Just a quick reminder that the Los Angeles Salsa Congress is going on this weekend. The theme of the Los Angeles Salsa Congress is “Creating Unity Through Salsa” and will feature Cheo Feliciano as a featured performer tonight.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to catch some great salsa dancing and music.
There is more to salsa than just the dance. Salsa, of course, is also about the music itself and the salsa recording artists that allow for all of us to continue dancing. Many of these salsa recording artists would never be known without any of the salsa recording labels waiting to discover them. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with salsa recording label Dimelo! Records to discuss this and the efforts they are putting forth to support new salsa recording talent.
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Ritmo Bello : What is the mission and focus of your organization as it pertains to the San Diego Salsa community?
Dimelo! Records : We would like to perform more live gigs in San Diego. We have recently purchased a "Dimelo! Records Van" that will allow all our bands to travel to and from the area more conveniently. We have recently launched a Social networking site www.dimelolife.com which will allow us to interact with more Salseros. We hope to better understand the communities outside of Los Angeles through this medium.
Ritmo Bello: What are the origins of your organization?
Dimelo! Records: Dimelo! Records was founded in 1998 in Los Angeles. It is a subsidiary of Latin Music Entertainment, Inc. a full service music company, which produces, licenses, manufactures, markets and distributes all its own product independently since 1994.
Ritmo Bello : Are there any artists you are currently promoting that you’d like the public to know more about?
Dimelo! Records : Dimelo! Records currently has 3 artists on their roster….Our 1st release was "Salsa De Verda" as performed by Orquesta Tabaco y Ron in 1998, since their first release, "OTR" has released 6 albums on the Dimelo! imprint, including one remix album, and a live recording. Our second addition to the Dimelo! line up, and of Costa Rican decent, was Chino Espinoza y Los Dueńos Del Son. Extremely popular, Chino Espinoza is the most booked band in Los Angeles. His discography includes, "Pura Vida", "Maria", a Salsa Christmas album. Our most recent and third artist is, La Charanga Cubana. Their 2007 freshman release on Dimelo! Records was immediately, nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album of The Year. They are currently, in the studio vigorously wrapping up their follow up recording.
Ritmo Bello: How does an up and coming Salsa artist sign on with your label?
Dimelo! Records: We are a boutique niche label. We seek bands with a heavy commitment to live gigs. We are always looking for a great opportunity to include a fresh and unique piece to our arsenal of artists. We always welcome new material for review. Please send any information to:
Valerie Guzman
Marketing Department
Dimelo! Records
10835 Chandler Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601 USA
Yahoo Messenger: dimelolife
AIM: dimelolife
Twitter: dimelolife
Ritmo Bello : Anything else you’d like to share with the general public? I heard you mention the launch of a social networking site, right?
Dimelo! Records: dimelolife.com will be a major commitment for us in 2008. Although still in beta, we plan to officially launch the site in a few months. DimeloLife is not about one record label or a handful of recording artists, or select events. DimeloLife will be ALL things Salsa, every recording artist, every dancer, every promoter, every dance-club, every night – an online Salsa Social Community. DimeloLife will be the place to share videos, audio, photos, blogs/stories with unlimited media uploads…all for free – there will never be a cost. This site will also be the home of Dimelo! TV our new video pod-cast network which will include general interest programming, Salsa videos, and Special Event coverage.
Again, our official launch is around two months away. We would like for you and your readers to beta test the site with us. We are slowly opening it up to a few exclusive friends to get their accounts set up and upload some media before we officially launch. Feel free to invite a few other of your own special friends to setup their accounts, add some pics and video, and chat it up. This invitation will guarantee you "Founding Member" status, which will be rewarded in a unique Dimelo! manner before the end of the year.
Use this link for now to take a sneak peak and set up an account:
Ritmo Bello: Is there contact information available to reach you for more information?
Dimelo! Records: Yes, please send any enquiries to:
Valerie Guzman
Marketing Department
Dimelo! Records
10835 Chandler Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601 USA
Yahoo Messenger: dimelolife
AIM: dimelolife
Twitter: dimelolife
Are you a salsa addict? Ever wondered who else is thinking about salsa dancing as much as you are? Well there is a program called Twitter that allows you to connect with those people as they are having that thought.
Twitter allows salsa dancers to find out when and where other salsa dancers are going to be dancing, what experiences they might have during a night out dancing salsa, and a whole scope of other thoughts that could be expressed about the dance. I recently signed up for it and was amazed at the thriving salsa community that is using the program world wide. I now know in real time when one salsa dancer is going salsa dancing in Japan and whether someone in Berlin enjoyed their last dance at a local club. I think there is a lot of good potential for the dance community to utilize this technology and I’ll keep you updated on my own experiences with it.
The video here explains in more detail how it all works. To check it out online visit my own Twitter page that I set up. Have fun tweeting!
Hope you are all having a great Memorial Day weekend.
As we go about enjoying this weekend please take a moment to remember those men and women that have died in service to this country. Many of the freedom’s that we have (including our ability to go out and enjoy something as simple as salsa dancing) are due to their sacrifices.
Have a safe holiday…and keep salsa dancing!
I received a number of emails regarding my Salsa Boot Camp post. Many people were asking about other types of salsa dance videos that may be available and one reader shared with me the Steps 4 Salsa website .
The website is a nice resource for instructional salsa DVD’s featuring well known salsa instructors like Eddie, the Salsa Freak , Alex da Silva , and Josie Neglia . They also have some local San Diego salsa talent such as the Angel and Tulane videos available for purchase. A nice feature of the website is the ability to download some of the videos directly for your use at a click of the mouse.
The list of Salsa dance instructors is very extensive and should keep you busy learning new salsa moves. Enjoy!
Hello Everyone!!!
I wanted to let you know about another Salsa Congress coming up in July in Las Vegas, Nevada. Specifically, the Sin City Salseros in association with David Nieto are hosting the 5th Annual Las Vegas Salsa Congress .
For those of you unfamiliar with Salsa Congresses, the 5th Annual Las Vegas Salsa Congress and other congresses like it are official qualifier rounds for the World Salsa Championship coming later in December.
San Diego’s own Majesty in Motion will be competing with David Stein assisting as a guest instructor.
The event will be July 4th -5th at the Tropicana Hotel……..hope to see you all in Las Vegas!
I recently found an online resource for salsa and other types of latin dancing. Dubbed "Salsa Boot Camp" it is a compilation of online salsa dance classes, instructional DVD’s on subjects ranging from traditional ON1 salsa to ladies salsa dance styling tips, and other useful salsa dance information.
Although I am an advocate of learning salsa dance "hands on" with a local instructor, the resource provides another option for those who want and need a different way to learn the dance. The resource also allows for more advanced dancers to pick specific areas they may need to brush up on.
Some testimonials taken from the site include:
To find out more information about this resource click on the link located in the advertisers section here on Ritmo Bello labeled "Salsa Crazy – 2 Left Feet, No Rhythm, No problem" and with the man woman in pose.
Hope you are all doing well. This Thursday, May 22nd Johnny Polanco is having his CD release party!!!. The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup will be in attendance.
The event will not only showcase Polanco’s new CD but will also have a host of salsa, samba, and Tango dance shows to enjoy.
For more information about this salsa dance event here in San Diego please visit the Meetup page for this event .
Hope everyone is doing great. Here in San Diego there are a number of salsa dance troupes and companies that cater to very different aspects of salsa dancing. Indeed, some of the local dance companies concentrate their efforts and skills to spreading the dance to particular areas of the dance both philosophically and geographically. I recently had the opportunity to interview with Tony Caligagan of Salsa Inferno Dance about his groups contributions to the local San Diego salsa dance community:
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Salsa Inferno Dance:
Hi John,
Thanks for your support. Keeping salsa alive takes a lot of effort and I am thankful someone like you takes the time to promote salsa in a positive manner.
I have been active in the Salsa Community for more than 14 years. Since my return from New York in 1992 (after dancing on Broadway and meeting Maria my wonderful wife) I’ve taught salsa and Latin dance at UCSD and introduced salsa to thousands of dancers over the years.
Ritmo Bello: What is your Mission and Vision for your dance company?
Salsa Inferno Dance: Our mission for Salsa Inferno Dance has been to create a core of highly skilled trained dance professionals that not only represent salsa as a fun social activity, but also to perform for corporate events and Special events throughout the salsa community. In a way Salsa Inferno is a sister company to Heatwave Productions which has been a leading entertainment provider in San Diego for over 15 years.
Ritmo Bello: What are the origins of your dance troupe?
Salsa Inferno Dance: The origins spawned from our beginning and intermediate salsa classes in Encinitas, UCSD, Culture shock (I started the salsa program at Culture shock), and from local salsa clubs that I promoted. On June 6th we will be celebrating our 9th year of teaching salsa in Encinitas which will be a land mark event. We consistently have 60-80 students in our Friday night classes- rain or shine. The dancers that came on a consistent basis developed into good social dancers. Then we took that core group and started performing about 6 years ago, the group grew slowly but surely. WE now have 3 teams, Salsa Inferno Amateur, Salsa Inferno Pro-team, Salsa Inferno Bachata Performance team.
Ritmo Bello: What sets your group apart from the other local dance troupes?
Salsa Inferno Dance: Because of our dance background and experience as trained dance professionals Maria and I have over 40 years of dance experience (see our biography on www.salsainfernodance.com ) to offer students. Coaching is one of our expertise and we feel we can help anyone improve their dancing and quality of life. We encourage and create a positive environment where we know that if someone applies themselves they will grow not only technically but they will grow in confidence and self esteem. There is a lot more to teaching Salsa than just teaching steps!!!!
Ritmo Bello: I would have to agree with you wholeheartedly on your last point. If somebody wants to participate how can they contact your group?
Salsa Inferno Dance: We are always accepting qualified new dancers to the group. Some people stop dancing for a while and then come back when their life situation allows. Besides being a dance company with high standards we are also the most affordable! We only charge $10.00 per training session and you only pay when you show up. That’s $40.00 a month vs. other team fees of $100 or more
We can be found at www.salsainfernodance.com or tony@salsainfernodance.com . Thanks for all you do John!! 
Ritmo Bello: Well, thanks to you Tony and your group for promoting salsa dance here locally in San Diego, California and around the world.
Valerie fromthe Abran Paso salsa dance club wanted to sharethis update.Looks like theclub will be expanding. Check it out below: _______________________________________________ **ABRAN PASO Last Friday our Grand opening was a hit!I guess San Diego Salsa folks areready to check out a new location for Friday Salsa.The Hotel was soimpressed with our "Party" that they have offeredus the Grand Ballroom atthe Mission Valley Resort for our Clients to considerthis week! Neat Huh.Hope you will stop by this week and check out ourfriendly atmosphere, coolenvironment, patio and reasonable cover (only $8.00). Dance class withValerie at 8:30 PM and general dancing at 9:30 PMMission Valley Resort is located on the south sideof freeway 8 on HotelCircle. Take the Hotel Circle exit!!(875 Hotel Circle South SD 92108)
Hello! Hope you are all doing well. Believe it or not Colombia’s independence day is coming up in the not too distant future. Although the actual independence day is July 20th, there will be a special celebration on Sunday July 27th, 2008 at the Mission Valley Hilton here in San Diego from 11am to 6pm. Rumba Entertainment is hosting this event.
Some things to look forward to include folkloric dance performances, spectacular salsa and tango dance shows, food and souvenir vendors, and of course salsa dancing. Orquesta Ritmo Caliente is slated to perform and there should be free salsa lessons with paid admission. I’m hoping they will have some Aguardiente Antioqueno to make the celebration complete.
For more information look for updates on Ritmo Bello.
Majesty in Motion announced that it will be holding auditions for their various teams.
Specifically, there are spots open on all teams. Majesty offers ON1 and ON2 training. They currently have 2 ladies teams and 1 men’s team.
The auditions will be held on Sunday July 6th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Cheek2Cheek Dance Studio in Pacific Beach.
Make sure to bring your dance shoes (or jazz shoes), water, their application which you should print out, and dress comfortably (gym clothes are fine).
Everyone is welcome (yes this includes beginners as well).
For more information visit Majesty in Motion.
Albert, the event coordinater, wanted to get some last minute information regarding the salsa social out to those attending. Below is what he wrote. For more information about the event please visit the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dance Meetup:
Party is in Ballroom 6C (second floor, middle of the Convention Center.)
Show schedule:
- Doors open 6:30pm
- Free Workshop/Class from 7-8pm
- !!!First set of shows at 9:15pm!!!
- !!!Second set of shows at 11:15pm!!!
- Dancing everywhere in between!
Any questions, feel free to email JuniorAndEmily@gmail.com or call Albert at (858) 344-9499.There is a Padres homegame against the Rockies — there will still be lots of parking at the Convention Center (Rockies games are not highly attended, and the SDCC has assured us plenty of capacity.) To circumvent traffic, consider taking Harbor via airport/Little Italy or coming up from the South by exiting Cesar Chavez off the 5.
Tomorrow is going to be a blast!!! Hoooray for SoCal Salsa!
Sincere Thanks for All the Wonderful Support,
Albert, Junior, Emily, & The Amicitia FamilyPS. For those who already paid for tickets or requested will-call, no worries — we have our lists and you are taken care of
Junior & Emily of Amicitia Dance Company announced a new opportunity for auditions coming up in June.
The auditions for their training and Semi Pro Teams will be held at Dance Place San Diego on Sunday June 8th, 2008 from 12 to 2pm for the training team and 2-4 for the Semi Pro team.
No partner is necessary and they stress that the audition will begin promptly at the designated times.
Please note that Amicitia trains their teams On beat 2.
For more information you can contact them at juniorandemily@gmail.com
If you’ve ever gone out to salsa dance here in San Diego you may have seen a peculiar style of salsa dance performed by not just one pair but by a group of people. That style of dance, Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda, is punctuated by a round style of dancing salsa.
Developed in Havana, Cuba in early 1960’s, this style of dance pairs dancers in a circle where one person calls out the moves for the group to perform. Many “callers” develop an extensive array of hand signs to complement each call and easily lead the group in the various turns. There is even swapping of partners as you can see in this Salsa Rueda video I posted.
Locally here in San Diego there are a number of groups that cater to the Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda Style. They include Rueda San Diego out of the North County. They offer classes and more information for those interested.
In the past I tried learning Salsa Rueda and found that it takes just as much if not more dedication to perfecting that style of dance. If you undertake to learn the dance make sure you find a group of Salsa Rueda dancers that can teach you the calls and moves. That way, the next time you see Salsa Rueda at the club you may just be able to jump in and join them.
