The year in congresses (2014)

Here’s a quick summary of the festivals/congresses/salsa weekends I’ve done this year.

1. January – Weekend in Paris

Two glorious nights of glorious dancing at Sal’sounds and O’Sullivans.

2. January - Stars of Salsa in London, UK

This one’s on my doorstep so it’s a tough one not to attend. Not many internationals, but generally good dancing and incredibly tiring! Was disappointed because I was promised Karel Flores, as a teacher but she only attended one party to social dance…Promises, promises…

3. February – Valentine’s Salsa Festival in Zagreb, Croatia

Small, friendly and perfect for getting to know people. Spent a lot of time dancing with Grupo Alafia and a couple of frenchies, which suited me fine. Unfortunately, the festival is being cut down this year for budgetary reasons so will now be more akin to a workshop weekend with a couple of parties.

4. March – Salsa Addicted Festival, Timisoara, Romania

One of my favourites in 2013, SAF disappointed in 2014 by virtue of a last minute issue with the venue. Having a main salsa room split into two, a hardcore mambo and a romantica/bachata room didn’t quite do it for me. Going back this year though to give it another chance as the dancing never disappoints!

5. April – NYC for Easter

Dancing at Noche de Descarga, Nelson Flores’ social was particularly memorable, but otherwise unimpressive wekend in terms of dancing but awesome in terms of food and shopping!

6. May – MamboCity 5 star congress, London, UK

One of my favourites of the year. There was something wonderfully magical about this one this year. Non-snobby, family, happy vibe all over. Great music. Great dancing. I’ve never felt this way about MamboCity before, but I’m very hopeful that I might get the same feeling again in 2015. Notable mention goes to a fantastic 2-hour Juan Matos workshop and to the pancakes at breakfast in the morning!

7. May – Milan on2 festival, Italy

I spent too much of this weekend working. However, the dancing level was good, the snob level was high. The music wasn’t fantastic to be honest, nor was the sound quality, dance floor organisation (three, rather randomly pieced together floors in one room, with the DJ in the middle). Good show program given large pool of Italian talen. Fantastic camaraderie and pre/post party hangouts though!

8. May - Weekend in Paris

Some really good dancing as usual at Sal’sounds and O’Sullivans.

9. June – Croatia Summer Salsa Festival, Rovinj, Croatia

The dancing in 2013 had been simply epic. In 2014, the dancing level fell off a bit, as did the DJs' music selection. This festival is now a little too large and too crazy for me. It’s actually difficult to find a quiet beach spot! Rovinj is still magical, but after 5 visits, I think it may be time to move on. 

10. July – Salsa Beach Splash, Sibenik, Croatia

This one also hits the top spots for my favourite this year (and in all its editions!). In 2012, I attended for 3 nights, in 2013 for 4 nights and in 2014 for 5 nights. I’m actually thinking of making it 6 next year! Holiday perfection, with DJ sets and dancers that are perfect for social dancing all night, every night. The tent makes the temperature perfect, even in the middle of summer. The resort makes everything painless. 

This year, I was fortunate enough to attend the Karel Flores choreography bootcamp and trained hard for two days before going on to do two days of workshops. I was worried beforehand that dancing all day and night would make me tired and break me, but it simply gave me more energy! I wasn't exactly committed to going to the workshops, it just worked out that way because of the quality of the classes on offer! The only shame of spending so much time inside is that I missed out on tanning time!

My one complaint was that the pool party didn’t play much salsa, but then, in the scheme of 5 days and nights, I can hardly complain about 4 short hours that were highly entertaining regardless. 

11. September – Marrakesh Salsa Festival, Morocco

I loved this one too. Not for the festival itself, but for the holiday experience. It’s difficult for me to accept the idea of a full pool-side holiday. Throw in nightly salsa dancing though and it’s right up my street! 

The blue sky in Marrakesh and perfectly secluded apartment compound we stayed in was heavenly, especially in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the streets and souks of the city.

The cream of Moroccan dancers made this festival worthwhile for me and I found the music to be generally good. The white party at Nikki Beach (outside) on Sunday was a sight to behold. Unfortunately, the level of dancing is generally low, with lots of on1 dancers, so if you want only good dances, you need to be quite selective. 

Probably the only festival I’ve ever come back from feeling rested, relaxed and happy. Definitely one worth doing to charge up your sunshine batteries pre-winter!

12. October – Berlin Salsa Festival, Germany

One of the biggest out there. One central venue, easy access, cheap accommodation, dancing till 9am. This one has it all and is incredibly well attended by dancers far and wide. 

I had some great dances with friends, no new discoveries and completely killed my feet. An emergency stretching session was required on Sunday and the pain in my feet lasted long after my return! Warning: Sometimes this one feels more like a networking event than a salsa festival though because you spend so much time saying hello to people!

13. November – Warsaw Salsa Festival, Poland

Probably the cheapest congress in Europe right now courtesy of the Zloty, cheap hotel prices and cheap flights. Very well attended by Londoners and usually by frenchies, though this year, the French contingent was slightly disappointing. Generally high level of dancing on the social floor, but also quite a strong presence from the fashionistas (same as Berlin, but less diluted). 

Fantastic live music by Jimmy Bosch and los Dislocados from the Ukraine. In comparison, the DJ sets felt a bit flat to me, only having me properly flying on Saturday night. 

In my mind, Warsaw has passed the sweet spot in size and is getting close to losing its “one big family on the dance floor” vibe. It will most likely grow again next year, so it will be interesting to see how things evolve.

14. November – Mzansi Cape Town Salsa Festival, South Africa

Simply a dream. The festival in itself was well organised, but the level generally unimpressive (still better than Marrakesh though!). There was an international crew of social dancers, a selection of artists and a strong local teaching contingent that were quite sufficient to keep me dancing through the weekend.

The festival was enhanced by dancing outside, under the sun, by an impromptu after party organised at a moment’s notice and by a sunset boat cruise with free and unlimited champagne as well as a varied music set and a whole lot of dancing. Throw in some tourist attractions – climbing up Lion’s Head, a open top bus tour, going up Table Mountain – and you’ve got a winner for a once in a lifetime salsa holiday experience!