Salsa in Helsinki, Finland?

Reviving this old thread to ask -- any good Cuban style parties in Helsinki the next few days? Thu, Fri, Sat or Sun? Thanks!!
 
I think Oopperasalsat outdoor event on Sunday at 6pm should be your best bet. The event is takes place at Opera amphi theater (located in the park next to the National Opera, Helsinginkatu 58).

You could also try Restaurant Havanna, Kaisaniemenkatu 2 on Fri or Sat, there should be some dancers, but It is mixed music place and it could be quiet as well.

By the way for crossbody dancer the best bet would be Salsa at the Cellar Summer Party on Fri 5th at HSA studio. (Isonnevantie 16, Haaga) The place, which can be bit tricky to spot, is in the cellar of the Haaga library building. That party will gather good crowd.
 
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Saturday parties are rare in Helsinki. They happen only occasionally. The number one social (the only weekly one at the moment) is still Salsa at the Cellar and it happens on Fridays. It's on a christmas break at the moment, but will continue in January. You can find the events through Helsinki Salsa Academy's facebook page.

And next week there will be the Arctic Salsa Festival. That's something you should definitely consider, if you happen to be in town.
https://www.facebook.com/events/503833109702771/

I'm in the organizing team of both events so let me know, if you're coming :)
 
premier said:
Saturday parties are rare in Helsinki. They happen only occasionally. The number one social (the only weekly one at the moment) is still Salsa at the Cellar and it happens on Fridays.
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To add something to the previous: this applies for cross-body style. The Cuban scene in Helsinki is older than the cross-body one, but not as well organised, and sometimes not very good good in promoting its events. There are semi-regular Cuban style parties, but your best chance of finding them is through Facebook. The next big event is in April: http://www.bailabaila.fi/salsafestivaali/en/homepage/ but you can of course also go to the Arctic festival even as Cuban style dancer.

If you are in town on a Friday or Saturday you can try to go to Restaurant Havana, they will play salsa there, but it has increasingly become a Latin pop place with a mixed crowd. But if there are no dedicated events, salsa people too will usually go there.
 

We had Jimmy over at the Arctic Salsa Festival :D Featuring yours truly and I think petteri was there too (not going to tell where) ;)
 
Uploaded a few videos from a rumba organized here last year. Definitely not a common thing here unless they happen somewhere underground, but I like to think there's pretty good rumberos in Helsinki. I love the fact that we have such a lively afro-cuban scene too here. The first video features a forum member, who can identify himself, if he wants to :)



 
Things have changed for this season a bit. Salsa at the Cellar is no longer a weekly party and it's organized once a month on the last Friday of the month. You can find the events on facebook from Helsinki Salsa Academy's page.

Also Havanna nightclub is no longer operating, so even though that was never the place for dancers, it's completely out of the picture now.

The only weekly social at the moment is AfroLatin Night at Uggla nightclub on Mondays. It's a 50/50 salsa and timba. And there's another dance floor downstairs for kizomba, zouk and bachata. This your best weekly option at the moment.

There's now another party starting at the same place on Sundays called La Mega Rumba. It's your average "latin night" so expect a lot of merengue and reggaeton. Doesn't seem to gather much of the dancer crowd at least yet.
 
premier said:
The only weekly social at the moment is AfroLatin Night at Uggla nightclub on Mondays.
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For what it's worth, here's a list of salsa dancing possibilities (parties, events, dance schools, etc) in Helsinki that I collected:

[Salsa in Helsinki — a guide for social dancers]
Edit: Well, Salsa Forums prevents me from posting that because I haven't been chatting on this forum enough. Whatever. :D You can re-create the link manually by removing spaces:
www . evernote . com /shard/s59/sh/d7452f1f-758c-495b-a861-068c6936f7c5/9d56c7313a0b9c908de202866e36a590​

I'm trying to keep that reasonably up-to-date and comprehensive (though admittedly I don't know the CBS scene so well).

I agree that Uggla on Mondays (AfroLatin Night) is the best* weekly bet. It's a really nice, friendly social dance; whether you dance CBS, Cuban, kizomba or zouk, you'll get your fix. The playlist is a little thin on bachata though, in my opinion. (* Except during summer when Oopperasalsat is on. That party is totally awesome.)

"La Mega Rumba" mentioned in the previous message never got off the ground unfortunately (cancelled after 3 or 4 weeks). But there's quite a lot of stuff going on, with many occasional or semi-regular parties, totalling around 2–4 salsa or latin parties every week.

Especially Baila Baila dance school has been notably active in organizing rather big parties on a semi-regular basis (usually Saturdays). Strong Cuban style dominance, but the music is not all timba, and it can be fun for any dancers. Events section on their website shows what's coming up: [google up Baila Baila -> Events]
 
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So Finland as a travel destination? Please, come during the summer (july, and august if lucky) or during the winter +(the rest of the year) and go skiing in the northern Finland, but stop by in Helsinki and dance with us :)

I think this video tells you all that's important. WTF - Welcome To Finland

 
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