By Katie Smith from Real-Atlanta

SALSAtlanta to Celebrate 10 Year Anniversary – 10 Years of Teaching Atlanta to Dance Salsa

Salsa is a dance much like the food for which it is named. There are numerous flavors and countless ingredients all of which are all inspired by culture and personal taste. Much like the food, there is no right or wrong way. There's Los Angeles Style, New York Style, street style, ballroom style, and many other styles. Salsa Casino is uniquely Cuban style and features its own distinctive moves which set it apart from other forms of Salsa. SALSAtlanta, the city's largest gathering of Salsa Casino enthusiasts celebrated its 10 year anniversary this past weekend, December 11 through December 13 at Georgia Tech's Student Center. The three day event included parties, workshops, performances, live music, and dancing.

The event was planned by SALSAtlanta's founder, Julian Meija. Julian is originally from Colombia, but discovered Salsa Casino while living in Miami. He found Salsa Casino to be more natural than other forms he had danced before, "Salsa is from street dancing and I like Cuban movement,"says Julian, "I feel that Salsa Casino has a more organic connection to the music than other types of Salsa."While working for Delta, Julian moved to Atlanta, bringing his love of Casino with him. At first, Salsa was barely known in Atlanta, let alone Cuban Salsa. Julian was determined to change this. He began with a small class of six students, all of whom happened to be Salsa instructors. Little by little, as each instructor took on more students, Salsa Casino's popularity blossomed and SALSAtlanta was formed. Within 10 years, SALSAtlanta went from Julian's class of six instructors to a nationally recognized Casino group. That very group attracted attendants and instructors from all over the country to celebrate its creation.

FRIDAY

Friday was a pretty light day. The anniversary celebration began Friday afternoon with workshops taught by globally recognized instructors from all over the country. Most of the workshops started with the basics such as beginners body movement, basic Salsa steps, the folklore of Salsa, and of course introduction to Rueda.

Rueda, or the circle, is one of the most distinctive features of Salsa Casino. The Rueda usually begins with a few couples that dance in a circle and as time goes by more and more couples enter the circle. There is a caller who shouts out various commands, many of which are accompanied by a gesture, which prompts the dancers to do a particular move or to switch partners. While Rueda is commonly featured in Casino, it is not the only way to dance it. Like any other form of Salsa, it can also be danced alone, in a group, or with a partner.

After the Friday workshops, attendants got to put their newly learned skills to the test with a dinner and dance social at Taverna Plaka, which is SALSAtlanta's weekly Friday night hot spot. As this was a special gathering, there was music from DJ Dark Rum of Anejo Productions, DJ Omarito of Puro Entertainment, and DJ Carlito NOVA as well as a few live performances. As the night became the early morning, many of the attendants went to their respective beds only to take a short nap before starting all over the next morning.

SATURDAY

Saturday was the busiest day of all. The daytime workshops got a little more advanced and included Salsa inspired aerobics, Salsa combined with Tango, Afro-Cuban movement, intermediate body movement, Bootyology 101, intermediate Rueda, and Reggaeton Cubano.

Chen Lizra, the Reggaeton Cubano instructor who is also known as "La Cubanita de Israel,"came to Atlanta to dance, perform and teach. Originally from Israel and now living in Canada, Chen has fallen in love with Cuba and its style of dance. She believes that Casino and the people who dance it are completely unique, "Cuba is a place where people don't have much and so they must have open hearts and a great sense of community. Nothing inspires the soul and lifts the heart like Cuban dance. There is so much joy in Casino that everyone who dances it looks at least 10 years younger than they are."After six hours of workshops, attendants were given a break from 5pm to 9pm. Most of them returned to their homes or hotels to nap, freshen up, eat, or relax, but some stayed and spent the break chatting and socializing. Meanwhile, all of the performers rehearsed to prepare for the biggest party of the weekend.

The social began at 9pm with DJ Dark Rum and DJ Omarito spinning. After about an hour of social dancing, eating light finger foods, and drinking at the full bar, it was time for the performances to take the floor. The show featured 12 unique performances which included couples routines, all ladies ensembles and group routines and covered several styles of dance from ballroom to ChaCha to Salsa Casino. Each group had a different story and a completely different dance.

"My family is Cuban and I'm a dancer but I never really got into the whole salsa thing until my dad took me to Julian's class and I was hooked,"said Heidi Hernandez a huge supporter of SALSAtlanta and one of the Salsa Belles, a group that performed an all ladies Salsa Casino routine, "I started off as a student with "SALSAtlanta in 2000. I was on the coed performance troupe and served as an instructor from 2001 to 2004. After taking a break to head up my dance group at school I returned as a Salsa Belle in 2008."After the performances, there was more music from DJ Dark Rum and DJ Omarito. Of course, it just wouldn't be Salsa Casino without the Rueda, which began in a small circle of about six couples and little by little managed to fill the entire Georgia Tech Student Center ballroom. Casino and non-casino dancers alike hopped in and all were greeted with open arms.

"I'm not a Casino dancer, but it's been a new and exciting experience for me,"said Los Angeles style dancer and attendant Travis Duggins.

After the Rueda scattered, Cuba's own Jose Pepito Gomez took the stage with the Atlanta based Clave y Son. Gomez has been in the U.S. for less than a year and already his music is making waves across the country. This show concluded his month long national tour and he is headed for Europe in early 2010. He often referred to as "La Voz,"or the voice, and is an expert in Cuban music. He uses his knowledge to create music that is distinctively Cuban, but can be enjoyed by all, as proven by his concert Saturday night. As soon as he took the stage, his biggest fans rushed to the front and started dancing Salsa Casino. At first it was a small group of girls dancing together in a line, calling out different moves that everyone followed. More and more people joined in, until half of the floor was taken by lines of dancers, some of whom were familiar with Casino dance moves, others who wanted to let loose and give it a try.

"This has been a great opportunity to dance all different styles and meet people from all over the world. That is what salsa is all about,"said Sean Christopher, one of the many non-casino dancers who attended the social.

While a good majority of the attendants of SALSAtlanta's 10 year anniversary were Casino dancers, nearly half of the attendants of Saturday night's party were not. Being a crowd pleaser, Jose Pepito Gomez performed mostly Casino styles songs, but threw in a few other non-Casino songs as well. Yet, it never seemed to matter what he played because his talent and charisma kept everyone on their feet all until the wee hours of the morning. The show was so amazing that the ballroom didn't clear until nearly 4am.

SUNDAY

Amazingly, many of the same people who danced until 4am managed to come back the next at early as 10am for more workshops. The Sunday workshops were the most advanced, some of them concluding previous workshops, and others were just aimed at more advanced dancers. Workshops included Zumba, advanced Rueda, Rumba Flamenca, Brazilian Samba, and advanced body movement.

As previously mentioned, "SALSAtlanta's 10 year anniversary may have been a Salsa Casino event, but it was not limited to only Casino dancers.

"I noticed that every hour, there's been one workshop that is casino related and one that isn't so that all dancers feel welcomed,"said Rachel Tobin Ramos, a New York style dancer who attended several workshops throughout the weekend.

After five hours of workshops, attendants got another break for a few hours before the final party of the event. The anniversary swung full circle Sunday night back to Taverna Plaka to end the party as it began. Although it was a farewell social, the atmosphere was not somber, but uplifting. Those that met regularly danced happily as they knew they'd see each other again soon and those that met seldom danced much the same way, basking in the joy of the time they spent together.

The spirit of SALSAtlanta touched many people and will continue to grow as people realize the simple joy of Salsa Casino. As Julian Meija explained, "Dance is not about what beat you start on or how skilled you are. It's about music and fun. There is no right or wrong way. If the smile comes off your face, stop and go back to having fun."

For more information:
SALSAtlanta: www.salsatlanta.com

SALSAtlanta's 10 year anniversary: www.salsatlanta10.com

Jose Pepito Gomez: www.josepepitogomez.com

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