Review Holland Summer Salsa Congress, Saturday August 27, 2010

Today - Sunday August 28, 2010 - all of the attendees, the great staff of volunteers and the artists are ready to enjoy the last day of the second Holland Salsa Congress  in Vianen. You can read the Friday review here. The workshops and the party on Saturday were truly unforgettable.

Inspiring Salsa Workshops & Great Quotes

Saturday's workshop schedule was packed with great instructors spread over four rooms of the luxurious Van der Valk hotel in Vianen. Many participants had some difficulty choosing the right instructors while others had a fixed plan. I attended the workshops of Terry & Cecille's partnering Mambo on2, Super Mario's partnering LA Style Salsa on1, Eider & Luisa's Dips & Tricks workshop, and I ended with Sam & Ilona's Bachatango workshop.

Terry's instruction was very clear-cut. He and Cecile created a relaxed ambient making it easy for the Salsa dancers to get the complicated dance moves. Terry and Cecile's partnering on2 dance class has a constant switching of partners – also during the instruction – in order to emphasize the social aspect of Salsa. The following are quotes from Terry:

• We change partners during the class because Salsa is a Social Dance, so everyone change partners.
• The man's job is to guide the lady and not to pull her into all her turns.

I had not taken a Salsa workshop from Super Mario in years, so I decided to follow the class of the “Million Moves Man”. He did not disappoint me. His workshop was very inspiring for both Salsa dancers and instructors alike. Here are some of Super Mario's  quotes:

• The first person who started the Ladies Styling craze was a man: Seaon [“The Stylist”] Bristol. Remember that name.
• The “4” is the man's time and the “5” is the ladies. The man uses the “4” to turn the lady into a woman.
• Why are there so many ladies, using the “Prep Step” for spinning when the man is standing in a Cross Body Lead position?

Eider and Luisa instructed one lift ending in a semi split for the ladies. This was very challenging and gratifying experience for all the attendees following their Dips & Tricks workshop. I had to practice  their Cabaret dance move for one hour with two ladies who are taller than I am. Eider and Luisa's superb instruction resulted into the participants - including the three of us - to execute it flawlessly at the end.

Sam Ganon and Ilona's Bachatango workshop was so popular that the organizers decided to change rooms after five minutes. His workshop was entertaining and highly educational. Some quotes:

• A secret of Tango is the “Following of the Nipples”: the lady is always matching the movement of the man's torso with hers. It's like she's following your nipples with hers.

Basic steps are not for the man to Think, but for the lady to Rest. Sam & Ilona did a funny impersonation of Sam spinning Ilona fast around the dance floor but thinking hard while he did a couple of basics.

Exceptional Shows & “Sing-A-Long” at Party

The Saturday Gala Party started at 10:30 p.m. with MC Super Mario announcing that he intended to break his own record of hosting the fastest Salsa showcase. His record was 47 minutes at the time. Randolph and Lilly got a standing ovation when they entered the room.  There were 14 shows and Super Mario kept his word: the shows followed each other in a very fast tempo. The two shows that received a standing ovation from the crowd were: brothers Jazzy and Alexi Ruiz rendition of “the Nicholas Brothers” and Eider & Luisa's Tango. Super Mario did not break his record, but he came very close to it.

This is Christina Quevedo's clip of Eider Rue and Luisa Suaza's Tango performance during the 4th World Salsa Championships 2009.

The Saturday party was jam-packed, but still we managed to dance comfortably. Great DJ's such as DJ Incognito, DJ Mauri, DJ Willy and DJ Andre were at their very best. Some instructors took over the microphone to sing, rap and joke around while the dancers continued to sweat heavily on the dance floor. Both Lilly & Randolph's and the Van der Valk hotel did a very good job in keeping everyone smiling.