Colombia’s third largest city Cali will consolidate its reputation as one of the world’s premier dance capitals when it hosts the seventh “World Salsa Festival” this September.
From September 15 to 23, Cali will host the fledgling World Salsa Festival, which will include performances by more than 3,000 dancers from the 60 plus salsa schools in the city, as well as international participants.
To the irresistible sound of drums, the percussion instrument guiro, trumpets and maracas, Cali’s finest salsa dancers will compete for the right to represent Colombia in the World Salsa Championships later in the year and will remind the world why Cuban and Caribbean rhythms are such a strong part of Colombia’s heritage.
Among the various categories of salsa, this year’s event will feature the dance styles of “On 1” and “Los Angeles style,” which are attributed to the innovative moves of famous salsa director Rogelio Moreno and by the expert brothers Francisco and Luis Vasquez in the early 1990s.
The head producer of the festival, Luis Alberto Sevillano, claimed the LA style is “very common worldwide between dancers, so we want this year’s event to be more friendly for foreigners to come and participate.” He added, “the cabaret category is already dominated in the world by Cali dancers.”
In its seventh version, this year’s festival will commence on September 15 and 16 with local competitions in the open-air theater “Los Cristales.”
From September 17 to 20, the salsa loving crowds can enjoy demonstrations, exhibitions and concerts at the Cultural Center of Cali and the Enrique Buenaventura Municipal Theater.
The 2012 event has already broken records, with approximately 3,400 dancers registered for the competition. There are 73 groups in the children’s category, 106 couples in cabaret, and 18 groups in the ensemble category. Of the international contingent, there are 11 cabaret groups, 16 in On 1, and 45 pairs under cabaret.