Best country to learn salsa and have a fun vacation

M

Manjana

Changui
Hi,

I am a new user here on these forums and I've just started to learn salsa. Now that it's soon time for vacation I thought I'd travel somewhere where I can get a private salsa teacher for a good price, as well as having a nice time as a solo traveller.

I am going in june for 2-3 weeks. The budget is about $3-4000 for flight, travel and teacher e.t.c.. I live in Sweden.

I've been thinking about Cuba but since few there speak English I thought it might not be so fun.

I looked a bit at the Philippines too because things are cheap there and they speak English. Don't know if the salsa is good there though.

I was thinking about Ukraine but since they have football EM there in june it is a bit troublesome.. Perhaps if I went somewhere else in Ukraine than Kiev I might find something good.

What countries/cities do you think are best for a solo salsa traveler who wants to hire a private teacher and also have some nice "normal" tourist experiences?
 
Of course Cali :lol:

What style you dance?
Kiev girls are super hot but instructors dont speak English.
 
Don't know if Kiev is cheap, but it would be one of my top choices. The salsa teachers there look like amazing dancers on youtube.
 
olamalam said:
Of course Cali :lol:

What style you dance?
Kiev girls are super hot but instructors dont speak English.
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Well I know a little LA style and a little Cuban style.. Right now I am going a cuban style course to improve my skills there.

If it is Cuban style or LA style that I'd learn on the trip doesn't matter so much.. But I guess Cuban style would be preferred.

What do you mean with "Cali"? California?
 
Smejmoon said:
Don't know if Kiev is cheap, but it would be one of my top choices. The salsa teachers there look like amazing dancers on youtube.
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And how is Riga? Seeing that you come from there..

Kiev might not be the cheapest place but it'd be in my budget. Unfortunately it is football EM in june so Kiev will be crowded..
 
Manjana said:
What do you mean with "Cali"? California?
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Cali, Colombia - the world's salsa capital

For me, Latin culture is such an important part of Latin dance, I can't imagine going anywhere but a Latin country - Cali, Colombia or Cuba would be two of my top choices, though I've never been to either place. I would think Cuba would be very inexpensive.
 
Manjana said:
What do you mean with "Cali"? California?
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Salsa Bear is right! Cali is the world salsa capital.

You can get a world class, and I mean WORLD class salsa teacher for 30,000 to 40000 Colombian pesos (13 Euros - 17 Euros approx.) for one and a half hours of private classes. I know this because I have personally arranged classes in the salsa hotel for Salsa Forums visitors (and others, including a couple from Uppsala, Sweden) here in Cali.

You can also go out salsa clubbing every night of the week, if you wish. You can buy salsa music. Some of the top salsa schools in the world are located in this city, so you can even combine your private classes with instruction in a dance school. This is exactly what the Salsa Forums poster, Combo, did when he was in Cali.

If you need more information then just ask.

PS. Welcome to the Salsa Forums. :D
 
olamalam said:
Next summer i might think of it ;)
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If you stretch the summer then mid September is El Festival Mundial de la Salsa, which is mainly a dance event where you will be able to see a competition between the best salsa dance schools here in Cali, as well as bands and so on.

Otherwise, August is a good time. ;)
 
DJ Ara - I'm very curious about Cali. This probably just shows my ignorance, but what is the predominant style of salsa taught and danced in the clubs there? Is it the Colombian style that I'm used to seeing in competitions and shows? If so, am I wrong in thinking that this style is completely different from the LA/NY and Cuban styles most of us are used to?
 
z_zapper said:
DJ Ara - I'm very curious about Cali. This probably just shows my ignorance, but what is the predominant style of salsa taught and danced in the clubs there? Is it the Colombian style that I'm used to seeing in competitions and shows? If so, am I wrong in thinking that this style is completely different from the LA/NY and Cuban styles most of us are used to?
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Hello Z_Zapper,

You are talking about Cali Style, which is one of the three main styles of salsa danced on the planet - the other two being the Cuban and Puerto Rican and its variations.

Cali Style salsa scene in competitions is mainly the performance manifestations of this style. So that is why you see superfast steps to sometimes speeded up music. It is all for show and to win points with judges and the public.

Cali Style that is danced in social dancing is not performance dancing with super fast steps and acrobatics. If anything it is less 'showy' than LA/NY when it comes to night club dancing. A lot of the times people will just grab their partners and just dance to the music without even turning or spinning even once, albeit with a lot of 'essence' and sabor, together with an emphasis on stepping. In most clubs here in the world salsa capital the dominant element is the music and its enjoyment.

Anyway, a salsa dancer from Cali can dance with any other salsa stylist and vice versa, because at the core, the roots of salsa dancing are the same. In another thread here, one of the Puerto Rican style dancers mentioned that she went to a party with a lot of Colombians and she has a great time dancing salsa with them.

Learning Cali Style, you will be emphasising the steps. That is one of the characteristics of Cali Style, which is relevant, because all salsa dancing starts with the steps, something that in my humble opinion is not being emphasized enough as far as foundational training for salsa dancers is concerned, because again, intricate stepping is part of ALL major styles, not just Cali, albeit all of them with differences.

A couple of months ago, the Salsa Forums poster, Combo, was here in Cali (his second visit within a few months) and I arranged some Cali Style private classes for him, just like I had on his first visit. He has been dancing Cross Body for around 10 years if memory serves me correctly. He wanted to enrich his dancing by combining the Cali Style steps to his LA Style.

I arranged private salsa classes for him in the Salsa Hotel, with various teachers. One of his salsa teachers (who also loves 'linea' dancing) told him that this was no problem. Combo, also wanted to take some group classes, so I called a couple of the top salsa schools here and off he went. The man is serious about his salsa education and I take my hat off to him.:)

At the end of the day, it is all salsa, the more knowledge one aquires from core salsa epicenters then the better one will get, without the uncertainties that come with learning things without clear points of references. I guess this is true as far as learning and enjoyment of other disciplines are concerned.

If you have more questions about Cali, then just ask.:)
 
kbitten said:
what are the sept dates for la feria?
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Oi Kbitten,

The September dates are for El Festival Mundial de la Salsa, which is the other big event in the world salsa capital. This one week event is more dance oriented and ends on the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) in la Plaza de Toros where the public can watch for free, the competition dancing between the best salsa schools in Cali as well as some invited guest dance celebrities from abroad. Some of the dancing is performed to live salsa orchestras.

During the week there are other free events, mainly in the Centro Cultural (walking distance from the Salsa Hotel), where there are open interviews with salsa musicians/dancers, performances, as well as open free salsa workshops on one of the days.

Here is the video clip of the opening ceremony for El Festival...a couple of years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxQirhD9Uw

And here are some great highlights from a few years ago (this includes international guests):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=2g0XziNKecE



La Feria de Cali is held from the 25th to 30th of December. During this period there are dozens of top local and international bands in performing live and dance events, including the Salsodromo (25th of December), which is based on the Rio Carnaval event at Sambodromo, where dozens of the Cali's top salsa schools parade infront of the cheering crowds, together with some great salsa orchestras on mobile platforms.
Have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI_jCXytjyo


There is more info, but this will give you an idea. Of course, I and others have mentioned before that Cali is full of salsa activities all throughout the year.
 
sunsoul said:
Cali Feria at Christmas is 25-30th December as the official dates with overlap either way.

The dates for the Mundial de Salsa festival in September haven't been set yet as far as I know.
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They are usually in mid September, but in Cali, the organizers usually take their time to confirm the exact dates.
 
DJ Ara - Thanks for the description of the salsa scene down there. My interest is definitely piqued! I do have one more question: What's the culture around asking followers to dance? Reason I ask is that I've heard it can be tricky as followers are usually at the club with someone and not typically looking to dance with men they don't know. Is there truth to that, or have I been misinformed?

Z.
 
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