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!

On Mzansi Cape Town Salsa Festival (November 2014)

Overall – Incredible experience – both a congress and a fantastic holiday in one sunny package!

This was the second iteration of the Mzansi Cape Town Salsa Festival. I did not attend the first one but had heard good things. This festival still feels like a product of love given its infancy, and is evidence of what you can do with a lot of passion, hard work and a dedicated team.  

Over and above the salsa festival, the organising team also pulled together a complete tour itinerary, including transport to and from each of the attractions for visiting internationals. These were a suite of activities in and around Cape Town chosen specifically to give us the best from our visit.

The festival has been pushed back a couple of weeks compared to last year’s iteration. The result is warm/hot weather, perfect for flip flops and hanging out at the beach (with sun-block!). The sun in Cape Town is very hot, but there are windy spots, so if you’re going next year, make sure you bring clothes for all occasions.  

One of the most amazing activities of the week was the Sunset Boat Cruise. This took place on the Monday after the festival, gathered all the participants on a boat with free and unlimited champagne. The boat sailed out from the Waterfront towards Camps Bay where we watched the sunset before coming back. The music on the boat ranged from hip hop to salsa, kizomba and bachata and was an absolutely perfect mix for a very merry crowd! Beautiful views, happy people and dancing. What more could you want?

Other activities included:

-       A morning climb up Lion’s Head, with breath-taking views all the way up to the top

-       A visit to the Biscuit Mill – famous for its food stalls and fun market vibe

-       A visit to Mzoli’s, a typical South African Braai, which was essentially a big BBQ with a DJ and a hell of a lot of dancing

-       Dancing outside by the sea-front – apparently this little piece of joy happens weekly!

-       An open bus tour of Cape Town, with a stop off and ride up Table Mountain in the cable car

-       A morning at the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens

-       A couple of afternoons spent a Camp’s Bay tasting delicious sushi and watching the sunset

-       A wine tasting experience in Constantia, which also included the most amazing cheese and charcuterie board

-       A visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held in captivity

-       A visit to the penguins in Boulders Bay

-       Tasting local delicacies (e.g. springbok, kudu, ostrich) and listening to (and dancing with) a live local African band

  

Prices

1. Flights – Flights to Cape Town vary depending on whether you want to fly direct or not. Indirect flights via Dubai, Jo’Burg and Istanbul all helped save up to £300 vs. a direct flight making the trip far more affordable. From London, the flight is about 11 hours direct on British Airways and overnight too with the arrival time only 2 hours different, making it a very time-effective way to travel – no losing whole days like when you fly back from Thailand!

2. Pass prices – Pass prices were thoroughly reasonable, the Rand was in our favour making most local prices very accessible, including some really epic Camps Bay sushi!

3. Hotels – The Hilton Double Tree in Observatory was the official congress hotel, but most artists were held in private housing and many of the internationals (including myself) opted to stay in a carefully chosen and fully booked out Bed & Breakfast, nicknamed the Big Brother House. The transport package had pickups at all three locations ensuring that no one was unwillingly left to his own devices.

4. Water – Bar prices were reasonably cheap. I think ZAR 15 for a bottle of water, which is less than £1. Remember though that South Africa has a tipping culture so you need to add 10% to all prices.  

Venue

The venue was The River Club Conference venue, located in the Southern Suburbs. Fantastic air conditioning must be noted!

1. Floor – The dance floor was perfect wooden floor. It wasn’t particularly big, but it was perfect for the number of people there. There was a bar/hangout area to the side of the main dance floor, which was open onto the dance floor, so you could flow easily from one to the other.

2. Number of dance floors – Two dance floors – On the main floor, the music was primarily mambo, but with 3 hours of primarily Cuban music on Saturday night. Upstairs, there was a kizomba/bachata floor.

3. Workshops vs. parties – The workshops were all in the same venue as the parties.

4. Show seats. There were chairs if you arrived early for the shows. There were seats at the front for internationals, but anyone arriving late was left standing at the back.

5. Show visibility. N/A – I unfortunately didn’t make the shows, which is a shame because I understand that they showcased local African talent and this was really exciting to see.

6. Workshop visibility. N/A – I assume this was good. There was a mini stage in the main room and generally lots of space vs. people

7. Workshop organisation. N/A – I didn’t attend any workshops so cannot comment.

  

Chilly, one of the organisers of the festival

Crowd

1. Workshops. I understand the workshops were well attended, but cannot comment on the level as I wasn’t present

2. Parties Lots of local dancers and a handful (c.60) internationals + artists. I had some great dances and some good dances. The general level was average/good, though not exceptional. Having said that the crowd was really friendly, smiley, welcoming and the music was great! In addition, there was always loads of space to dance!

3. Size – I would say this was on the small side of medium. Small enough to have repeat dances every night, to be able to dance with your favourites almost whenever you wanted to, run across the floor for the right person for every cha cha and even dance with Terry/Magna if you wanted to.

4. After parties – The parties officially ended at 5am and by that time, except for the last night, there weren’t that many people left standing. Any after parties were of our own (and MacDonald’s) making at the Big Brother House.

Line-up

1. Quality of teaching – Small but strong line-up of internationals including Terry & Cecile, Magna Gopal, Nina & Zerjon, Mitchell and Monica, Karel Flores

2. Choice of workshops – 4 workshops per hour, 6 hours of class per day. Classes only on Saturday and Sunday. [NDLR: From memory]

3. Number of shows – N/A

4. Artists on the dance floor. It being a friendly congress, most of the artists graced the dance floor with their presence, as per their usual frequency – e.g. Terry was in the salsa room most of the night, even with an injured arm, Magna was social dancing per usual, Karel Flores made an appearance for about an hour before retiring…

5. DJs. Davina and Martina (both from the UK) played a couple of great mambo sets, Marc-Anthony Sheppard (Ukraine) also made musical magic. Two newcomer DJs from Stockholm – Aram & Christian – were particularly impressive, but I may be biased by the fact that for one of their sets, one would come out and dance with me while the other picked the next song! Finally, a special mention to Guy Raphael, normally just a Sensual DJ, who outdid himself for a couple of mambo sets, including the last set on Sunday which was infused with cha cha cha (and still had the floor at a small congress dancing). Guy also DJ’d the sunset boat trip. I haven’t historically been a fan of Guy’s salsa music choices, but in this instance, I was very impressed.

6. Bands. No bands, no live music.  Normal given the size of the festival.

Waddling penguin from Boulder's Beach

  

Location

1. Central location? The venue was 10 minutes from the Big Brother House (by car). You basically need a car/taxi for this festival…or very kindly (and well) organised group-transport!

2. Distance from the airport – About 30 minutes by taxi from the airport. The organising team picked us up and took us back so we never had to worry about anything.

3. Time to London – 11 hours on a plane approx. See initial comments re flights.

4. Number of days off work. I took 7 days. It seems like a waste to go for any less. You may wish to consider taking more to go to Namibia, Jo’Burg, Kruger National Park etc. There’s lots to see whilst you’re out there!

For more information, check out the website here: http://www.alloutsalsa.com/events/cape-town-salsa-festival