Concert & Performance Reviews by Shirley Fastner

3rd Annual Chicago International Salsa Congress Feb 12 - 15, 2004

It is hard to believe the first Salsa Congresso only took place as recently as 1997 and, of course, that was in Puerto Rico. They have spread like wildfire and are incredibly all over the world now! A place as tiny as Innsbruck, Austria, with a population of only about 150,000, where I could find nowhere to dance salsa as recently as June, just had its first Salsa Congresso this past January. So when a Congresso is in your own backyard, one must attend as I did for Chicago's 3rd Annual Salsa Congress put on by Rosita Ragin and her incredible team at Cultural Expressions Productions, Ltd.

I must say, going to a Congresso is like going to a marathon - you have to get your stamina up for these are long days, if you take advantage of everything - which you must! The day I went, on Saturday, I was there from about 10 a.m. until 3 a.m. Okay, I did take a lengthy Starbuck's break that I was dreaming about throughout my workshops, but I did not get to that until 6 p.m. I took four workshops back to back, which is a lot to absorb, but the temptation was too great with all the wonderful instructors in town at one time. The Marriott is a good, central venue for this affair, but it is still somewhat difficult to find the workshop rooms as they are spread out amongst several floors. The 15 minutes between classes helped. I only experienced one cancellation this year, but it was my first class at 11:00 a.m. with Juan Calderon. He came to say it had been postponed until 2:45 p.m. but had no explanation for this and his class was about the only "on one" for the hour and by then it was really too late to join another class. I could have stayed for the entire two-hour discussion after all with Mike Bello that I started out in, as it was an excellent explanation of the "clave" and other important musical information that would benefit any salsero. I did run over to try some "shines" with Frankie Martinez (NJ), after I got over my disappointment, although the class was packed and the guy next to me knocked me over. I was in good company, however, as I turned around to see Jimmy Bosch in my class. There were some interesting moves to be learned, of course, as Frankie Martinez is an incredible dancer.

At 12:15 p.m. I was really out of luck as every class listed stated that it was "on 2", so I went to "Ladies Styling" with Griselle Ponce (NJ) anyway. Although she had wonderful moves, she just did them and expected us to follow, until someone continuously asked her to explain them. "So are we on the left foot here or the right..." At 1:30 I wanted to take "Super Mario" just because of his name, but as he was listed as being on two, I went to Sonia & Moris' "Guaguanco" class, although I later learned that Super Mario teaches "on 1" after all! Sonia & Moris (from Montreal) taught a very interesting class mainly about basic body movement, which would be helpful for anyone.

My last class of the day was with Juan Calderon (originally scheduled for 11 a.m.) with a "turning pattern workshop on 1 and 2". This was the highlight of my day. He gave us exercises to practice such as backbends to improve our adeptness at "dips" as well as breaking down "the snake" to be worked on against the wall. Calderon was my most entertaining instructor and he filled the class with tips and pointers. It was also a bonus that even in such a large class, most of us rotated into partnership with him - well, the women that is. I must say all of the people assisting at the Congresso went out of their way to be helpful. The only thing missing was printed schedules to carry with you. Luckily, I came prepared with my Internet printout.

I was too brain dead at this point to make as big a decision as a much needed dance shoe purchase, so I went on to find a seat for the early performances, which lasted from about 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Then I finally went for my much needed Starbucks. I thought I might gain more stamina if I stopped home so off I went for an hour and then right back. I should have taken my time, as the evening performances did not start until 9:30 p.m., although I did manage a front row seat. My favorite part is the costumes. It was great to see the instructors in the shows and there were some real standouts, particularly Victor & Gaby's salsa quebredita from Mexico and Son de Luz from Columbia, but there were too many great performances to mention them all here.

At about 11:15 p.m. the Grand Ballroom was opened up completely for dancing - finally! With so many great dancers to watch, I hardly noticed whether or not I was dancing... and then of course, I had to watch Jose Alberto "El Canario", who came on after midnight. His show was wonderful as he is the consummate showman. The Santo Domingo born, Puerto Rico bred "El Canario" was a perfect choice for the Congresso. He is a classic whose roots go back to his early days with Tipica '73 in the late 70's New York scene. I only consented to dance once during his set. (I wonder if there were any salseros left to catch Brenda K. Starr's competing performance across town...) After about an hour break, "El Canario' came back for another hour and the night came to a close around 3 a.m., when it was REALLY time to go, as I could dance no more. It was a fantastic day and it was great to see so many people from the clubs as well as from many other cities. Even my dance partners seemed to be dancing better at the end of the day... or may be it was me...

Click here for pictures of the 2004 Chicago Salsa Congress!