Philadelphia Salsa Congress - anyone going

[simona]

Hey folks,
Just wanted to see if any Salsa Forums folks will be at the Philadelphia Salsa Congress coming up on June 23 - 25. Mike and I will be teaching Salsa Cubana at the congress and we'd love to see you there.

http://www.philasalsacongress.com.

Thanks,

[salcero2005]

Hey folks,
Just wanted to see if any Salsa Forums folks will be at the Philadelphia Salsa Congress coming up on June 23 - 25. Mike and I will be teaching Salsa Cubana at the congress and we'd love to see you there.

http://www.philasalsacongress.com.

Thanks,

Good luck with the workshop. I don't know about the workshops, but I may check out one of the parties. :D

[salcero2005]

Philadelphia Salsa Congress Kick-Off Party scheduled for Friday, June 9, 2006 from 7:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at the Independence visitors Center between 5th & 6th on Market St. $15 There will be local and guest performances. :D


http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs063/1101242550920/img/69.jpg

[HothouseSalsero]

I just started a new thread for this, before I saw the Philadelphia Salsa Congress thread:

I have been only marginally aware of the Philadelphia Salsa Congress, which apparently starts this week. I just found out last night that Michael Stuart will be performing the "welcome concert" along with some other acts, some or all of which are reggaeton.

The concert is June 22nd, 8PM-3AM at Temple University's McGonagle Hall. (For those concerned about safety, last time I went to a late-night salsa concert on Temple's campus, there was a substantial police presence on hand, just in case, when the concert let out.) The Philadelphia Salsa Congress has a website. I'm not sure I am allowed to list it here, but if you try the most obvious possible url, you will probably find it.

[HothouseSalsero]

Incidentally, wasn't this originally scheduled to be held outside of Center City, or am I confusing it with another big salsa event? (How many things like this could we possibly have in one year in Philadelphia?) I had stopped paying attention because I didn't think I could get to it.

[HothouseSalsero]

I know David Ortiz says not to whine, but I am going to whine:

Why are they having a salsa congress welcome concert that includes seven or eight reggaeton acts and one Michael Stuart, and lasts until 3AM? Does this mean we will have to wait until 2AM before he comes on?

Do I want to hang out in a sea of grinding young people for five hours before I get to the part I am waiting for?

[peachexploration]

..Why are they having a salsa congress welcome concert that includes seven or eight reggaeton acts and one Michael Stuart, and lasts until 3AM? Does this mean we will have to wait until 2AM before he comes on?

Do I want to hang out in a sea of grinding young people for five hours before I get to the part I am waiting for?

Reggaeton? At a Salsa Congress?!? :? :shock: :?

[HothouseSalsero]

Well, it's part of the opening concert. I guess the reggaeton might pull in a different, younger audience, who might give Michael Stuart a chance, if they haven't already.

I called about when MS goes on and was told midnight (which I translate as "by 1:00"). I might show up at 11:30, maybe even 11:00. Lucky I have off tomorrow.

[salcero2005]

excerpt from the monday's edition of The Phila Inquirer


They all like it hot, hot, hotDancers dip into the power of salsa in Center City.

By Natalie Pompilio
Inquirer Staff Writer

Sometimes, Christy Kam and Pan Thomakos can't help themselves: They'll be walking near their West Philadelphia homes, discussing a dance move, and they'll have to give in.

"We'll do a lift in the street and people will be like, 'What?'" said Kam, 24.

It's the power of salsa.

Practitioners of the sexy Latin dance gathered in Center City yesterday for the final day of the Third Annual Philadelphia Salsa Congress. Instructors from around the country met with participants from around the world for two days of enthusiastic, and often exhausting, dancing.

Despite the perception that salsa is something limited to hip, lean 20-somethings, the dancers came in all sizes, ages and colors, for example 13-year-old Rebecca Aviles, a Philadelphia girl who started to salsa two years ago, and Amy Williams, 49, a Seattle woman who began taking lessons last year.

"When you're on the dance floor, people don't care what you look like, what age you are or what race you are. All they care about is whether or not you can dance," Williams said.

And whether or not you can dance isn't based on specific criteria:

"There was one instructor, he must have been in his 70s and he was such a role model for me," Williams said. "The dance is ageless. You can still be shaking it when you're 70."

Event organizer Willie Torres said more than 800 people came out for Saturday's dance party; at some points, the dance floor was so packed that people could barely move, he said.

"It's a passionate dance. You hear the music, it's difficult to just stand still," said Torres, 51, of Philadelphia. "It doesn't have a name. It doesn't have a color. It doesn't have a size. Everyone can do it."

The popularity of salsa and other partner dances have been on the rise thanks to television shows like Dancing with the Stars. After a long spell of going solo on the dance floor, couples are coming together again, taking lessons and joining dance clubs.

Thomakos, 20, joined a ballroom dancing club at the University of Pennsylvania two years ago and has been on his feet ever since. He and dance partner Kam picked up some new moves yesterday, including one in which he seemed to bounce her head on his knee and thigh like a soccer ball.

"He hasn't dropped me yet," said Kam, of West Philadelphia. Then she paused. "Oh, wait, he did."

"You were only this high," Thomakos protested, indicating an altitude just a few inches from the ground.

The pair, who dance together in competitions, used to date. But even though their relationship is over, their dance partnership continues. That's not that unusual, Kam said.

"Finding a dance partner is harder than finding a boyfriend," she said.