Review New York International Salsa Congress 2010

Written by Lisa Fantino for OnlineSalsa.com

I have been Latin dancing for several years now and I still do not pretend to be a Salsera, with so much yet to learn and even more to master; spins and spotting are killers! Yet, when you hear 'International Salsa Congress', and in New York no less and where “On2” was born, you would expect more in the way of professionalism than what I witnessed at the 10th Annual NY International Salsa Congress.

First, I do not mean to be ungrateful, having been the guest of Congress founder/director John “Choco” Knight and I do thank him from the bottom of my heart. Yet, the level of amateurism in the performances far exceeded my anticipation of seeing top-notch dancing which I could aspire to.

What brought me there in the first place was my travel consultancy having booked accommodations for the Italian team, Pakito e su Guaguanco Dancers. I knew them to be an excellent troupe and imagined that those they were performing and competing with would be on par. I was greatly disappointed. Some 25 acts performed during a two hour “assembly” which felt like I was being forced to watch my little sister’s dance recital most of the time in anticipation of the Italian dancers taking the stage.

This is a video clip of Pakito's Club y su Guaguanco Dancers performing at the Switzerland Salsa Festival 2010.

I would hate to think that anyone who paid the fee to perform was accepted. Performing should be an honor that is deserved and it should be awarded to those who can dance. I did not attend any of the competitions or workshops, but was happy that Pakito and friends took home some top prizes. Augurissimo, ragazzi!

There were highlights throughout the evening: those performances of Erik and Anna Novoa in Hustle, the legendary Eddie Torres and the evening’s highlight of Pakito e su Guaguanco Dancers. Everyone else was either out of sync, popping out of their costumes, or looking like they wasted a lot of mamma and papa’s money on “lessons.”

The Congress is very tightly run and well organized, at least from this outsiders point of view. There was plenty of security, which sometimes acted like the black-coated mafia, and tickets and crowd control was well managed. Shoes and shirts were available at discounted prices.

However, when the doors opened for open dancing around midnight we were long gone. It was a darkened ballroom with a vibe that was not too attractive. To put it bluntly, I was just not “feeling” that crowd and neither were my dance mates who came with me. By the way, as a production hint - and please know that I have a Masters degree in telecommunications and was a TV and radio producer for decades - get a new audio guy next year. One who will at least man the sound board instead of disappearing. The sound was so over-amplified and distorted that the bass drowned out any hint of melody in any song.


About the author

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney….and a hopeful Salsera. She is the creative force behind and Italy travel consultant for  Wanderlust Women Travel and the Amalfi Coast destination wedding site Wanderlust Weddings. She recently launched Amalfi Blu, gifts and jewelry inspired by the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. In her spare time, she also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.