The Colombian/Peruvian Salsa Festival is this Sunday August 2^nd! Hosted by Rumba Entertainment, the event enters its second year bringing us 3 live bands (Ritmo Peru, Grupo Mi Tierra, and Mambo Salvaje) in this all ages event. Dance shows begin at 7pm. The festival will be a good opportunity to learn about the music and culture of Colombia and Peru. I’ve included these two YouTube videos here to give you more information about the two countries:

For more information about the Colombian/Peruvian Salsa Festival check out the info page set up at the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group.

That’s right! Puerto Rican powerhouse El Gran Combo is coming to San Diego! Brought to us again from the same folks that brought us Victor Manuelle and Gilberto Santa Rosa (Blue Agave Nightclub ), this concert is going to be an absolute must to attend.

Why? El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico is quintessential Puerto Rican salsa and one of the best salsa music bands ever to come from Puerto Rico. A virtual institution in Puerto Rico, the group has played for four decades with its 13 piece ensemble. The group is so important to Puerto Rican identity in the salsa world that the Puerto Rican Senate officially named them “Ambassadors of Our Music” to the rest of the world.

I’ve included YouTube videos here in this post of their best and well known songs, Brujeria at the beginning and Un Verano en Nueva York below:

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group will be going to the concert with an RSVP page set up for you to access more info about the event (PLEASE CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN THERE!)

Thanks to Blue Agave Nightclub for bringing another great salsa concert to San Diego!

Believe it or not, September is not that far away and with it comes the 3^rd Annual San Diego Salsa Festival!

As it gets closer to the event (September 17^th – 20^th), I’ll be writing about things that may be of interest to those attending. Here are some of the things we already know about the upcoming San Diego Salsa Festival:

1. September 17^th there will be a Pre-Party w/ Victor and Burju and Ana and Joel From Boston. This should be a fun way to jump start the rest of the weekend.

2. A number of D.J.’s are committed to spin including D.J. Robby LA, D.J. Sugar Philly,  D.J.Carlos Miranda LA & D.J. Lobo LA with more to be confirmed.

3. There will be 2 Dance Rooms For Evening Social Dancing.

4. Over 50 Performers from around the nation will be showcasing their talent.

5. There will be over 40 Workshops from beginner to advanced and specialized classes such as Zumba, Afro Cuban, Rumba, and Samba.

6. All night dancing!

7. Jack N Jill Competitions.

8. Hotel Rooms only $115 a night ( All Inclusive )

You can still purchase full event passes and I’d urge you all to get yours before they sell out. I already did!

Make sure to check Ritmo Bello for more updates about this great upcoming event!

1^st Wednesday’s of the Month with Meetup.com at Café Sevilla is coming up August 5^th and with it another great opportunity to connect with local San Diego dancers.

Last month our group started meeting earlier to share Tapas starting at 7pm and we will again be doing so downstairs at Café Sevilla. The venue is known for its great Spanish Cuisine and as we saw last month sharing this simple meal is a great way to meet other people. The pictures here show some of the folks that came for the Tapas portion of the event and I posted their reactions here so you could get a sense of how they enjoyed the night.

Of course the main focus of the night is salsa dancing and for those arriving before 8:30pm you can take advantage of the free lesson offered by Valerie at the club. If you don’t take the salsa lesson you are invited to join us in our special VIP area of the club set up for Meetup.com members.  Look for the Meetup signs (see the picture below) to find us.

The event is open to everyone!

Bring your friends and come at 7pm. Since we gets lots of people that attend these events we ask for a RSVP ahead of time. To do so please access the RSVP page here and you will find all the information you need to find our group that night.

Thanks and hope to meet you at our 1^st Wednesday of the Month event at Café Sevilla!

If you are a fan of the “Dancing with the Stars” TV show you are in for a treat.  Here in San Diego at the historic Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park there will be a limited engagement showing of “The New Mambo Kings.”

“The New Mambo Kings” is an exciting musical revue that blends Latin American culture through the art of dance, voice, and music.  The show will feature lots of different Latin music styles including Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Cha-Cha-Cha, Samba, Tango, Rumba, Paso Doble and Boleros.  It will also have flashy dance numbers and a good amount of singing both in English and in Spanish.

Starlight Theatre’s new Guest Artistic Director, Carlos Mendoza, along with his brother Mauricio Mendoza hope to reach out to everyone from all walks of life with their show.  The brothers have a long history in the performing arts, appearing in popular movies and shows like “Blow” starring Johnny Depp (see the Youtube video below).  I think the show will be a great way to experience the full range of Latin American music and dances in a way that is energetic and riveting.  If you’ve been one of the people glued to the TV watching “Dancing with the Stars” this will be a great show for you too.

The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group will be attending the July 31st performance and you are invited to attend this show as well.  To find out more information about how to obtain tickets please visit the RSVP page (click here!) on the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group.  Come out and support a great performing arts revue here in San Diego!

If you are like me I’m sure that when you travel you have one thing on your mind, salsa dancing.  Okay, maybe not but in all reality it is probably something that may cross your mind and you might want to take advantage of in another city.

Over the last couple of months I’ve been using Twitter (see the video above for a short overview)  to learn about the salsa dance scene in different places ranging from New York to Croatia.  Some of the folks I’ve met through Twitter that are into salsa dancing like me include Becoming a Salsero (Walter De Rooij), Dena from VidaSalsera, and DimeloRecords. Through my use of Twitter I now have a better sense of what to expect when I travel to different cities in terms of salsa dancing.   I also have people to meet up with when I visit.

Here in San Diego there are lots of people in the salsa dance scene who are using Twitter as well.  Some of them include Addicted2Salsa’s Anthony Persaud, Cafe Sevilla, A Time to Dance Studio, and Manny Cepeda.

Try using Twitter and Twitter Search to find others interested in salsa dancing.  Don’t forget to add Ritmo Bello to your follow list on Twitter!