Review of Bacardi Salsa Congress 1999

By

EILEEN TORRES

  

There will be no excuse for your absence. You are now on alert. You must plan, save money, use vacation time, and travel to Puerto Rico in order to attend Salsa's most spectacular and prestigious global event--the Bacardi Salsa Congress. Formerly known as the World Salsa Congress, the name change reflects the increased level of support Bacardi Rums is giving to the Congress. The commitment was apparent by the nightly presence of Bacardi executives. The dates for this year's Congress are July 25-29, 2000.

 

The 1999 Bacardi Salsa Congress, held at the El San Juan Hotel over the dates of July 27-31, 1999 was a tremendous success. Approximately 1,400 people were on hand nightly to witness Salsa at its best. Over 1,000 people from 35 countries traveled from outside Puerto Rico to attended the five-day event. People represented the United States from 28 states. See a list of countries and states at article's end.

 

Each night three dance orchestras entertained the crowd for one set each. The Congress organizers are knowledgeable about classic Salsa and hire legendary bands and headliners. No where else will you see the likes of Gran Combo, Sonora Poncena, Willie Rosario, Roberto Roena, Tommy Olivencia, Andy Montanez, La Mulenze, Cheo Feliciano, Cano Estremera, Conjunto Chaney, Charanga La Criolla, Orquesta La Experimental, and the Bacardi Salsa Congress All Star Band in sequence over five days.

 

Twice nightly, between sets, dance teams from around the world present their choreographies. Seven dance teams would perform for the first set, and seven for the second. Fifty-six dance teams from 30 countries exhibited their interpretation of movement to Salsa music.

 

There were many styles and varying levels of expertise. Several teams make dance their full or part time occupation. Others perform for the mere pleasure. There was a good mix of nations represented, ages of performers, and a wonderful blend of styles.

 

There were teams who exhibited for the first time like those from Montreal and Vancouver, Canada, Argentina, and Sweden to name a few. The regulars like Salsa Brava, Los Rumberos, and Felipe Polanco exhibited Salsa dance at its most precise and polished level.

 

The costumes were spectacular. They ranged from glamorous and glitzy to sophisticated and elegant with everything in between. They were colorful and imaginative, sexy and provocative. Each team wore them well.

 

Last year the ballroom was set differently up to accommodate the growth in participants. The dance floor served as the stage for the exhibitions. Rows of chairs were set on risers of many levels, in bleacher style. Many folks opted for sitting on the floor.

 

Last year's outstanding feature was the youth element. There were several teams made up entirely of youth or partially so. They displayed excellent skill coupled with an exuberance that penetrated the audience. New York's Side Street Kids and Young Ambition along with the L.A. Salsa Kids amazed the audience. Impromptu performances by a 12 year-old Puerto Rican boy and his mother delighted the audience. On the next day, a tiny seven-year-old girl was brought to the staging area to dance for the crowd. Half way through the song, Josh, a child from Holland who had just celebrated his eighth birthday the day before, walked to the stage and began dancing with the little girl. The audience roared with approval. It was evident the culture is being perpetuated through the interest and efforts of the children and adolescents who are making sure Salsa continues to flourish.

 

Last year for the first time, The Eddie Torres Dancers from New York were on hand to display their talents. Eddie Torres is significant because he almost single handedly began the movement that has popularized stylized Mambo. He is the grand daddy of Mambo dance instructors. Most Mambo instructors either trained with Eddie himself or one of his trainees.

 

Mr. Torres brought a large group of 30+ dancers. His choreography is quite distinctive. It employs several, small groups of dancers. Each group executes its own dance patterns and wears costuming different from the other groups. Group after group enters the stage with a distinctive theme. Somehow, the individual groups create a cohesive whole. It is much like a Salsa orchestra made of many individual sections, each playing different rhythms on different instruments, incorporating solos, that produces a powerful number.

 

A new element debuted at this year's Congress. A two-paged, four-sided, daily newsletter called SALSA TODAY gave participants an idea of the night's schedule and recounted the activity from the previous day. The bilingual English/Spanish publication introduced the readers to several of the exhibiting dance teams in each edition. Many color photographs are displayed making the newsletter very attractive. Short profiles of groups or individuals give readers additional information for greater understanding of the many dimensions of the Congress.

 

The most surprising revelation of the Congress surfaced during a panel discussion. Kiyomi Yamasaki, dance instructor and director of Chevere, a dance group from Japan, enlightened us about the status of Salsa in Japan. In light of the tremendous success of the Japanese Salsa group, Orquesta De La Luz, and the participation by Japanese in the Congress since its beginnings, many of us had the mistaken impression that Salsa was a very popular music and dance embraced fully by the Japanese. The fact is that Salsa is very much an underground movement. The devoted fanatics are very much a minority. Dancing, especially in couples, employing sultry and sensual movement is contrary to the very fabric that dominates Japanese culture. The Japanese movie Shall We Dance illustrates this point very well. Japanese Salseros like George Watabe, that country's #1 Salsa promoter, a growing list dance instructors, dance studio and club owners, disc jockeys, dancers, and fans of the music are doing their best to change the situation.

 

The Congress is dedicated to special people each year. Last year's honoree was Don Quique Lucca, founder of Puerto Rico's ever-popular La Sonora Poncena. Don Quique, in his mid 80s, has been playing music since the 1940s. He turned over musical direction of the group to his son Papo Lucca, many years ago, but remains the spiritual leader of the group. In breaking with the tradition of the times, Quique Lucca incorporated a female voice into his line of lead singers. Yolanda Rivera was a recognized voice in times when less than a handful of females had any prominence in the Salsa industry. Don Quique, a humble and soft-spoken man made a very brief acceptance speech and called for his son Papo to share the award.

 

Another award made its debut at the 1999 Bacardi Salsa Congress. The Andy Vazquez Award was created in memory of Anibal Vasquez, who died in 1999 while dancing in New York's Copacabana Night Club. Anibal was considered by many, Salsa's greatest dancer. Anibal performed many times with his nephew, Roberto Roena.

 

Also honored was Albert Torres, a highly successful Salsa promoter in Los Angeles. Mr. Torres has served as Master of Ceremonies for each Congress. He bilingually directs each night's activities with gusto, vigor and whit. Albert was recognized for his undying devotion to the promotion and perpetuation of Salsa and for his generous support and valuable collaboration in the preparation and production of the Congress. The Congress organizers made cash contributions in the name of Albert Torres to two of the youth groups--New York's, Side Street Kids and to the L.A. Salsa Kids.

 

The Congress is expanding rapidly and experienced growing pains last year. Fortunately, the organizers have moved the activities to a larger venue, the Caribe Hilton for the 2000 Congress. Be sure you do not miss this event. It is like no other!

 

Left to Right, Rafael Ithier (Gran Combo), Eileen Torres

Salsamundo Publisher, Eli Irizarry, All Star Entertainment, Roberto

Roena.(Photo courtesy of Jose Reyes).

 

 

 

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES 1999

 

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Martinique, Mexico, Peru, The Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad/Tobago, United States, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

 

 

 

PARTICIPATING STATES 1999

 

Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachussets, Missouri, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, No. Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont and Washington.