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Search Results for: salsa

10th Festival Salsa Cubana

Europe / Germany / Munich

Circulo Events presents 10th Festival Salsa Cubana

Circulo Events presents 10th Festival Salsa Cubana
Circulo Events presents 10th Festival Salsa Cubana
Munich - Germany / January 27th - 29th 2017

“In January 2017, Munich will be able to experience a high class weekend full of dance and music, again. Inspired by “Baila en Cuba”, the annual dance and music event in Havana (Cuba), we brought this festival to life. And moreover we want to import a part of the wonderful atmosphere of its big Cuban counterpart to Munich”…

Cuban atmosphere and total joy of life!

Let yourself get carried away and dive into the world of Salsa & Co.

“Salsa Cubana is more than a dance – it’s an attitude towards life! Who does not inevitably associate typical Cuban music, Cuban ambience and Son cubano (the most traditional of all Cuban dances) with these words?

Festival Salsa cubana stands for this very diversity. No matter if dancer, music lover or just fancier of the Caribbean atmosphere – you will get your money’s worth!

This year again with the Percussion Ensemble Live: Drums Secret”

http://www.festival-salsa-cubana.de/en.html

This winter’s music and dance event!

  • Top event for all dancers in and around Munich! • Salsa, Afro, Reggaeton and a lot more!
  • Great party with show acts!
  • Taster’s session Salsa Cubana
  • Rueda de Casino: Dancing Salsa with other couples in a circle. Nice combinations with the exchange of the dance partners provide pure fun!
  • Up to 50 workshops with the best in class instructors • For all dancers and future dancers a “must do”: authentic teaching with guest instructors! From beginner to masterclass!
  • Awesome and high class parties and show acts!

http://www.festival-salsa-cubana.de/en/the- festival.html

WORKSHOPS

WORKSHOPS - 10th Festival Salsa Cubana
WORKSHOPS – 10th Festival Salsa Cubana

Up to 70 lessons in 5 rooms. Be inspired by the best teachers and artists and enjoy a weekend very special cuban weekend!See the workshops schedule at:

http://www.festival-salsacubana.de/en/festival/kursplan.html

Workshop Topics and ContentFestival Salsa Cubana offers up to 70 high class workshops and training lessons!

  • Salsa elegante / Musicalidad en la Salsa
  • Salsa figuras / Nudos en la Salsa
  • Salsa con rumba – Rumba en la Salsa!
  • Salsa con pasitos / Pasitos en la salsa • Rueda de Casino
  • Son cubano
  • Manstyling
  • Ladystyling
  • Salsa suelta
  • Cubaton/Reggaeton
  • Afro – Movimientos afrocubanos • Afro-cuban Dances (ACD)
  • Makuta / Palo
  • Guaguancó – black soul of the Cuban Salsa!
  • Columbia
  • Bantu
  • Shangó
  • Ογά
  • Kizomba
  • Semba

Photo 1: 10th Festival Salsa Cubana
Photo 1: 10th Festival Salsa Cubana

Photo 2: 10th Festival Salsa Cubana
Photo 2: 10th Festival Salsa Cubana

See the information about workshop content and topics at: http://www.festival-salsa-cubana.de/en/festival/kursinhalte.html

Location

The festival is located in the rooms of the CIRCULO. CIRCULO is the biggest dance shoool for Salsa Cubana in Munich. Additionally, as a salsateca, with legendary salsa parties and a lot of Salsa live concerts, CIRCULO is an integral part of Munich’s salsa scene. CIRCULO’s address is Rosenheimerstrasse 139, in Munich. With its seven, highly equipped rooms, it is predestined for the realization of all classes and parties that are part of the Festival Salsa Cubana.http://www.festival-salsa-cubana.de/en/location.html

See more information at:

  • http://www.circulo.de/
    http://www.festival-salsa-cubana.de/en.html
    https://www.facebook.com/events/1121917691219559/

God and Salsa: the rhythm with purpose

European Union
God and Salsa: the rhythm with purpose
God and Salsa: the rhythm with purpose

Dancing has a special characteristic; it makes the dancer have total concentration in the moment. No past, no future, no problems, just the joy of the present, music and movements. That’s one of the therapeutic reasons to join the salsa movement.

Dancing has changed the life of many people, with this begins the journey of “God and Salsa”, mixing two worlds that are usually separated: faith and dancing.

A project created with love in the core, Jess and Anayancy Thomas, writers and producers of God and Salsa, they want to spread a message of love, faith and awareness.

Anayancy Thomas
Anayancy Thomas

Jess Thomas
Jess Thomas

Jess Thomas, writer, producer and director has enjoyed a career in both the technical side of Broadcast TV, which included Project Management and the production side of video and film as a Producer, Director and Final Cut Pro editor. He brings a high level of enthusiasm to any task at hand. Jess is an excellent communicator and tends to get along well with everyone. He understands the ground up nature of the work and has an uncanny knack for seeing the big picture. These traits have proven themselves essential when managing a project or Producing a low budget film.

Jess is excited at the prospect of taking on the nuts and bolts activities necessary to maintain a high level of excellence. He would be honored to be a part of an entertainment or broadcast companies staff and would take great pride in having the opportunity to be a part of a company that brings quality entertainment to millions of satisfied customers.

The project begins with the desire of talk about an important issue: How children are affected by divorces in families.

With her personal experience, Anayancy created the story of Raquel, a 40-year-old therapist and divorcee is trying to cope with the loss her daughter to suicide. Her trust in God has suffered because of it. Matt, 45 asks her to see his son Shane 17 who has attempted suicide due to depression brought on by the conflictive divorce of his parents. Shane’s mother, Monica 40, is self-absorbed and has turned Shane and her other children against Matt.

Raquel struggles to regain her faith, but in the meantime Salsa dancing is her only solace. Against Monica’s will, Raquel takes on the challenge of trying to help a belligerent yet severely depressed Shane and prevent him from successfully killing himself. What follows is an intense emotional struggle that Raquel is only able to overcome with the help of God & Salsa.

Jess and Anayancy Thomas
Jess and Anayancy Thomas

The goal for this film is to stop the terrible situation that many children go through their early years. There are different levels of damage: family dissolution, emotional damage, self-blame, depression, etc. The child always suffers the consequences of separations.

The Thomas knows that personal experiences are very powerful to pursue a goal and getting people’s empathy. The film goes with the character-story line, going through all the darkness, how Raquel takes the personal tragedy that she was going through with salsa dancing to redeem herself, with a very dark beginning she overcomes everything to change her life.

Photo: Jess and Anayancy Thomas
Photo: Jess and Anayancy Thomas

The film is the combination of different stories and experiences. The salsa is on the story thanks again to Anayancy’s personal experience. When she decided to explore other parts of her life and herself, salsa dance was the best option, because she could get away from all the troubles, getting the mind occupied with an incredible activity. “When I dance, I’m in a bubble” she say, a proof of how dancing gets you in the present.

With a special air of a fairytale story, Jess and Anayancy met at the Presbyterian Church in Bel-Air, here their journey begin. Jess told International Salsa Magazine why you should go and watch the film: because every family member can relate with an aspect of the story, parents, teenagers, seniors, etc. Faith, love, drama and a lot of salsa dancing make this film so amazing. This film will touch a special part of everyone’s heart. Don’t miss it!

God and Salsa
God and Salsa

Salsa in Berlin: The Best Clubs for Latin Music

Europe / Germany / Berlin

Salsa hit Europe like a pandemic, spreading from the jazz clubs in the big cities and hitting Germany in the 1980s. No wonder Salsa found so many followers – the Latin beats get directly under the skin and the rhythm moves hips and hearts just by itself. There is a sense of freedom in the music, and the widespread habit of Salseros asking Salseras for a dance makes it a piece of cake to meet new people in a relaxed and unrestrained atmosphere.

Salsa in Berrlin
Salsa in Berrlin

Berlin is famous for its nightlife and the immense diversity of scenes on offer for all kinds of people, tastes, and styles. Hence, it goes without saying that Germany’s capital has a thriving Salsa scene. Every year in October, it finds its peak during the three-day Berlin Salsa congress with famous Salsa stars from all over the world and around 6,000 participants.

But Berlin wouldn’t be the nightlife capital if it didn’t have a Salsa party every night of the week. Here are the best of the best Salsa parties in town to get hips swinging.

Dancing Salsa in Berlin
Dancing Salsa in Berlin
  1. Havanna

Every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, Salsa-obsessed dancers can move their hips in Berlin’s leading Latino and Black music club Havanna. The parties are spiced up by a one-hour dance lesson beforehand and some instructed Merengue in between on up to four dance floors.

  • Table reservation: +49 (0) 176-216 77 012 | [email protected]
  • Schedules: Miércoles 21:00 | Viernes 22:00 | Sábado 22:00
  • Dirección: Hauptstraße 30, 10827 Berlín.
  • Havanna Berlin Photo 1
    Havanna Berlin Photo 1
  1. RED Ballroom

This wonderful location heats up the floor for Salseros every Tuesday and Saturday. There is a compulsory dance instruction session beforehand, and the parties are free and handy for a newcomer to Salsa. The size of the location and the attached restaurant give the parties a more intimate feeling and professional dancer Fernando Zapato is on hand to ensure the right Latin atmosphere for a party night.

  • Genthiner Straße 20 10785 Berlin – Germany
  • Phone: +49 (0) 30 3151 8618
  • Email: [email protected]
Red Ballroom
Red Ballroom
  1. Clärchens Ballhaus

Clärchens’ Ballroom | (c) Clärchens Ballhaus

In an outstanding historical atmosphere, you can shake a leg every Monday. The so-called mirror hall is a secret tip in the Berlin club scene. Built in the late 1800s, the flair of the Wilhelminian era is still present in this location. Furthermore, it has a wonderful wooden dancing floor and is highly frequented by true Salseros in Berlin.

  • Auguststraße 24
  • Berlín
  • +49 30 2829295
  • @claerchens.ballhaus
Clärchens Ballhaus
Clärchens Ballhaus
  1. Soda Club

Known for its immense parties, the Soda Club Berlin plays Latin and Cuban music every Sunday and Thursday. The four dance floors are impressive, and revelers can expect to find Mambo, Kizomba or Bachata DJs serving up an eclectic mix of these styles so dancers can switch things up throughout the night.

  • Address: Knaackstr.9710435 Berlin +49 30 44315155 +49 30 44315199
  • [email protected]
Soda Club
Soda Club
  1. Beachmitte

Salsa parties at this location are organized by the Salsa dance school Cumbancha, which is located in Kreuzberg. They always draw in a huge crowd of Salseros and Salseras, where everyone kind of knows each other and which gives these parties a very familiar atmosphere, although the uninitiated should not be put off, these are friendly folks!

Caroline-Michaelis-Str. 8 10115 Berlin Tel. 030-4679 5997 Fax: 030-4140 8890

Mail: [email protected]

  1. Monbijoupark

Monbijou Park | © Palickap/WikiCommonsThis is definitely the most beautiful location to dance in Berlin, although there is the small drawback that it is closed during the winter. That just heats the anticipation for the next spring, and, frankly, being outside in Berlin’s winter is a zany plan, even if you are dancing. So when winter starts to abate, and this open air location reopens its dance floor directly in front of the Bodemuseum on Museum Island, things start to swing. Even Tango and Swing lovers can enjoy their hobby; just visit their website for more details when they play which style of music.

Monbijoupark
Monbijoupark

Houston Salsa Congress 2017

North America /  USA / Texas

In 2000, Houston Salsa Dancers, Inc. hosted the first Congress of its kind in the City of Houston. Today, the Houston Salsa Congress continues to highlight the beauty, creativity, and culture of Latin dance and music with our featured performing artists and musical artists.

Houston Salsa Congres 2017
Houston Salsa Congres 2017

HOUSTON SALSA CONGRESS 2017

Houston Salsa Dancers, Inc. is officially recognized as a nonprofit corporation who hosts the LARGEST Salsa Socials in Houston every month raising funds for the annual HSD, Inc. Scholarship Program. Through this program, HSD has helped dozens of students from the Houston area by awarding a cumulative total of over $25,000 in scholarships.

Scholarships are awarded annually at the LARGEST Salsa event in the South, the Houston Salsa Congress, every Martin Luther King, Jr weekend.

The Houston Salsa Congress has become a must-attend event for many dancers and performers. Being the first non-profit Congress, the HSD Board Members are always innovating and changing how Congresses are managed setting the bar high for other events to follow the remainder of the year. The Congress consist of performances by only the best in Salsa and other dances, weekend workshops to help dancers improve their skills, and some of the best social dancing in the world!

Houston Salsa Congress 2017
Houston Salsa Congress 2017

Another way HSD is stepping above the rest is through its event called “Bailando Hacia La Universidad (“Dancing Your Way to College”)” which was designed to educate High School students on attending college and college admission. (We bring in guests speakers and end it with a special performance… Example agenda: http://www.houstonsalsacongress.com/schedule_collegeday.php).

Houston Salsa Dancers, Inc. also hosts the “SalsaDURA Saturday” social every 1st Saturday every month. SalsaDURA is also called the mini-Congress of the South attracting dancers and performers from all around the world. This monthly event helps fund the Scholarship fund along with the Houston Salsa Congress event.

BANDS

JOSÉ ALBERTO “EL CANARIO”

José Alberto Justiniano (born December 22, 1958 in Villa Consuelo district, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), better known by his stage name José Alberto “El Canario” is a Dominican salsa singer. José Alberto moved to Puerto Rico with his family at the age of 7, and inspired by Latin music went on to polish his singing at Las Antillas Military Academy. He relocated to New York in the early 1970s and sang with several orchestras. He received international attention as the bandleader of Tipica 73 in October 1977.

José Alberto started his own band in 1983, and became a major Latin star after the release of his 1984 debut Noches Calientes. His 1991 album Dance With Me, which established a new style of salsa called salsa romántica. He has sung hit songs such as “Sueño Contigo” His voice was widely adored by his fans, and his exceptional whistling abilities (being able to improvise as if he was playing a traverse flute) led them to give him the nickname El Canario (The Canary).

JOSÉ ALBERTO "EL CANARIO"
JOSÉ ALBERTO “EL CANARIO”

El Canario has enjoyed success in the United States and Europe, but especially throughout Latin America, including in his native Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador. El Canario in 1999 also was part of the biggest Latin American festival in Australian history at The Bacardi Darling Harbor Latin American Festival in Sydney, as supporting act for salsa performer Celia Cruz with over 22,000 people in attendance.

On 24 May 2008, José Alberto celebrated 30 years in the music industry at the United Palace Theater in New York City. Among the several special guests were Oscar D’León, Ismael Miranda, Raulín Rosendo, Joe Arroyo, and Latin music mogul Ralph Mercado.

JOSÉ ALBERTO "EL CANARIO"
JOSÉ ALBERTO “EL CANARIO”

Bobby Valentín & His Orchestra

Valentín (birth name: Roberto Valentin) was born in June 9, 194, in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. He was taught by his father to play the guitar at a young age. When his mother died in 1947, he went to live with his older sister and was raised in the town of Coamo where he received his primary education and studied music. When he was 11 years old, he participated in a local talent contest with a trio that he had formed.

He played the guitar and sang for the trio and they won the first place prize. One of his teachers suggested that he attend the Jose I. Quinton Academy of Music, which he did. It was there that he learned to play the trumpet.

Valentin en concierto
Valentin en concierto

In 1956, Valentín moved with his family to New York City where he attended George Washington High School and continued to take music lessons. In 1958, he went to play for Joe Quijano but, shortly after, he played in the band of Willie Rosario, who was from the same neighborhood.

MUSICAL CAREER

In 1963, Valentín joined Tito Rodriguez (after not being hired by Tito in a recording session because of his age, he was given a chance and was added to his regular band) and traveled twice with Tito’s orchestra to Venezuela. He also made musical arrangements for Tito and at times for Charlie Palmieri, Joe Quijano, Willie Rosario, and Ray Barretto. In 1965, he formed his own band and was signed by the Fania Record Label. He recorded “El Mensajero” (The Messenger) and “Young Man With a Horn”. He held his first concert in Puerto Rico during that period of time.

In 1975, Valentín left Fania and founded his own record label “Bronco Records” and released the recordings of “Va a la Carcel” Vol 1 and Vol 2, recorded “live” at “El Oso Blanco”, Puerto Rico’s oldest state penitentiary. At the time, Marvin Santiago was the singer on Valentín’s band; his biggest hit with Valentín was “Soy Boricua”, an ode to Puerto Rican nationality that has since become a patriotic song for the pro-independence faction of the island.

In 1978, salsa singer Cano Estremera made his singing debut with Valentín’s orchestra and recorded various major hits for the band, particularly the Roberto Angleró song “La boda de ella” and “Manuel García”. During the years Valentín has been featured in recordings (and occasional live appearances) by Larry Harlow, Ismael Miranda, Roberto Roena, Cheo Feliciano and Celia Cruz. He also provided backdrop for the Billyván Santiago (Marvin’s youngest brother) song “Mata la cucaracha”, a sleeper hit in Puerto Rico during the 2002 Christmas season.

Houston Salsa Congress 2017. TICKETS
Full Event Pass: $280.00 (USD)
Full Event Pass + VIP Upgrade: $310.00 (USD)
Full Event Pass + VIP Upgrade: $310.00 (USD)
Night Pass (ALL NIGHTS): $110.00 (USD)
Night Pass + VIP Upgrade (ALL NIGHTS): $165.00 (USD)
Night Pass (THURSDAY ONLY): $35.00 (USD)
Night Pass (FRIDAY ONLY): $35.00 (USD)
Night Pass (SATURDAY ONLY): $35.00 (USD)
Night Pass (SUNDAY ONLY): $35.00 (USD)
www.houstonsalsacongress.com
Houston Salsa Congres 2017 FLYER
Houston Salsa Congres 2017 FLYER

Rey Ruíz visits the Salsa Museum and talks about his prolific career

The Salsa Museum is celebrating the tremendous and valuable support of Cuban singer-songwriter Reinerio Ruíz Santiago, known to the world as Rey Ruíz, whom I had the pleasure to interview along with El Rubio Boris on our show Salsamania.

The artist was not only in our facilities to tell us important details about his career and share some of his time with us, but he also granted us the honor of gifting us one of the suits he used to wear for several of his most important shows. We are very grateful for the distinction he has made with us, and now let us mention some of the most important topics we discussed with the salsa singer.

Rey posing for the camera
Cuban singer-songwriter Rey Ruiz posing for the camera

Rey’s life in Cuba

Rey sang since his childhood to the point that his parents said he sang songs without words and started imitating the sounds his father taught him. He began to study music in sixth grade in his native Cuba, but his interest went far beyond simple childlike curiosity, so his parents enrolled him at the music conservatory in Havana so that he could have a more formal training. 

Soon after, he appeared on Cuban television and sang for the orchestras “La Riverside” and “Los Dadas” at the then Habana Hilton.

Rey’s beginnings in music

Among many interesting things, Rey told us that he left his country at the age of 24, turned 25 in Miami, and arrived in Puerto Rico at 26. Shortly after arriving in Miami, he took a salsa demo to a record label, since Puerto Rican salsa was experiencing a long boom at the time, so they advised him to choose that genre. 

Then, he got down to work with his producer Toby Villarini, recently deceased, to create the album.

Mi Media Mitad
Cover of the album ”Mi Media Mitad’’

Following the success obtained, the record label asked him to move to Puerto Rico, where they got him an apartment for about six months so he could make a life there and focus on his music. He then began working with musical director Guillermo Calderón’s orchestra, until Rey felt confident enough to say that the orchestra was his about a year later.

In 1994, he released his second album ”Mi Media Mitad” and the cover includes a very young Rey on a mountain of salt posing for the camera in a beige outfit and with a big smile on his face. The arrangements were made by Ernesto Sánchez, who also passed away recently at a very young age.

What Ray Ruiz is doing now

When El Rubio and I wanted to know what Rey is doing now, the singer confessed that he had chosen a career in which work never ends and that always makes him seek progress. “You’re always looking for ways to produce something new and show people what you’re doing at the recording and show production level.” In fact, the day after the interview, on February 14, he had a concert to celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. 

Johnny and Rey
Johnny Cruz and Rey Ruiz at the Salsa Museum

He told us that it was the first time he performed as a solo artist at this venue, something he wanted to do for many years and finally got it. Never before has he performed in New York without the company of another artist or orchestra, so he was very happy and excited about living that new experience in his career.

Opinions about the Salsa Museum

Rey Ruiz had to leave soon to make final arrangements for the next day’s show, but we could not let him go without asking for his honest opinion about the Salsa Museum. When we asked him, he told us that he loved the place and that seeing what the museum exhibits was like seeing history. The history of salsa and all the artists who have been part of that genre. He also said that being here was like going to school because, even he who has been in this business for so many years, he has learned a lot from what he has seen.

He concluded by saying goodbye and thanking us for the opportunity to share with us and be on our platform.

Johnny Cruz ISM

 

 

 

Read also: Caoba Y Bambú, Tito Rivera’s first discographic production

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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.