Tromsø Salsa - i polen

Review of 2nd Warzaw Salsa Festival, Nov 06

15.11.06 (added new photos 27.nov 2006) - VIDEO at bottom

The 2nd annual Salsa Festival in Warzaw, Poland was a tremendeous success for both dancers and organizers. The event gathered peple from all over Poland, and many other countires to party, take classes, and watch performances by top international dancers. Erik and Consuelo were among the invitet performers and recieved loud screams for their energetic and precise routine. Hugo and Verinoka, also from Tromsø joined. Now they know why we are so excited about dancing and practicing.

Attending an event like this is the coolest thing a salsa dancers can experience (please join us - we plan to go to Praha, India, Sweden, China, Los Angeles, New York, Puerto Rico, etc during 2007!) One thing is the social aspect, it's a meeting point for people worldwide. Another thing is the amazing workshops where the masters teach cool combinations, dips and tricks, how to move and control your body, chachacha, afro cuban dancing, latin jazz, etc - for all levels. When you have a few minutes to spare, you can also shop clothing, cd's, dance shoes etc. You can go to concerts and dance to live music, and you can watch performances by some of the best dancers in the world. The coolest thing however is the parties - it's like the biggest nightclub, and the most amazing atmosphere.

Erik and Consuelo enjoying the festival-pre party. Veronika in the background

The first impression we got of this festival was that this was going to be chaotic. It is common that events like this take part in a big Hotel. However, this time the event (consisting of several workshops and parties) was spread out on 5-6 different locations in Warzaw. Thanks to a very informative web-site and a staff of organizers that gave 110 % of themselves we now think that this is one of the best events we have attended.

The level of dancers in Poland was impressive! We saw some amazing dancers both on stage and on the dance floor. It was also interesting to see that the number og boys and girls was quite even, unlike here in Norway, where still there is more girls than guys that learn how to dance salsa.

The parties:
Attending the evening parties is such a blast! There is more people to dance with than anybody can manage, the music is amazing, and the drinks are cheap. If you get tired and need a break, you can just sit down and watch some of these amazing dancers.
The main party was held in the largest disco (club space) in Warzaw, with the best sound and light system in the country.

Although it was very big, it was not very easy to find a spot on the dance floor. The Dj was non other than world famous Henry Knowles from New York. He rocked the house! The days after the congress, it is normal to feel that you just got run over by a truck.

Veronika

The shows:
The shows on Saturday night were arranged into two sessions, and consisted of more than 20 dance teams from Poland and abroad. A part of the huge club was made into a back-stage where all the dancers got dressed and prepped for the shows.

When Super Mario from London and the local hostess entered the stage to host the shows, the stage got surrounded by about 2000 very excited people.

Erik and Consuelo:

All performers got on stage after the last show and gave an extra act.

The shows were all very different, which made it great because you never knew what would be next. We saw salsa shows that included elements from Flamenco, hip hop, Cuban folklore, and shows that was based on movie themes such as the Troy routine by Orville and Sabrina from Holland (these guys always present amazing theme performances). Check it out: A copy of the TROY routine

For Consuelo and Erik it was an incredible experience to perform at this event. First of all people really expressed their appreciation of the shows. Second of all, the stage was completely surrounded by people, and with that number of people, it was like a ocean of people!

How does it feel before performing? It is quite intense. The clock is ticking down nomatter what. There is no room for errors but you know it can go wrong because it happens during practice. A few seconds before, you get really concerned, but then a supporting tap on the shoulder from other performers makes you ready. Erik was interviewed by TV before we got on stage. We were quite excited to enter the stage. When we ended our show and everybody screamed, hairs in the neck and everywhere else were standing.

Backstage. Above: Posing with Orville Small and Sabrina from Holland after their amazing show.

The classes (and the Salsa Kings):
If you like to take classes, events like this will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. There are so many workshops at these events that it is impossible to choose all. It will simply be impossible to remember everything.

We really enjoyed taking some of the classes, such as afro cuban Yoruba, footwork, mambo jazz, and styling. We especially loved the workshops thaught by Mek and Monika from the Polish dance company 'Salsa Kings'. In our opinion Mek and Monika are not just the salsa kings of Poland, they are definetely among the best in the world. Their classes were always packed and people gave enormous applause after the end of the classes. Although they mostly spoke Polish, they delivered some of the best classes we have ever attended. We have become personal friends with these amazing dancers during our travels the last couple of years and had a blast hanging out with them after the workshops. We wanted to talk to them after the class, but we had to wait for them to be interviewed by radio and tv first.

Mek and Monika were chased by radio and tv after their incredibly popular workshop

The City:

Wow, what a surprise! We had expected a Warzaw to be a city where people did not have a lot of money, with grey old houses, and old rusty cars. We were certainly proven wrong. Poland is a memeber of the EU. The city has a beautiful blend of very old and very modern buildings. It is big (4 times bigger than Oslo), but taxi's are very nice and cheap too. Mek and Monika took us sightseeing - amazing! And the food!! ahh..

The people:
Although the level of english skills was mixed, we had no probems. people were Very friendly, helpful, warm, open, polite, with great social skills. People would smile if you look at them, they would apologize if they accidentaly bumb into you at the store, they would take time to help you out, they would hold the door for you, and thank you if you did it for them, etc. Nice.

A cold November day, but very nice

Check out more pictures from this album!

Ania from Salsa Libre - the organizers

Finally; a small video of the event Salsa Festival Warzaw
Salsa Festival Warzaw

photo taken in the video:

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Tromsø Salsa updated: 27.11.2006

Review of 2nd Warzaw Salsa Festival, Nov 06