved possible.

Meanwhile, Liz fully agrees with her partner and also said she feels very proud of what they have accomplished all these years. Since we have seen other artists doing big dance events, John and I set out to achieve the same thing someday and we are very proud to have been able to make it possible” said the dancer ending her speech.

Julio at the festival — Julio Bravo playing the maracas during Ray de La Paz concert

15 Panama Jazz Festival

Latin America / Panama / Panama

Once again, Panama makes its appearance beginning the year at the City of Knowledge and Casco Antiguo – Panama Jazz Festival in its 15th edition, thanks to the “Danilo Pérez” Foundation, where it gives us the opportunity to enjoy music in a healthy way, once again becoming the The largest Jazz stage in the Region, where musicians and fans from different countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, USA, Mexico, among others, will participate from January 15 to 20.

Its director Danilo Pérez mentions “From the heart of America to the world” giving us a message, which is not just to make and carry out a festival but to show everyone his dedication worldwide by showing us his cultural project that consolidates creativity, exchange and talent. , with a strong commitment to Panamanian education and social welfare, returns with a strong artistic billboard.

Performing artists include the Wayne Shorter Quartet; Latin jazz legend Chucho Valdés; the Brazilian singer, Luciana Souza; the legendary American pianist, Ran Blake, the master composer and pianist, Bill Dobbins accompanied on stage by the Global Jazz Big Band and the Panamanian cumbia patrons, Samy and Sandra Sandoval. Not to mention that the musical billboard is also strengthened with the participation of Panamanian bassist Santi Debriano along with saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist Bill O’Connell and drummer Will Calhoun, as core members of this musical banquet.

Others that will perform are the Panamonk Revisited trio, made up of maestro Pérez together with the Grammy-winning percussionist, Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Ben Street, who will share this celebration with other renowned ones such as the Italian saxophonist Marco Pignataro and his Almas Antiguas quartet, with the Panamanian saxophonist Carlos Agrazal as a special guest; the Panamanian saxophonist Luis Carlos Pérez, and the famous Pan-African Jazz Project, made up of the Chilean saxophonist Patricia.

Collash of the 15th Panama Jazz Festival

Zárate Pérez, the Panamanian Luz Acosta (voice and bass) and Graciela Núñez (violin) and the Egyptian musicians Hesham Galal and Balquei.

The Global Stage will be back this year, which will be a stage to enjoy in style with bands from different latitudes such as Rubén Amador and Yahuba (Puerto Rico), The Shuffle Demons (Canada), Paulina Pérez and Luna Mestiza (Chile), Josean Jacobo & Tumbao (Dominican Republic), Marco Pignataro (Italy), Yogev Shetrit Trio (Israel), Fundación Armonía Colectiva (Costa Rica), Four On a Swing (India) and Shea Welsh (United States); and Panamanian talents German Pinzón Jiménez, Tambo Jazz Collective, Digger Descendants Calypso Band, Proyecto Shuruca and Pureza Natural.

In addition, there will be highly prestigious educational institutions, Berklee College of Music, Berklee Global Jazz Institute, New England Conservatory, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, New York Jazz Academy and Crossroads High School, which offer great support every year.

And of the institutes that will be: Berklee Global Jazz Institute, New England Conservatory, Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz and New Yorl Jazz Academy.

Artists of the 15th Panama Jazz Festival

And the schedule of activities to be carried out are:

Schedule of the 15th Panama Jazz Festival

One of the most important details of the festival is that auditions, countless educational clinics, as well as the VI Latin American Music Therapy Symposium, the I Classical Music Exchange Program and the II Symposium of Musical, Artistic and Cultural Expressions will be held. of Afro-descendants in Panama with the main theme El Calypso:

A unique Latin rhythm being known as an African and Afro-American music that began in Trinidad and Tobago, later being very popular in the highlands of Venezuela, San Andrés and Providencia in Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico and others from the Antilles, where they use instruments such as the stellpan (steel drums), trumpet, trombone, flute, Spanish guitar, electric bass, saxophone, congas, bongos, maracas. This rhythm varies depending on the country where it is performed, giving a unique touch to studying Calypso to all fans or interested in it.

For more information about the Festival, you can contact them through:

WebSite: http://panamajazzfestival.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PanamaJazzFest/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/panamajazzfestival/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanamaJazzFesti
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +507 317-1466

12th edition of the distinguished Salsero and tourist Festival of Venezuela

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

Venezuela land of salsa by nature year after year offers us a space dedicated to this beautiful dance, mainly framed in the presentation of the talent of more than 150 dance schools registered as diffusers of Salsa in this country and an expected visit of guests and foreign public. will make the so named Venezuela es Latina an event to remember. With 12 years of successful editions, it invites us not to one more edition, it calls us to enjoy 4 nights and 3 days of multiple activities, best of all, nights of great social parties.

Venezuela es Latina XII Festival - Flyer — Venezuela es Latina XII Festival – Flyer

Venezuela is Latina, an event with more than 11 years of experience, organizes for this 2018 edition a festival full of workshops, seminars, forums, certifications, bootcamp, shows, competitions and good local tourism, the ideal space for everyone who wants to meet one of the most emblematic tourist and salsa lands in the world, the famous Venezuela.

This 12 installment gives us a cycle of more than 20 hours of classes and training cycles distributed in workshops, seminars and Bootcamp on days dedicated to the professional training of dancers or dancers, as well as instruction for visitors, novices and / or dance fans.

We will be able to delight ourselves with the knowledge of the best instructors from Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela among other countries that remain to be confirmed, with workshops of the most sought-after disciplines, added to this 3 high-caliber seminars of theoretical and practical content that seeks to certify participants.

For the general public, Bootcamps are offered guided by the organizing academy, the Son Rumbero school, which for 2 years has brought this famous practice to the festival, giving attendees the opportunity to do a cycle of classes that ends when they appear on stage. along with the best dancers of the moment on the main night of the festival.

For lovers of good music, there will be a meeting of salsa and timba fans or collectors, where we can enjoy the best musical themes, acquire good music, together with 3 nights of parties and social dancing to share with all attendees, framed in nights of enjoyment and sharing between dancers and sympathizers of these great rhythms at the hands of the best guest DJs.

Stage of the Venezuela es Latina XII Festival

For those who wish to visit this great event, the organizing committee has distributed all-inclusive packages for Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Central America, North America and Europe, with 5, 4 and 3 star hotels adapted to each need. In the same way, free packages are offered for promoters, directors or group managers who visit the festival.

Everything is ready for the 12th edition of this festival, the city of San Cristobal – Táchira State will offer us the best spaces to enjoy 4 days of great Latin things, a city 30 minutes from the border with Colombia in Cúcuta that speeds up access from the south. Dare to be part of this great festival, for more information, contact through social networks: @vzlaeslatina on Instagram and Facebook. Telephones: +573114061366 / +584126142562.

Grazy Tango Festival 2018

Europe / Austria / Graz

Grazy Tango Festival 2018 – 08 Mar 2018 – 11 Mar 2018

The elegance of Argentinian Tango is here to conquer the heart of Europe with the March edition of Crazy Tango Festival 2018! This is the third edition of this amazing Tango Festival in the beautiful city of Graz/Austria and each time attracts more national and international dancers. Participants will love the friendly atmosphere, the high quality workshops in air-conditioned rooms with wooden floors and the wonderful Milongas with superb music!

Maestros 2018:

Maja & Marko (Croatia)
Germán & Eva (Argentina & Denmark)
Boris & Chris (Argentina & England)

Tango DJs 2018:

DJ Pablo
DJ Germán
DJ Veronika
DJ Vlado
DJ Đurđina

Maja Petrović & Marko Miljević started dancing Tango in Zagreb, Croatia in 2002 in a small group of enthusiasts curious about this “new” dance. Only five years later they began giving regular lessons at the Tango Argentino Zagreb Dance School. Their first and most influential teachers were Pablo Rodríguez and Noelia Hurtado. Later they continued to study with Noelia and Carlitos Espinoza.

Maja and Marko - Grazy Tango Festival 2018 — Maja and Marko – Grazy Tango Festival 2018

In 2014 they started to work with Tango professionally, holding workshops and performing all over Europe. In 2015 they had their debut in North America at Bailongo Tango Festival in Montréal, Canada.

Germán Cuestas started dancing when he was a teenager, and since then dedicated his life to music and Tango. He has a degree as a music school teacher and now uses this knowledge in his work as a Tango dancer.

He also has been a Tango DJ for many years and is the organizer of El Motivo Tango (a Milonga in Villa Malcolm’s club, Buenos Aires) and has taught in various Milongas and schools in Buenos Aires.Now he is based in Denmark, teaches and performs with Eva Lehrmann, around Europe, Russia and Argentina.

Eva and German dancing tango - Grazy Tango Festival 2018 — Eva and German dancing tango – Grazy Tango Festival 2018

Eva Lehrman has been dancing different styles of dances most of her life, however it wasn’t until she met the Argentine Tango that she dedicated herself to dancing professionally. She travelled to Buenos Aires, where she soon started working in El Esquinazo, a newly opened Tango school, where she taught Tango and Yoga and there she also met Germàn. Today she mainly works in Copenhagen being an instructor, a DJ and a performer. She still spends a big part of her time in Buenos Aires, where she is part of a team who organizes Tango holidays.

Boris and Chris work to harmonize their distinct and varied backgrounds of dance training, biomechanics, and Tango to create their dance. The fundamental element of their Tango is “el abrazo”’ and the connection between two dancers. It enables them to communicate in an unspoken language that unites you to your partner, your partner’s body to yours.

They believe that even if two bodies are standing still in space, their embrace continues moving within and between them. In her experience of studying many other disciplines, Chris believes that this is what makes Tango so special, so unique and so rewarding, “alongside the technical details, the complexity of the steps and the music, in no other dance style have I experienced this sensation where dancers search for such a deep connection with their partner”.

Boris and Chris - Grazy Tango Festival 2018 — Boris and Chris – Grazy Tango Festival 2018

Using knowledge and understanding of the body, their teaching method focuses on how to use the bodies to create movement and then how to transmit and receive this information through the embrace. Alongside steps and techniques, they will give you tools, foundations, and concepts that can be applied within your entire Tango world to discover different ways of moving.

Location

All the workshops will take place in the four air-conditioned halls of the dance school on approximately 450 m². You will also find a lobby with a cozy bar and comfortable chairs, as well as some cloak & changing rooms. Wooden floors are dancers’ paradise and the bar will take care for your refreshments!

Gravity does not allow very much floating, but sometimes in your life you come to a place, where the laws of gravity do not apply any more. This place will give you a pleasurable experience, which will put you at ease and which transfers you into an unforgettable experience. The place where we just can relax and let your soul get some rest.

The panorama hall presents itself with a glazing from the bottom to the top and offers an unbelievable view over the city of Graz. It is one of the most popular event locations of the “Schlossberg”, the well-known landmark of Graz. Together with the stage hall it covers 250m2 of wooden dancefloors so that dancers can experience a most memorable evening.

Am Schlossberg 7

A-8010 Graz

Tel.: +43 (0) 316 84 00 00

[email protected]

Körösistraße 81

A-8010 Graz

Further information at https://www.facebook.com/events/1666219917013457/