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Search Results for: Salsa Fest

Circulo Offers Innovative Online Courses For These Times

Circulo Dance School in Munich

In these times of Pandemic, the Circulo dance school in Munich offers you the opportunity to continue preparing and staying active in the authentic Cuban Salsa dance with innovative online courses that transmit in explanatory videos the material of the respective levels in well-structured units and simple to practice and exercise from the comfort of your home and regardless of fixed schedules.

In this new generation of dance schools in Germany, the aim of Circulo is not to convey a dance course in the typical school style, but to teach it in such a way that it can be understood and mastered. Therefore, the focus is on the joy of moving to the rhythm of the music with dance steps and individual figures that form the basis in these lessons that guarantee success due to their more than 20 years of experience.

Cuban Salsa Festival 2020

In these Online Courses they teach the Cuban Salsa or Salsa Casino, so-called in many Latin American countries, which does not mean a rigid sequence of steps and figures strictly learned, but a kind of communication, with feeling, wit, and eroticism.

At the Salsa´s basic level, you will start from the beginning with basic steps, twists, and simple figures to establish the basis. Its content includes Basic steps (Casino and Son Montuno), Take Fly as an isolation exercise, spins (alone and in a couple), combinations of several spins, and the basic and important circle of the Salsa Casino with various variations. At the end of this course, you will come across a video that summarizes everything that has been learned thus far.

In these online courses, you will also find the basic level of modern Dominican Bachata with combinations of steps, lilting rhythm, and a variety of figures. The course contains: Basic steps, Basic with a cross in 2, spins in 2 (alone and in a couple), combinations of several spins and figures.

 

How Does It Work?

 

Diamarys – Circle dance instructor
  1. Enrollment in the online course.
  2. You will receive a confirmation by email from the Circulo dance school office and at the same time the bank details of the transfer.
  3. Payment is made by bank transfer.
  4. Once the payment is received, they will send you the access data to the Circulo customer platform by email.
  5. From then on, you can watch the dance videos as often as you like for 8 weeks.

Price: € 95 per course

 

6 Reasons To Choose The Circle Dance School:

 

Marc um Mejrem – Circle Dance Instructor
  • It is the only Academy in the center of Munich’s ostbahnhof that has a school for learning Caribbean dances and a Salsa Club for Latin parties in the same place.
  • Since 1998 they have combined the teaching of the original Cuban Salsa with the essence of their culture.
  • At its basic level, the first steps and turns are simple, creating an environment of achievement for people without prior knowledge during the first minutes of the lessons. During the same level, additional steps are implemented and simple figures are danced.
  • At the following levels: Intermediate and Advanced, La Rueda Salsa Casino is added in which movements are made in synchrony with the announcement of a so-called Singer and they change partners. At these levels, dance figures are practiced and they learn sequences of movements that they implement quickly.
  • Additional weekly lessons for advanced groups are held in fixed groups with permanent teachers in so-called salsa clubs to offer fresh and safe dancing.
  • Also in this dance academy, you can master Salsa Suelta, Cuban Rumba, Ladystyling, and Menstyling.

CIRCULO Munich dance school – Practice and dance without limits!

 

Telephone: +49 (89) 494 888

Venue: Rosenheimer Str. 139, 81671 Munich, Germany

 

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Mercadonegro Orchestra of Switzerland

Mercadonegro Orchestra was created in Europe.

Mercadonegro Created at the end of 2000 with influences of Salsa Dura thanks to their experiences working with artists such as Celia Cruz, Alfredo de la Fe, Cheo Feliciano, Tito Nieves, many more.

Mercadonegro has managed to create a new style in the salsa music genre. Its musicians come from different parts of Latin America and each bring their own tendencies, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy and Brazil are musically mixed and give rise to the unique style and sonority of the Mercadonegro Orchestra.

Its musicians come from different parts of Latin America and each bring their own tendencies, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy and Brazil are musically mixed and give rise to the unique style and sonority of the orchestra mercadonegro.
Mercadonegro Orchestra of Switzerland

Thanks to their meeting with violinist Alfredo de la Fe, they participated in prestigious concerts, such as Ronnie Scott in London, New Morning in Paris, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Pavarotti and Friends (Modena, Italy), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Fiesta (Rome, Italy), Bal de la Rose (Monte Carlo), Monaco, Athens (Greece), sharing the stage with Carlos Santana, Metálica, Buenavista Social Club, etc.

They had the opportunity to work for three consecutive years with the queen of salsa Celia Cruz, and have accompanied artists such as Cheo Feliciano, La India, José Alberto ”el canario”, Albita Rodríguez, Willie Chirino, Ray Sepúlveda, Willie González, Andy Montañez, Adalberto Santiago, Richie Ray, and others.

Mercadonegro is part of the New York Salsa all Stars project with Giovanni Hidalgo, Jimmy Bosch, José Alberto “El Canario”, Dave Valentin, Frankie Morales.

Mercadonegro is part of the New York Salsa all Stars project with Giovanni Hidalgo, Jimmy Bosch, José Alberto "El Canario", Dave Valentin, Frankie Morales.
Mercadonegro Created in late 2000 with Salsa Dura influences.

They participated in the recording of the album “Latitudes” by Alfredo de la Fé and then they made their own productions. The group stands out for the energy they exude in their compositions and performances, and it is also worth mentioning their good taste and adoration for their idol: Eddie Palmieri.

Conducting this dozen of professional musicians requires the character that César Correa fortunately has, as well as a rigidity well applied to the service of the music.

Surely, we are before a group of talents that already contributes significantly with its quality, to the internationalization of Latin music.

Mercadonegro is undoubtedly one of the best salsa groups that can be found in Europe.

The Mercadonegro project was born when three Latin-American musicians, emigrants in Europe for love, met with Bibomusic’s producer.

The Mercadonegro project was born when three Latin American musicians, emigrants in Europe for love, met with Bibomusic's producer.
Mercadonegro is undoubtedly one of the best salsa groups to be found in Europe.

The four friends, strongly feeling the emotions, the problems of the emigrants, the legacy of their Latin culture, have kept their musical heart in Latin America.

They therefore decided to spread throughout the world the sounds of these countries, together with new beats and vibes, expressive of their own style and of the new musical and life experiences they were making abroad. On this basis they created Mercadonegro.

The group was named Mercadonegro not to forget the roots and the legacy of Afro-American music, and also to describe the difficult pattern, for a group of young and almost unknown musicians, to become popular and appreciated worldwide, starting from an unexpected location for Latin-American music, and with a young and independent label, Bibomusic.

The musical founders of Mercadonegro are: José Armando Miranda, born in La Habana, Cuba, the lead singer and the author of many of the songs of Mercadonegro. Cesar Correa, the son of two well-known Peruvian musicians, was born  in Trujillo, Peru.

Cesar play piano and keyboards as only few masters in the world can do.

Rodrigo Rodríguez was born in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia’s most Caribbean town. Rodrigo, who sings, plays timbales and much other percussion, writes, like Armando, some of the most successful songs of the group, and is a very versatile artist and showman.

MERCADONEGRO, thanks to its great live performances, has rapidly become the most interesting new act in high quality Latin music, starring at the most important jazz, Latin and world music festivals, like “Umbria Jazz” in Perugia, “Fiesta” in Rome, “Latinoamericando Expo” in Milano, Afro-Pfingsten Winterthur, Montreux Jazz, “Lugano Estival Jazz” in Switzerland, “Vic Fenzensac”, “Paris Jazz Festival”, “Marseilles Féte de la Ville” in France, “Red Sea Jazz Festival” in Israel, “Rotskild” in Denmark, Rotterdam Carnival in Holland, North Sea Jazz Festival etc. often with TV live coverage.
On this basis they created MERCADONEGRO, a group that has become the orchestra of choice for major salsa festivals and congresses around the world.
On this basis they created Mercadonegro. The group was given the name Mercadonegro in order not to forget the roots and legacy of Afro-American music.

On this basis they created MERCADONEGRO, a band who therein has become the orchestra of choice for the main Salsa Festivals and Congresses worldwide, a band who was called in 2009 to make the opening concert of the most important Latin Festival of the world, the Latinoamericando Expo in Milano.

The group was named MERCADONEGRO not to forget the roots and the legacy of Afro-American music, and also to describe the difficult pattern, for a group of young and almost unknown musicians, to become popular and appreciated worldwide, starting from Switzerland, an unexpected location for Latin-American music.

MERCADONEGRO, thanks to its great live performances, has rapidly become the most interesting new act in high quality Latin music, starring at the most important jazz, Latin and world music festivals, like “Umbria Jazz” in Perugia, “Fiesta” in Rome, “Latinoamericando Expo” in Milano, Afro-Pfingsten Winterthur, Montreux Jazz, “Lugano Estival Jazz” in Switzerland, “Vic Fenzensac”, “Paris Jazz Festival”, “Marseilles Féte de la Ville” in France, “Red Sea Jazz Festival” in Israel, “Rotskild” in Denmark, Rotterdam Carnival in Holland, North Sea Jazz Festival etc. often with TV live coverage.

Mercadonegro Salsa
Mercadonegro Somos del Barrio

Members

Aismar Simón – Piano

Armando Miranda – lead vocal

Rodrigo Rodríguez – timbales & voc

Eduardo ” Dudu” Penz- Bajo

lisbel acosta – trombón

Humberto Amesquita – trombón – director

Giancarlo Ciminelli – trompeta

Oscar Cordero – trompeta

Amik Guerra – trompeta

Edwin Sanz – congas

Walter Rebatta – bongo & campana

Josbel Rodriguez – voc

José Mendoza – Ingeniero de sonido

Eddie Villanueva – Tour Manager

Mercadonegro Salsa

BOOKING:
[email protected]
www.mercadonegro.ch
Tel : +41 78 883 31 96
Tel : +41 78 973 21 83

 

Inicio

ISM November 2020

Cover Magazine 11 ISM special edition Nov 2020
In this months issue read about the tribute to legend Frometas Billo’s Caracas Boys, also articles on Tito Puentes, the “gentleman of Salsa, Mr. Tito Nieves, Sheila King, , the transalvania Salsa Festival, and many others.

Let’s talk about Una noche en Old Town “en vivo,” while staying true to the musical journey of “El Calvito” Reyes

“Yes, Una noche en Old Town was an event held for about 100 people at a restaurant in the area known as Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida. Old Town is a park that feels like a year-round festival, 365 days a year,” the artist explains. This marks the third musical production from the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter known in the salsa world as “El Calvito,” one of the most fervent champions of the Salsa Nueva movement.

With this release, Edwin puts his salsa and his talent at the service of his followers. His repertoire spans classic salsa, romantic salsa, and what he calls “conscious salsa.”

Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes acknowledges that while everything has already been invented, the key is to stay focused and execute the ideas swirling in his mind. The press release for the new live album, titled Una noche en Old Town, notes: “Remember in the ’90s when many artists (…) recorded live productions? That was a trend that (…) went down in salsa history.”

The Production

The final product is a “live” recording of his orchestra. The production turned what was originally planned as a birthday party at Old Town Park in Kissimmee into a full album. Sound engineer Joseph Díaz captured the session, which was later mixed and mastered by pianist and engineer Víctor Romero. The content was further polished at Harmony Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida.

The album features the collective performance of the musicians who have accompanied the singer for years, including their appearance at the 2025 Día Nacional de la Zalsa in Orlando. The lineup includes:

  • John López: Congas
  • Daniel Ortiz: Timbales
  • Manny Urbina: Bongo
  • Víctor Romero: Piano and Musical Direction
  • Yasmani Roque & Marcos Rivera: Trumpets
  • Bert Laboy: Trombone
  • José Castro Marchán: Baritone Sax
  • Una Noche en Old Town Edwin El Calvito Reyes
    Una Noche en Old Town Edwin El Calvito Reyes
  • The night at Old Town also featured guest appearances by heavyweights such as Kriptony Texeira, Harold Montañez, and José Novoa. Additionally, Richie Nieves, the well-known voice of KQ FM Radio in Orlando, handled the album’s intro.

The Origin

The stage was set specifically at El Cilantrillo restaurant within Old Town. The event celebrated the birthday of Javier Colón, owner of La Feria Salsera and Edwin’s partner for the veteran-focused dance events that Edwin has successfully led in recent years. Javier hired “El Calvito’s” orchestra, the performance was recorded, and from that session, this authentic album was born.

By chance, the date of the party coincided with one of the most important days on the Puerto Rican salsa calendar: the traditional Holy Saturday Dance (Sábado de Gloria). “Many Latinos don’t understand and ask, ‘Are you guys seriously holding a dance on Holy Saturday?’ So, unintentionally, we tapped into that tradition—and it is a tradition in every sense of the word. By trying to keep it alive, we (Puerto Ricans) have shared it with the rest of the Hispanic public.”

According to Edwin, the performance was originally recorded for promotional purposes. However, the artist felt it was such a great capture of the evening’s energy that he consulted his musical director, Víctor Romero, to see what he thought of the idea.

The Release

Coincidence dictated that the album be published and available on digital platforms exactly one year after the recording. The producer admits it was a high-risk project because it was recorded live during an organic event outside of a controlled studio environment. The classic covers Edwin included as tributes to “those who have passed” (arranged as medleys) were his biggest concern, yet they ultimately earned widespread approval.

“El Calvito” Reyes says he doesn’t fear the critics. Driven by passion, he decided to release this 10-track production—eight of which he wrote himself, plus two salsa hit medleys—aiming to win over dancers, listeners, and collectors alike.

Tracklist:

  1. ‘Medley salsa nueva’
  2. ‘Así llamaban al Conde’
  3. ‘Homenaje a los que se nos fueron I y II’
  4. ‘Dime mi Buen Señor’
  5. ‘Tú del sur, yo del norte’
  6. ‘El karma’
  7. ‘Tócame la moña’
  8. ‘Baila cha cha chá’
  9. ‘Solo tiempo pa’ rumba’
  10. ‘Orgulloso de ser latino’

Stream & Connect: The album is available digitally on YouTube Music, Spotify, and Apple Music. Each track has a corresponding video at: https://www.youtube.com/@ElCalvitoReyesOficial/. The orchestra is available for bookings. You can reach the office via phone or WhatsApp at +1-912-980-8476 or by email at [email protected].

For more on the music of Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes, visit: https://solo.to/elcalvitoreyes

Bella Martinez Puerto Rico

Read Also: Edwin “El Calvito” Reyes el Sonero de la Sangre Nueva “Amor de Actualidad”

The Piano That Schooled the World the Eternal Legacy of “Professor” Joe Torres

The history of salsa is not only written by the voices of its idols or the thunder of its brass; it is written, fundamentally, on the black and white keys of those who knew how to sustain the pulse of an era.

On April 13, 2020, in the quiet of a Bronx hospital, the “backbone” of Salsa Dura passed away at the age of 76: José Manuel Torres, known universally as “Professor Joe.”

Jose Manuel Torres Professor Joe Torres passed away on this day, April 13, 2020, in the Bronx, New York City, at the age of 76
Jose Manuel Torres Professor Joe Torres passed away on this day, April 13, 2020, in the Bronx, New York City, at the age of 76

Born in Manhattan on November 29, 1943, a son of the Puerto Rican diaspora from Guayama and Ponce, Torres embodied the pure essence of the Nuyorican.

Raised on Fox Street, his destiny was sealed in the hallways of P.S. 52 an elementary school that would eventually become the academic sanctuary of Latin music in the South Bronx.

Excellence as the Standard: From Neighborhood Sound to Musical Glory

His nickname, “The Professor,” was no mere poetic license. In a musical ecosystem where many relied on intuition, Joe possessed an almost mathematical skill: sight-reading.

Un pianista maravilloso, que no se parece a nadie
Un pianista maravilloso, que no se parece a nadie

His technical precision allowed him to navigate elegantly between formal discipline and “street” flavor (sabor).

After debuting in the 1960s with the “King of the Bass,” Bobby Valentín, on seminal albums like Bad Breath, his career took a definitive turn when he joined the orchestra of a young, rebellious Willie Colón.

Replacing the virtuoso Mark Dimond, Torres didn’t just fill a void; he defined an aesthetic. For a quarter-century, he was the harmonic architect behind the two greatest giants of the genre: Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe.

“As the pianist for the band, Professor Joe Torres was excellent,” Colón would recall years later.

It is his piano that resonates in the urban chronicles of Cosa Nuestra; the piano that provides the festive nostalgia in both volumes of Asalto Navideño a cornerstone of Puerto Rican identity and the piano that sustains the rhythmic tension in classics like The Big Break (La Gran Fuga) and Lo Mato.

There was no Fania milestone where Joe did not leave his mark, from the social lyricism of Siembra and Maestra Vida with Rubén Blades, to the raw power of Lavoe’s solo career.

Joe acompañó a Willie Colón y Héctor Lavoe en gran parte de sus grabaciones
Joe acompañó a Willie Colón y Héctor Lavoe en gran parte de sus grabaciones

Humility in the Shadows: The Man and the Legend

Despite participating in more than thirty productions that are now considered world cultural heritage, Joe Torres never felt the urge to claim the spotlight of a frontman.

As his colleague José Mangual Jr. noted, his humility was as vast as his talent. He preferred the rigor of the studio and the camaraderie of the stage, balancing his musical genius with his work as a computer technician a duality that spoke to his sharp intelligence and adaptability.

El Piano que Dictó Cátedra el Legado Eterno del “Profesor Joe” Torres
El Piano que Dictó Cátedra el Legado Eterno del “Profesor Joe” Torres

His legacy was celebrated in the year 2000 during the historic reunion concert of the “P.S. 52 Alums,” immortalized in the documentary From Mambo to Hip Hop. There, surrounded by titans like Ray Barretto and Manny Oquendo, Joe remained the same: a man with a kind smile and a sharp mind who, according to Blades, represented the true “gentlemanliness” of salsa.

Today, years after his passing, the void at the piano bench remains felt. The “Professor” didn’t just teach people how to read music; he taught that true greatness does not require noise.

His music lives on in every descarga, reminding us that as long as there is a piano playing in the Bronx, the echo of José Manuel Torres will never stop schooling the world.

Also Read: International Salsa Magazine presents essential trivia and facts about Héctor Lavoe.

 

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.