PY Salsa Blog

San Francisco Congress - November 06

My next stop was the SF Congress in November. This was the one Congress of the year that I was really looking forward too. I had heard a great deal about this event organised by Ricardo & Michelle from Pretty Boys & Girls and I have to say that I was not disappointed.

Hosted in the Hyat Hotel in Oakland a few miles from down town San Fran, it was the perfect location and venue for a Congress. The event kicks off on Thursday evening with a pre Congress party in a club down town. The Hotel had a convention centre right next door that meant everything was in close proximity and just added to the village feel of the Congress.

I have to confess that because of all the previous traveling I had done that I suffered quite badly with jet lag and meant I was not “always” at the top of my game yet I still managed to stay awake long enough to experience the energy, vibe and vitality of this amazing Congress. The Congress reminded me of the first time I attended the LA Congress, and how I was bowled over by the sheer enormity of the event. San Fran Congress is not as big but the energy and excitement is on the same scale.

There are so many things I could say about this event but what stood out for me was the following. I was first struck by the friendliness of the event. Ricardo and Michelle are lovely people and they seem to have attracted a great team of volunteers who always seemed to combine efficient and politeness in equal amounts. Of course as a well known promoter I am sometimes privileged to receive special treatment from my colleagues but in this instance, I had people from UK and France telling me exactly the same things about how nice everyone was being.

Then there were the Parties – which were just kicking! Not only was the music and vibe good with dancers stepping on both counts, and without being cliquey how many Congress parties feature two world-class bands like The New Swing Sextet and Sonora Carouseles on Friday and Saturday respectively? In fact most European Congresses don’t have any live bands, and this seems to be the trend throughout the Congress world. But here in this part of the US where there is a high percentage of Latinos involved as dancers/performers, live music is not just welcomed but appreciated. Especially when the bands play for the dancers like these guys did particularly, New Swing Sextet -on the Friday…man that was hot! Well-done Henry Knowles for bringing these guys out of semi-retirement and sharing their wonderful sound with us!

One of the most memorable features of this Congress was the Jack and Jill competition held on Sunday afternoon. I was asked to judge and I thought why not, that was the least I could do to repay a little of the hospitality I had received. But I was completely taken aback by how much fun this was. I remember the days of Pontins Festivals in the UK and their version of Jack and Jill comps and always thought they were a bit cheesy…fun but cheesy. So I didn’t expect too much from this one either.

Of course I was wrong! This was the first time I had witnessed, or judged for that matter, the Masters Jack and Jill. Most of the Teachers/Performers were invited to partake. Of course they were partnered up at random so I got to see artists not only dance but also compete together for the very first time. It was fantastic! And done in the best possible spirit. That is not to say it wasn’t competitive either because it was, but everyone had a lot of fun.

On a more serious side it was fascinating to watch different top salsa dancers (often with different styles) improvise with each other and interpret the music. How many times do you get to see Victor Burgos (Victor & Gaby Mexico) dance?

‘Quebradita’ with Jessica Ortiz from NYC? Or see Burju (HYM) compete with Ismael Otero (Caribbean Soul). Or even Tito & Tamara dance “against “ each other in the finals? Probably never! Which is why, even though there was an official competition on the Sunday, the Jack and Jill was the one that left me with the most memories. Well-done Ricardo, Michelle for giving me and everyone else so much fun, and thanks for giving me another great idea!

I haven’t even mentioned the evening shows on Friday and Saturday. These were of the highest quality. Interestingly enough the shows were broken down into two sets of roughly 20 each, similar to LA in this respect. Again, this tends to be the case in the US but not in Europe. In fact, I often get stick from people in the UK for having too many shows at the UK Congress, and yet we only have 18 shows max the whole night! So I am not sure that this type of format would work over here, but it certainly did there.

I like to think that the evening shows at both the UK Congress and Brit Fest are some of the best performances that you will ever see in the salsa world, because I truly believe quality over quantity and have done so from the very first Congress I organised back in 2002. Having so few shows was definitely NOT the trend! However I can tell you that the SF Congress shows compete on every level with mine and any other Congress I have attended for that matter. The organisers certainly did their homework and the majority of the shows, especially on Saturday night, were both fresh, exciting and of an exceptional standard.

For me to see new talent or shows from the US is a real bonus since I am only there three or four times a year. And we rarely bring over US artists as much as we did in past years. So I am always thrilled when I come across fresh talent, of groundbreaking shows in this neck of the woods. At this point I must digress a little, since there was a time when the East Coast New York and West Coast of America (LA) set most of the standards in the salsa dance world AND that fact should never be forgotten.

However times have changed and the standard of dancing in Europe and the rest of the world has caught up, and in some cases surpassed much of what I see in the US. This may sound a bit controversial, but in my opinion true and this has been the case for some time. Of course this is NOT to say that there are not some fantastic artists/performers in the US. Places like New York will always lead the way in NY style and groups like Yamulee, Santo Rico and Eddie Torres Dancers can still kick ass! Also couples like Jhesus & Candy are peerless in what they do, but still things have changed in the US too. The top groups no longer predominantly reside in the two big cities of New York and Los Angeles. Just as with Europe, the other major US Cities like Boston, San Francisco etc have caught up and are in some cases setting new standards. HYM, Junior & Emily and Salsa Mania represent the new vanguard of the US based salsa dancers. (Anyone disagree with this statement please let me know why and your proof…I am willing to be proved wrong.)

Anyway I for one, am looking forward to going back to the San Francisco Congress (if they will have me!) And I seriously encourage anyone who has not been to this beautiful city to start saving now!

Next up, I will blog what happened in the magical city of Istanbul and the Turkey Salsa Cup and News Year Eve in Palm Springs California with Edie The Salsa Freak!

That’s all for now guys. I would like to know what you think of my attempts at blogging here? Whether I am boring you or whetting your appetite for the next Congress, please let me know. If you a have any questions you want to ask me about what I do or what I think, just send them to info@salsa-uk.com and I promise to do my best, to answer them here.

I will be back in the New Year with some of my experience, thoughts and insights on the salsa world. Happy New Year!