MONDAY
It was an early start, leaving at 5:30 am, after Simon (Taylor) had been dropped off at our house. Got to Heathrow in good time, parked, caught the bus to the terminal and checked in.
Had (overpriced) breakfast at the airport, waited around then boarded our plane!!
Landed at Newark Airport at about 1:30pm local time, did the long immigration queue, then caught the coach to Manhattan.
We'd arranged to stay in an apartment in Soho, so got there and had to have a few drinks in the nearby Cafe Noir while we waited for our contact to meet us with the keys. It was eight flights of stairs up to the 4th floor, which was a killer on our first day, but got easier as the week went on.
For our first night in NY, we decided to make a return visit to Salsa Con Mambo at Session 73, where Grupo Latin Vibe were playing. We got there quite late and just caught their second set. A few other UK people were in the house including Moe Flex, and Vicki, Julia and Claire from the Midlands.
Salsa-Central got a shoutout from our friend DJ Babaloo, who runs this night.
We decided to get the subway home, but it took so long that we gave up half way and jumped in a cab.
TUESDAY
Woke up early as a result of construction work on a hotel opposite, and the lack of curtains in the apartment (!!). Mel and I headed up to B&H to get Mel her a zoom lens, while Simon did a little exploration of the local area. After B&H, we browsed a few more shops and I got myself a new After Effects book, then headed up to El Barrio for some CD shopping from El Barrio Music.
It was great to see Frankie and Rey again after so long - Lou doesn't work there anymore since moving to Philly. Bought a few CD's then headed into the Bronx, so Mel could get her hair cut (No danger of missing a flight, so we were fine). Caught the wrong subway, so had to walk a few blocks through the South Bronx to get to the other line (getting a Coconut Ice on the way), then headed up to Gun Hill Road where Mel's cousin Lauren met us from the train.
While Mel was getting her hair done, Lauren and I headed up the road to get some food. It wasn't the greatest area in the Bronx, so I was getting a few stares, but the food was worth it!! Barbecue Chicken, Fried Chicken, Snapper, Rice & Peas!! Nice!!
That night I was due to DJ at one of the official Congress launch parties, at Sabor Salsa Tuesdays at Iguana (240 W54th St), run by Marlon Int'l and friends. Got there about an hour before my set, so went to get a drink from the bar... I didn't have my Id with me so ended up getting a bit of verbal from the woman behind the bar who was trying to get us chucked out.
We managed to sort it out with the manager of the venue, and I soon started my set. I was DJ'ing alongsode Antonio 'La Conga' (who runs the La Vieja Guardia Socials in NY) and a DJ from paris. My set went down really well and I was getting great feedback for days following!! Not a bad debut!!
WEDNESDAY
Mel discovered a little scratch on her new lens... cue panic and worry! So, the three of us headed over to B&H determined to get it replaced. Queued up in the returns line and eventually got served by a guy who'd been quite abrupt with previous customers. I pulled out the lens and told him 'the lens we bought yesterday has a scratch on it' in a manner which suggested I wasn't to be trifled with! 'So why don't you wipe it off' was his reply, pulling out a microfibre cloth and briskly removing the mark. He chuckled, I felt a little silly, so we went for breakfast across the road.
We walked from there up to Times Square in wonderful weather, then across to the Hilton as Simon wanted to see the congress venue. We went inside and up to the main area, but that wasn't enough for Simon, he wanted to go into the ballroom himself, where we were promptly stopped by staff who were setting up for an event to be held there the night before the congress... a 2,500 capacity room was being used to host dinner for 29 people, they told us!!
Leaving there, we headed into Central Park, walked round there for a bit then headed back towards the apartment.
On t he dinner itinerary tonight was a visit to 'Lombardi's' in little Italy, NY's first Pizzeria. Had dinner, then on the way back spotted 'Rice To Riches' a rice pudding shop with the funniest window signs ever!!! Stopped in Yellow Rat Bastard on the way back to the apt for a few new T-shirts then home.
Tonight was the official 'Meet and Greet' pre-congress party with free buffet and bar. Nice! We got there right at the start to make the most of it, and Simon took part in Baila Society's class .
A lot of the artists were in attendance and Jimmy Bosch also turned up, so I ended up having a brief chat with him. I also got a lot of great feedback while there about my set at Iguana the previous night, which is always nice!!
We left in the early hours, had a brief chat with El Malo and Osmar Perrones outside, the got the subway home (all the way this time)
THURSDAY
In an effort to actually do some sightseeing, we decided to go to the American Museum Of Natural History, grabbing breakfast on the way. This is the museum that's featured in the 'Night At The Museum' films, and you're greeted by two large dinosaurs upon entering the main foyer. The whole place is enormous, and more than you can see in just one trip, but we saw quite a bit, including 'Dum Dum' from the film. We then went to Chinatown for dinner before going back to the apartment.
Today was registration for the Congress, so after going through all the getting ready shenanigans (inevitable when I was sharing with these two!!), we caught the Subway to the Hilton and got our wristbands. Then, we all fancied a bite to eat so made a nearby diner stay open an extra half hour so we could eat.
Back to the Congress. I was due to DJ at the congress, but didn't know when, and couldn't find Ray who was in charge of the DJ scheduling, so went to film Cubanoson , who were on stage at the time. At the end of the song, Mel tapped me on the shoulder;
Mel: "I just soke with Ray, you're on in this room (the main room), after the band"
Me: "When do the band finish"
Mel: "In 45 minutes"
Normally, that would've been fine, except that my CD's were in the apartment.... a 20 minute cab ride away!! Cue a manic couple of cab rides staight out of a film, and I got back to the congress with 10 minutes to spare. Nice!! I went on at midnight, once the band had finished, and was on for over an hour. Very nervous to begin with, but I loved every minute of it... a real buzz!! Feedback was great too, with a number of people coming over!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Mel & Emil had been booked to teach at the Liverpool Salsa Festival, so we decided to head up to Salsology on the Friday night and stay over.
So, Mel, Emil and I left just after 7pm and made our way up the M6.
Traffic was good and we got to the Etap in Manchester, allowing plenty of time to get ready before we made the short drive over to Prestwich.
Got to the Longfield Suite, home of Salsology, and set our CD stall up just before the end of the classes.
The night was good, and Emil didn't get much of a break from dancing all night! Salsology performed their new show at around midnight, which is definitely one of my favourites now! We stayed until the end of the night, dropped by the 24 hour Tesco, and went back to the hotel feeling completely shattered!!
Struggled to wake up on the Saturday, missed breakfast, then eventually drove over to liverpool in time for Mel and Emil's midday class teaching styling for leaders & followers. Following that, they taught a Bachata class as cover, after which the late night seemed to be catching up with them a little. No time for rest, though, as an hour later they had to cover another class, this time Cha Cha. All the classes were busy, but the partioning of the hall caused a slight problem when it came to playing the music for each class - cue attempted battles of volume, with an increasingly stressed Mike Parr keeping everything in check.
Once the final class was finished, we collected orders and headed to Ragga's, a West indian takeaway about 5 minutes drive from the venue.
Got back to the venue and started on the food. Angel Ortiz and his colleague weren't around to get theirs so we ate that too (sorry, but it was good!)
We didn't have a hotel room, so hadn't planned on staying for the evening party but changed our mind and had to pop round to Guys hotel and borrow the bathroom so we could all get changed.
The evening ball was busy, and a lot of people there had made a good effort to dress up for the occasion. The shows were delayed a little, but eventually went ahead to a very busy room! Dancing resumed just after 11pm, and we hung out for a while. Sizzla and Simon Taylor had turned up for the evening and were doing the DD (you'll have to ask them about that!), and we eventually left shortly after midnight.
Thursday
We had a workshop arranged with Joel and Ana Masacote from Boston, USA, so I left work early as Joel and Ana's train was due in at 4:40pm. Met them at the train station and we drove round to Bushwackers, not the Australian chain, but a nice place near where Mel works. We met her, then went in and got a table. Ate there and chatted about future plans, then went home to get changed.
Got to the Custard Factory Dance Studio, where the workshop was to be held, just before 8pm. There was a decent turnout, but studio based Salsa classes always seem difficult to run in Birmingham. Everyone who attended, though, really enjoyed it!
Once that was finished, we headed to Jongleurs to finish the evening off, aided by a few Rum and Cokes for our guests!
Friday
Mel cooked breakfast for Joel and Ana, before we dropped them at New St Station for their train back to London, then popped back home to get packed before heading to East Midlands Airport for our flight to Belfast - Mel had been booked for a weekend of workshops and Private lessons, and I was due to DJ on the Saturday night.
We got picked up at the other end by David Hynes (Nusalsa), and stopped at the local Chinese takeaway on the way back to his place. Had our food, a quick drink and got changed before we went to the nearby Fitness First gym for Mels first workshop of the weekend.
Once that was done, we briefly went back to David's, freshened up, then headed into the city centre to meet up with some friends for a few drinks.
Mel and I left before midnight (the previous nights antics catching up with us). David let us drive his car back, so Mel got into the drivers seat of his Astra VXR, switched on the Sport button, and promptly wheelspun away with him watching!!!
Saturday
Woke up late, and David dropped Mel and I at a place where we could get breakfast while he went and set up the venue to be used for the workshops. We ate, then I decided that we could walk, in the rain, to the venue. 10 minutes later and we were lost so David came and found us and drove us to the venue.
Spent the afternoon doing the workshops (I also spent a little time working on a couple of Salsa remixes and edits that I'm doing at the moment), then a few of us went for dinner at a local Italian - great food there!!!
Popped back to Davids to get changed then left for La Tasca. Got to the Odyssey complex, and they'd had a horse show on that day so parking was very limited. After queueing for a short while, we managed to get a spot in the main car park and carried the equipment across and up to la Tasca. Set up, had a drink, and left a playlist on for the first half an hour wheil people arrived.
Then, it was time for me to take control for the next 3 hours or so. The night rocked (of course!!!), and I got a few compliments on my set, which always tops a night off nicely.
Sunday
Woke up with a slight hangover and we went for breakfast with David, then it was time for me to be dropped to the airport. We were both due to fly back on the Monday morning, but I had a job interview first thing so had booked myself a flight for the Sunday afternoon.
I left Mel with the first of her Private lessons that afternoon and headed to Belfast International airport, and home. Looking forward to going back there as we always have a great time in Belfast!
Friday
After last years near-disaster, where we missed our flights as a result of Mel's hair appointment, but then subsequently managed to fly later that night, we decided not to take a chance and made Mel get her hair done the night before. We needed to leave at around 10am, as we were flying from Liverpool. Mel saw this as space for something and promptly booked herself in for a beauty appt, which ran a lttle over and we ended up leaving nearly an hour late!! We arrived just in time, met up with Ellis, Emile, Helen, and Cedric, then boarded our Wizz-Air flight to Katowice.
Landed, picked up the hire car (A minibus as there were 7 of us), the all-important (after last year) Sat-Nav, and we were on our way to Wieliczka. The journey was ok, despite a few roadworks, and after picking up our passes we dropped everyone at their hotels, then it was just Mel, Cat, and myself…. And yes, we got lost trying to find our hotel!!!
It took us about an hour to find it, checked in at about 10pm, quick freshen-up, then over to the Salt Mine (they stop the lift between 11pm and 2am). We caught the last lift down and met up with the others, along with a few of the guys from New Swing Sextet, just outside the main ballroom.
There's only one brand of beer available at this event as a result of sponsorship, so we all drank 'Desperado', a larger then normal bottle of beer with a shot of tequila in it, which can be quite lethal!! Had a few, watched the shows, then the band were on for a surprise gig which went down really well!
We ended up leaving at around 2:30am, very tired!!
Saturday
Bit of an early start today, as Mel's class was at 10am. It was raining, and the venue for Mel's class was scross the town from the Salt Mine, but she still had a great turnout and everyone was really eager to learn.
Once the class was finished, Mel and Cat were driven back to the hotel, and I took Ellis to find the venue for the Intermediate workshops, then headed to the hotel, where I found Mel and Cat hanging out with the guys from New Swing Sextet in the hotel dining room. C at was teaching them a few Cumbrian phrases, and trying to explain the delights of t he Cumberland Sausage!! The hotel we were in was a bit away from the main town, so was difficult to get anywhere without a car. So, we suggested taking the band into Krakow for dinner that evening!
Met them in the lobby at 3pm, and followed the Satnav directions to the Kryjowka Music Club in central Krakow. The place was a basement restaurant with exposed brick and loads of nooks and crannies. We ate well!! :-)
A couple of hours later, we left the restaurant and walked back to the car to find a parking ticket, then drove back to Wieliczka with what sounded like a rowdy football team in the back of the bus!!
Had a quick nap, then got ready for the evening party!
We bumped into the band again in the lobby, and they invited us to ride to the venue in their Limo. Bit of a squeeze but we all got in!
The Desperados we're flowing from the moment we got in the venue, then we watched the shows, with the highlight for me being Jazzy and Amy, and Tamambo and Ania's performances. The band were on at around 1am and played a great couple of sets. The party went on until 5am, then we left with the band back to the hotel. I had an interesting discussion with Henry Knowles walking back to the lift about DJ's mixing Salsa music ;-)
Got to the hotel around 5:30am and they wouldn't open the bar, so we all soon headed to our rooms!
Sunday
Woke up at 1pm feeling a little rough, had lunch in the hotel, then drove Mel and Cat to their workshop venue. Mel was teaching a spins class and had a great turnout of over 80.
Back to the hotel, packed most of our stuff, then drove into Wieliczka to find somewhere to eat. The place was deserted and everywhere was closed!! After a while walking round, we eventually stumbled across what must have been the only eaterie that was open in the whole town. Food was good!!
We then freshened up at the hotel and headed for the final party of our trip, which this time was held in one of the other hotels where a lot of the teachers had been booked into. Did a couple of interviews while we were there, then left at around 2am.
Monday
Picked everyone up from their various hotels (minus Emile, as he decided to stay a few days and take a 28 hour coach trip back to the UK), and started our journey to the airport at 8am, as there were roadworks on the way. We passed them with plenty of time to spare and followed the Satnav directions to where we thought the airport was, but upon arriving at our destination, was obviously not!!
We managed to find a Service Station, and asked for directions, with about 50 minutes left before check-in was due to close. They told us the airport was about an hour away. Cue driving at breakneck speed along the highway, arriving at the airport with about 15 minutes to spare to find our flight was delayed by an hour!!!
Thursday
Got to Heathrow early, in plenty of time for my 9:30am flight, and a number of hours later arrived at JFK. We normally get a cab from the airport into Manhatten, but I decided to get the Airtrain and subway this time - bit of a mistake as it took absolutely ages and was really hot!! I eventually got to the apartment just after 3pm, rested for a bit with Mel, then we both caught the subway up to El Barrio to say hello to everyone and buy a little music!!
Got there and was immediately greeted by Lou and Frankie, plus Cheo (Medina), vocalist for New Swing Sextet, who can often be found around El Barrio. Today, he was sat out the front with some friends, jamming along on Conga's to the music blaring out of the shop.
Frankie popped out and got us some Chicken and Rice while we were there, which we ate in the shop - just what I needed after that airline rubbish!
I stayed in on the Thursday night, despite Nelson Gonzalez performing at the opening night of the Congress - I'd been quite ill in the week leading up to my trip, so was completely wiped out from that and the travelling. Mel went out however, and rolled in quite late.
Friday
The start of the congress proper, we headed over to the venue (The New York Hilton), and picked up our passes, had a look around, then headed off because Lou (El Barrio) had offered to take us to GB Records. This place is the main latin music distributor in NY, and we bought quite a pile of cd's, then I had to pick myself up a wide angle lens for my camcorder.
The evening was upon us quickly, and we got to the Hilton for about 10pm. Ocho y Mas were the first band on, headed by Willy Torres with a guest appearance from Frankie Morales. They were followed by La Excelencia, who really rocked, even dropping a couple of tracks from their forthcoming new album. These guys really know how to put on a show and blew the roof off the place!! When the show had finished, Jose and Julian came to the front of the stage and invited us backstage, where we got a little interview with the band members and arranged to meet up for dinner a few days later.
Saturday
We spent most of the day at the Hilton. I was a bit too ill to do the workshops, but watched and filmed a few routines. It was good to see a decent showing from the UK, including Moe Flex, Frank Santos, Natalie Baltao, and Mr Sleek, amongst others. Lisa and Mark were also there, helping out on the HYM stall - they were also the only UK performers at the event!!
Due to illness and being completely drained, I didn't go out on the evening (Mel did though).
Sunday
Again, we spent the majority of the day at the Hilton. Then, on the evening we went to a Spanish restaurant near SOB's which we'd been to about a year ago. We had a little incident with the sizzling Shrimp that Mel had ordered spitting oil in her eye!!
Got to the Hilton before 10pm, and met up with Dimas and Allan from nuevotec. Mel had agreed to do some interviews for them (which will be on www.nuevotec.com soon). She interviewed DJ Michelle, who's organising the first Macau Congress, as well as the owner of Casa Latina records, while I watched the start of Adalberto Santiago's set and filmed a bit of social dancing. Next up on stage was Tito Allen. This guy personifies cool!!!!
Monday
I'd been in contact with Papo Ortega of Cubanoson a couple of weeks leading up to our trip, and arranged to meet him at El Barrio early afternoon, while Mel went for a private with Nelson Torres at his studio in the Bronx. We caught the 6 line up towards El Barrio and I jumped off at 116th St, leaving Mel to carry on into the Bronx.
Papo Ortega was already there when I arrived (traffic from new Jersey had been good), and we had a chat before conducting the interview. I stayed in the shop after he'd left until Mel arrived.
Then, we had to catch a cab over to the Upper West Side, then the 1 train up to The Bronx for dinner at Jose's (La Excelencia) place.
Jose and his dog met us from the subway, and took us to his apartment. Edwin, lead singer with the band, also came round, and Jose's wife cooked a fantastic meal!!
While we were there, we listened to the new La Excelencia cd (out around November), which is an absolute belter. Despite Mels best efforts, we didn't leave with a copy, but discussed a few interesting future projects while we were there!!!
We left fairly late, and caught the subway to Times Square, where we met up with Lou for the last time and had Cheesecake and Milkshakes.
Tuesday
Did a decent amount of shopping, then headed to the airport for our overnight flight home.
Saturday 28th June 2008
Del Salereo had arranged a stage for Solar Radio at the Carnival de Cuba event in South London, and had asked me to come down and play a set.
I left just before 10am, picked Stuart (My bro) up on the way then bombed down the M40 towards London.
Rather than driving through London to Southwark, I decided to ditch the car in West London and catch the tube. So we parked just round the corner from Latimer Road tube station, caught the tube to Baker Street, then changed to the Jubilee line to Canada Water. The weather was great, but that meant the tube was hot!
We got to Canada Water station, then it was a short walk to Southwark Park. We met Del at the Solar Radio stage, James Anthony from Solar Radio was dj'ing, playing a relatively laid back 80's soul set. I was due on at 3pm, so went for a walk round the site and to get some food. It was early, but the Carnival was already quite busy. Bought a couple of CD's and said hello to Luis at the Mr Bongo stall, before heading back to the stage for the start of my set.
It wasn't too busy at this stage, and the people that were there, were getting into the soul that was being played, so it was slightly daunting to follow. I started with Mi Salsa from the DJ Duste CD, then Lebron Brothers Salsa y Control - good tracks to bridge the musical styles. As my set progressed, the crowd in front of the stage got bigger and bigger, spilling out round the sides, with quite a few couples dancing. It was a great sight to see so many 'non-salsa' people really getting into it. Particular highlights from my set were Tabaco y su Sexteto's 'Ponte en Ritmo' and Sizzla's re-dit of La Playa Sextet - those two really rocked!! (You can view my complete playlist here )
At the end of my set, I handed over to Ginger Tony, again from Solar Radio, who progressed into Latin Jazz and Boogie, and did a good job of keeping the crowds attention.
Hung out for a short while before heading off (we were due to have a stall at the Colliery Club in Coventry), so didn't get to see the rest of the event, but heard everything went really well. Dj Cruz (aka Robert White) even played a set. Left Stu at the Carnival (he ended up travelling home on Sunday morning with a heavy hangover!), then caught the tube to the car and headed back up the M40. Popped home, quickly got changed, then drove over to the Colliery Club, arriving at about 8:30pm. Mel was already there, as the Carpe Diem Student Group were due to perform later in the evening.
Set up the stall, watched the classes, chatted to a few people.. All the usual stuff. The performance was on just after midnight and the team did an outstanding job and received loads of positive feedback - nice one girls!! We left around 1am - I was absolutely shattered!!
Mel had been booked to teach and me to DJ, on the Saturday night at Fever Dance Studios in Preston. This is a monthly night that's building steadily. We'd been once before at Cat's invitation.
Mel did her class, footwork and styling, teaching a short routine, and I did the music for her then started the Dj'ing off. Amos is the resident here and was a great host.
The venue is a proper dance studio with the most amazing floor, mirrors across the whole of one of the long walls, and a great sounding system that's embedded into the ceiling. The whole place is really nicely kitted out.
I played the first 90 minutes or so, progressing through my tunes, and managed to get away with dropping a few of my new finds from the likes of Hector Rivera and Serafin Cortez.
We left the venue at 11pm, on a promise to attend the One Love party in Birmingham. Made good time and got to the Irish Centre just before 1am. The party had been moved from it's usual room upstairs to the more cavernous option downstairs. There was a good turnout, and the dancefloor was kept full by the resident DJ, Roger, who was spinning some good tunes but could do with using headphones - some long intro's on a few of those tracks!! Maverick took over and did his thing before we left shortly before 2am. I do like the One Love parties - they always seem to get the vibe right at their events.
Bank Holiday Sunday = No work tomorrow. We thought we'd go and check on the Salsa Frog event at Isis in Nottingham. This party is run by DJ Ricardo and Steve 'El Capitan'. We took two cars up, and had a little trouble on the way, but that's a whole other story. Got to Isis just after 11pm and the party was in full-swing.
Slap, who produces the Salsa Notes articles on this site, then took over on the decks. It was the first time I'd met him in person, let alone heard him play, and he did a cracking job (so much so, in fact, that he'll be appearing at one of the Salsa Central parties at some point!).
At midnight, Salsology Dance Company performed. They've really got this routine nailed!! Once that was over, it was time for Ricardo to unleash his tunes and do a bit of dad-dancing behind the decks! The dj's were getting quite a few drinks in and once Ricardo had finished his set, it all seemed to get the better of him and he had a sleep at the back of the club. Steve finished the night off, keeping the dancefloor busy right until the end.
We left just before 3, did a couple of drops on the way home, and eventually got in at 5.
Friday 4th
We'd planned to go to NY for the week to coincide with Mels birthday, and she just happened to mention that the Boston Congress was happening the weekend before, so we 'may as well' go to that as well. I agreed.
Our flight left about 45 minutes after the scheduled departure of 4pm on the Friday, and we landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey at about 7.30pm EST. Did the long-winded immigration thing, then caught the Air Train to Dollar car rental.
Sorted the car out, and made sure we got Satnav as well, then we were on our way in our nice new Chrysler Sebring.
It took us a while, and many wrong turns, just to get out of the airport, then we were on our way through New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge, then onto the interstate through the Bronx. It was Friday evening, which is a notoriously busy time to be driving in the New York area. So, traffic was very busy and I was trying to get used to driving on the right, etc…
It's about a 4 hour drive from Newark to Boston, and we made good time.
The Boston Salsa Congress was held this year in the Boston Marriott Cambridge, across the river from Downtown Boston. We got there and checked in at about 1am, went to our room, had a quick freshen up and change, then went downstairs to the party. To say we were tired would be a severe understatement!!
Choco (The co-promoter) and Marlon "International" Mills were at the entrance and greeted us, then we made our way through to the main room. Unfortunately, we missed the live band for that evening (Grupo latin Vibe), but the dancefloor was in full swing and the atmosphere was great. We stayed for about an hour, before tiredness got the better of us.
Saturday 5th
Breakfast, then we went though to the Congress area. The event essentially takes over an area of the hotel, with a long corridor outside the main room used for vendors. The main party room, which holds well over 1000 people, is partitioned into two during the day for the workshops.
All of the workshops were very well attended from what I saw, and included classes from Hacha y Machete, Joel & Ana Masacote, Nelson Flores, Al Espinoza, and many more.
We had a new 'SalsaMafia' t-shirt design done before we went out and took some samples with us to give to a few of the teachers, who wore them in classes and around the congress in general.
Mel did a couple of the classes (I only had a party pass), then went out before a quick bite to eat then some rest before the evenings events.
Fully refreshed, we caught the second half of the evenings performances, and I got to see one of may favourite shows by Masacote. After that, it was a short break while the chairs were cleared away, then the party began.
The live band this evening was Ensalado de Pulpo, which is Gilberto "Pulpo" Colon Jr and his band. They performed the majority of songs from the new 'Hot Bread' CD which really rocked the dancefloor. Pulpo enjoyed himself so much, he played an extra song, kicking in the piano intro while the DJ had started to credit them over the mic at the end of their set.
Then, it was time for the DJ's to do their thing, and the music here was great!! My favourite DJ's from this event were DJ Rob Suave and Dave Montreal
We stayed until near the end, then called it a night.
Sunday 6th
We spent Sunday hanging out around the Congress area, and got a few interviews for the site. Mel did a couple more classes and a one-to-one, dinner nearby, then the evening was upon us again.
We missed the shows this time (Sorry Marlon), but made it to the party. Again, some really great music!
Monday 7th
Big Breakfast, checked out, then the 4 hour drive back from Boston to NY. Dropped the hire car off, then Airtrain to the station, followed by the train to Penn St Station in Manhattan.
We'd again rented an aprtment for our stay in NY, the other side of Manhattan this time, on the Upper East Side a few blocks from Spanish Harlem. We caught a cab from Penn Station, sorted the keys, had a quick freshen up, then jumped into another cab to El Barrio Music Center.
We were greeted by Lou and Frankie, and spent some time catching up and going through cd's. While were were in the store, we saw Cheo from New Swing Sextet ride past on his bike. Lou called him and got him to pop into the store. Chatted to Cheo about the Salsa Kingdom festival which they're playing at, and he made us promise to take them on a trip to see the Beatles sights in Liverpool while they're over.
Bought some cd's, then popped back to the apartment to settle in properly.
During the evening, Lou took us out to dinner at an Italian on 3rd Ave, a short walk from the apartment. No Salsa for us tonight.
Tuesday 8th (Mels Birthday)
Got up late and headed downtown for breakfast/brunch. Mel wanted to go to the Brooklyn Diner, which we'd been to last time we were over. Got my bearings a little wrong and took us round in a circle before finding the diner right by where we'd started.
From there, we went to Capezio so Mel could stock up, then caught a taxi to El Barrio and Mel went to get her nails done while I went to El Barrio. Mel popped in with her shiny nails and we hung out there for a while.
We decided that I might need a bigger suitcase as a result of all the shopping we'd done (CD's and Mambofateegz clothing which we'd picked up for the shop), so got a rather large one from a place in Spanish Harlem for $35.
We'd been invited to the launch party for the new CD 'Pulpo's Hot Bread' by Gilberto Colon Jr and his band that evening. The project is headed up by Chris Soto of the Mambo project, and the event was great - very busy, with a whole host of musicians and press in attendance. Mel took the camera and the 'girl with the british accent' (If you've got it, use it!) managed to get a load of great photos.
Victor (HYM) and Joel (Masacote) had both made the drive from Boston to support Chris. Joel got a little lost on the way, ending up on 172nd st in the Bronx, but got there eventually.
We managed to get a video interview with Pulpo between sets, in the band room downstairs. Oscar Hernandez sat in on the interview and made a cameo appearance. We also managed to interview Jamie Maestro and the guys from Nuevotec who returned the favour by interviewing us about the Salsa Central project. Not sure I like being the other side of the camera!
Overall, the event was a great success and we were really proud of Chris, who is our team member in the US.
We stayed until the end, chatting with Lucho Cueto of Black Sugar Sextet, then Joel drove us and Lou to Club Rush, which is where Marlon is holding Tuesday nights while the Link Lounge is being refurbished. We stayed there for a while, Lou and I chatting at the bar while Mel did her thing.
Wednesday 9th
Got up late, then had breakfast at a place not far from the apartment, then caught a cab to B&H to buy me a camcorder. Got myself a nice little HD number, then we walked up towards Times Sq. On the way, Mel spotted a nice handbag which she bought (yes, she can be very girly when she wants to be), then we went to Foot Locker where we got Mel a nice pair of Shox and a pair of trainers for her friends newly born daughter.
Back to the apartment to drop the bags off, then we caught a cab to El Barrio for our daily fix of CD buying (we're like a pair of junkies when we're in NY).
Once we were done there, we caught the subway to Burke Ave in the heart of the Bronx, and waited for Mels aunt to pick us up, as her family were taking us out for dinner to celebrate her birthday.
We'd actually caught the wrong train (the track splits during rush hour) and ended up a little further away. We waited near the station for her aunt, and it was starting to get dark. I stuck out like a sore thumb, and got a few strange looks!!
Eventually, we got picked up and went to a Japanese Steakhouse in Pelham. Our food was cooked in front of us, then Mel received a Japanese rendition of Happy Birthday, before we left and were dropped back at the apartment.
I'd been chatting with Jose from la Excelencia for the last couple of months about an interview and we had decided that a video interview would be best. We'd managed to arrange for them to come round the apartment this evening.
Jose (songwriter and conga player), and Julian (arranger and timbalero) turned up as agreed at 9.30pm. Did the interview, then they stayed and chatted for a while before leaving at around midnight. These guys are inspirational and had some great stories!
Thursday 10th
Breakfast at the same place, then a cab to El Barrio. The driver was new to the job and took us the wrong way up lexington Avenue, despite me shouting "No, don't turn here, it's one way… No, Stop, No…." etc. We had 5 lanes of traffic oncoming, so he did a swift turn and got us back on track. Eventually, we got to El Barrio and didn't tip the driver!!
Said our goodbyes and headed back to the apartment to finish our packing. Chris Soto picked us up at 2pm, then had to pop by Casa Latina and El Barrio, before heading downtown to Alphabet City to a vinyl record shop. After that, Chris drove us to the airport and we said goodbye.
Checked in, and had to pay $100 because both our suitcases were well overweight (I wonder why!!). Caught our overnight flight back to the UK.
Friday 11th
Landed at 8am and drove home. Another trip over!!
Many thanks to all the guys for their hospitality!
Left just before 7pm and dropped by Stu's on the way to pick him up. He squeezed in the back of the car, surrounded by the stock for our stall that wouldn't fit in the boot. Traffic was good, and we got to York in good time. Dropped Stu at his B&B, then went to our hotel to check-in, wash, change, before picking Stu back up from his and heading to the first night of the parties.
The weekender takes place at St John's College in York, just outside the city centre, and is a university campus. The party takes place in the Temple Bar, which has a foyer just outside, with a bar :-) This is also where the stalls are located.
The main hall was in full swing and busy, with a good crowd dancing to the guest band, Bourbon y Tequila. This was my second year here, and is a very friendly weekender, where everyone seems to know each other.
Tony Piper, who promotes the event with his wife Mary, dj'd the fairly short slot between the bands sets, then the band were back on for their second set which comprised some covers of familiar material interspersed with their own recordings.
Once the band were finished Dr Salsa was the DJ for the evening, familiar to us from his stints at Latin Motion, George played a good set with a complete mix of music which really kept the floor rocking! I celebrated with a couple of beers then a couple of Jacks!!
The party was on until 2am, but we left at 1, weary from a full day at work and the drive "oop north"!!
Breakfast in the morning, then a short drive to the venue just before opening. Mel and I started setting up the stall, then Stu arrived to help out. Terry and Jo arrived not long after, who were selling shoes on our stall. They'd had a bit of trouble with their stock delivery the night before so couldn't set up on the friday night as previously planned.
While we were all setting up, the venue opened up and people started to register. Within minutes, it was a scene reminiscent of a plague of locusts as women spotted the shoes. As a guy, I'll never understand women and their obsession with shoes - watching them in action was scary!!
The day was taken up mostly with hosting the stall, and occasional ventures into the Temple Hall to take some photos and film some class footage. Stu had a pass to attend the afternoon classes - he chose to take part in Franklyn and Brigittes Level 2-3 Turn Patterns and Styling workshop, then Lee Hunters Level 2-3 Turn Patterns class, both at Mels recommendation. Both classes were well attended and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
We packed up around 8pm, had some food, then the shows started at 9.
We were due an hour of shows. The first one was by a couple from Cali, Colombia. This show was quite a bizarre experience - it turned out to be an extract from a theatre-type show and ran for over 20 minutes. The audience seemed quite perplexed, but entertained nontheless. Once that was done, the remaining shows were of a more typical format, with my personal highlights being Mo T's new group show.
Mel and I popped back to the hotel for a change of clothes, then were back at the venue for just after 11. Had a few dances, drinks, and hung out with Lubi for a bit, then the night was over.
That was it for the weekender, and a good time was had by all. I'll definitely be back next year!!!
MONDAY
Our flight was scheduled for 2pm from Heathrow. Having learned from past experience, and due to moderate snowfall on Sunday night, we left at 8am - plenty of time to get there!! ;-) Got to the airport in plenty of time (for once!!), parked, got the shuttle bus to the terminal, and dropped our bags off (I'd done everything online the day before, just to make sure!!).
The flight went ok, and we landed it JFK at 4.30pm local time. We'd arranged a private rental of an apartment on the Upper West Side, so got a taxi there.
After a quick power nap, we decided to go to Salsa con Mambo , which takes place at Session 73 on 73rd and 1st Avenue in Manhattan. We got there just before 10.30pm, and were greeted by the two girls at the desk. Paid our $12 entry each and went in.
The venue was a fairly small bar, with a band setup in the corner next to the dj area. We left our coats in the cloakroom, with a guy who was making an unsuccessful effort to memorise everyones name, grabbed a couple of beers from the bar, then watched the dancing.
At 11pm, the guest band were on for their second of 3 sets. The band in question - New Swing Sextet!!! They really rocked, and we managed to grab an interview after the set, then they were on again for their last set at 12.30. The promoter of the night, DJ Babaloo , was very welcoming, and gave plenty of mentions for Salsa Central over the mic ;-) Left the club at closing (about 1.30am).
TUESDAY
Woke up quite early and went for breakfast at Tom's Restaurant, then walked it off over by Morningside park before heading into the Bronx to meet up with Chino Nunez. Got to Chino's studio for about 1pm, and were made to feel very welcome. He made us tea, and we had a chat before doing the interview. After a couple of hours at Chino's. he took us to meet George Delgado. We had a chat to George, and did a quick interview with him, before heading back to the subway. On the way, we stopped at a Caribbean food place for dinner. Some of the customers thought it was bizarre that a white english guy was eating West Indian food in the Bronx!!
In the evening, we headed downtown, to The Link , which hosts a salsa night on tuesdays, run by Marlon International and Dave Montreal. The place was busy, but it was easy enough to dance, and the vibe was great! We also met Chris Soto here. We didn't stay late, as we were both tired, so left before midnight and caught the subway 'home'
WEDNESDAY
Time for a bit of CD shopping! We'd planned to meet up with Chris Soto, who was going to take us to a couple of CD shops in Spanish Harlem. We caught the bus across town, and walked along Tito Puente Way, then up Lexington into the heart of 'El Barrio'. By chance, we stumbled across the El Barrio music shop at 116th and Lexington. Chris had gotten a bit delayed at work, but this was one of the shops he'd planned on taking us to. Lou and Frankie, from the shop, helped us with our selections, then we were off downtown.
Stopped for a bite to eat, then headed to west 34th St, to B&H Electrical. We needed to get a camcorder for Chris, so he could get some interviews for the website when we're not in the U.S. Chris met us at B&H, then drove us back to the apartment. On the way, Mel got a call from Jimmy Bosch, asking if we wanted to go to his for thanksgiving evening. Nice!!!
Tonight, we'd arranged to go to LQ nightclub, to interview Frankie Morales, who was performing, along with Ismael Miranda. The club was in midtown Manhatten, and is a large glitzy place. Not really my style! Paid our $15 each to get in, then went and had a quick chat with Frankie. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long, as Mel was quite ill - passed our apologies for the cancelled interviews and left.
THURSDAY
Thanksgiving day! Before that though, we needed another fix of cd shopping, so headed back to El Barrio and hung out there for a while. Early afternoon, we were picked up by Mels uncle and taken into the Bronx for thanksgiving at her family's place. Lot's of food!!!!! I was stuffed, but we still had to eat at Jimmy Bosch's!!! He arrived at Mel's aunts place at 8pm to pick us up and take us over to his place in New Jersey. More food, beer, and a few games of cards, then Jimmy dropped us back at our apartment in the early hours.
FRIDAY
No Cd shoping today! However, I needed a haircut, so Mel had booked me in at her friend Aisha's place in the East Village. We headed down there with Lauren, Mels cousin, and once that was done, we went for a bit of shopping in Soho.
In the evening, we went to SOB's , where Larry Harlow was playing for their 25th Anniversary. It's a fairly small venue, but perfect for the occasion, although there were a few slight problems with the sound system. Everyone was given a free Larry Harlow CD on entry, and there was some filming for a new Fania documentary. We couldn't get a table to have dinner there, so left after Larry's first set, and stumbled upon a Spanish Restaurant round the corner. Top food at this place!!!! Once we'd finished there, we headed up to Frankie Martinez's social, which takes place on the 11th floor of a building in midtown Manhattan. Got there and the lift was broke!!! So, 22 flight of stairs and we were there. The place was like someone's living room that had been cleaned out and fitted with a soundsystem, albeit quite a large living room!!! The vibe here was really good - the standard of dancing was excellent, as you'd expect, but not a hint of arrogance, everyone was here to party!!!
SATURDAY
Felt like pancakes today, and had been told that the ones served at the Fairway cafe were good, so went there, then strolled breakfast off by walking to the Dakota Apartments, then through Central Park. Caught a cab up to El Barrio for our next fix of CD buying!! It was Frankies day off today, so Lou helped us out and we left with another sizeable purchase!
Later in the afternoon, we went to 170th St in The Bronx, to the Yamulee studio, where Mel took part in Cindy's styling class, then a two hour shines and partnerwork workshop.
Got food on the way back, then ended up staying in for the evening - the week was starting to catch up with us!!
SUNDAY
I'd been phoning Larry Harlow all week, to try and arrange an interview, but he's a busy guy. Thought i'd try one last time before we went to get breakfast. "Why don't you come over right now" he said! Brilliant!! So, caught a cab over and met Larry Harlow. He showed us round his apartment, including his collection of rare musical instruments and paintings, and we saw his Fania gold discs, before doing a quick video interview. He also gave us a couple of signed CD's to gve away in a competition!!
Went from there, back to El Barrio for our last day of CD shopping, and to say goodbye. We caught a cab from there, to midtown, so Mel could go to Eddie Torres' class, but not before she'd cured the shopping itch in Capezio, who were having a serious sale!!! Mel did Eddies footwork class for a few hours while I watched, then back to the apartment before Mels family picked us up for dinner.
Went to Havana Central near Times Sq for some cuban food, during which a bottle of hot sauce dropped from one of the tables upstairs, missing Mels head by inches and smashing on the floor behind us.
On the way from there to the car park, a car was reversing down the one way st, and missed me by a fraction - someone had it in for us tonight!!!
Got back to the apartment fairly early, but were feeling a bit worn out, so Marlon came round for a chat and so we could do a quick interview with him.
Once Marlon left, we needed to try and fix our toilet, which had become blocked earlier in the day, and tried unsuccessfully to get a plumber to visit at 2am. I went to bed while Mel carried on trying to sort it out.
MONDAY
Got up early this morning, and went to get a plunger from the hardware store, and a couple of drinks. Managed to fix the loo, packed our bags, left the apartment for the final time and headed to Toms for breakfast before getting the subway to JFK and our flight home!!
I'd intended to get to the Latin Motion Halloween all-dayer from the start at midday on the Saturday, but had a bit of a lie-in and get there at 2pm, just in time for the lunch break, during which a 'Rhythm and Timing for Dancers' workshop was scheduled. I sat through the whole of the workshop, run by Mauricio Reyes and Richard Sealey, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that, Inaki Fernandez and Susana Montero had an intermediates Bachata class, which I watched for a bit, then filmed at the end. During this class, I also had a chat with Richard Sealey about his workshop!
Next up was the Tango workshop, again with Inaki and Susana. I didn't fancy taking part, so watched this one as well, filiming again at the end. Said goodbye to a few people, then left to pick Mel and Cat up from the city centre - Mel had been teaching at the Dance Xchange, then went shopping with Cat!
Had a quick Chinese, and planned to leave at 6:30. Stuart had spent the day at Airsoft - like paintball, but a bit more serious!! And it hurts!! He skipped dinner after a day running round getting shot, and rushed round to ours in time for our 6:30pm departure time. We were just starting to get ready at this time.
So, we ended up leaving after 7pm, and got to the venue just in time for Mel to start her class. I took part in this class, after a day spent watching from the sidelines.
After that, the party began. To help keep up our energy levels (and celebrate Anna's birthday), a table had been filled with plates of fruit, around a large bithday cake :-) Not one to waste any time, Cat appeared with a handful of grapes and strawberries, no doubt preparing for a night of serious dancing!! Then another handful.... and some melon.... and some more!!
The party was kept in full swing by DJ Mike and DJ Mani, and I had a few dances, using the routines i'd learned over the last few weeks.
After a couple of dances, Cat started complaining of having a stitch!! Surprising, that!! So spent some time doing "grape styling" and "the crab" (Don't ask!!!... Well, do actually, next time you see her!).
We ended up leaving the party just after midnight (It had been a heavy day for all of us)... Next stop, the Harlow gig, then New York!!!
We'd arranged to have a stall at the UK Congress, so the Friday morning arrived and we had all the stock we needed - cd's, dvd's, clothing, shoes, etc. Earlier in the week, Mel had decided to book herself in to get her hair done on the Friday morning. After the trauma of our Poland trip, I decided to take no chances and arranged to drive down with Sizzla early, leaving Jojo to stress!
We left at about 10am, and had to stop off in Hampshire to visit the offices of International Record (Salsa-International, Latin Soul, Mary Lou Records) to pick up some more stock for the stall. Had a coffee and chatted for a bit with Ian Morrisson, then back on the road to Bournemouth and the BIC, the new venue for the UK Salsa Congress!!
Got to the BIC at about 3pm, found our table upstairs and round the corner from the top of the escalators - the perfect spot to not do much business, as everyone was downstairs in the registration area along with all the other stalls!! We started setting up, then Mel and Jojo arrived just after 4pm. Me and Sizzla left the girls on the stall and went to sort out our B&B.
We were staying just up the hill, about 10mins walk from the BIC (we drove though). Went to check in and there was already someone in one of the rooms we'd booked! However, there was another room free, luckily!! Checked in, then headed back to the BIC and worked on the stall until just after 8pm. Went to the local Chinese for dinner, then headed to the venue to watch the shows. In between each show, there was a sketch of either a newsreader or 'roving reporter' to fill the time, which would have seemed a good idea in theory, but didn't quite seem to work and seemed a bit of a last minute idea that had been rushed together. Once we'd finished watching the shows, we headed back to get changed, then it was the first night of the party.
The main venue was the Purbeck Hall - a domed wooden room - and was fairly busy!! The music was good, but the room seemed to lack the atmosphere I was expecting - may have been the (very) high ceiling, or lack of moving lights or projections. The atmosphere in the Cuban room was better, and was where Jojo spent most of the night. I left the party at about 2am, and ended up being woken at about 4 by Mel (didn't have a key), then at 5 by Jojo, who couldn't get in the front door.
A big breakfast was required the following morning, courtesy of Jorge, our hist for the weekend, then back to work from 10am. Saturday was a lot busier, and our spot at the top of the escalators paid dividends that day. Another day of hard work over, an authentic seaside dinner of fish and chips, watched England beat France, a quick powernap (well, 2 hours!), then back to the venue for about 1am.
The Saturday night was a lot busier, and we got there in time to see Frankie Morales perform. It was DJ Mauri's birthday on the Sunday, so he was quite hammered by the early hours and seemed to be enjoying the show!! There were a lot of circles going on (where everyone stands around, watching the 'good dancers'), but they seemed to be either by the main door, or by the bar, which made getting in and out or buying a drink a bit of a hazard!! Jojo hated this and again spent the night in the Cuban room! Me too!
The next morning, we arrived with our stock, ready to set up the stall at 10am, only to be told that we couldn't trade there. Donny Osmond was performing that evening, and most of the stalls had to be moved as a result. We ended up moving into one of the bar areas along with a few of the other vendors, which was actually a better setup than the original pitches, but the whole thing was still very unorganised and we lost a couple of hours trading time that we'd paid for!!
Another hard days work, dinner at the local chinese again, then a rather subdued effort at the party!!
I drove back with Mel then next morning, and Sizzla took Jojo. We stopped off at International Records to drop off the unsold stock and have another chat and brainstorm over coffee before heading home.
We (Mel, Cat, and I) were invited to the Wieliczka Conress and were due to fly out from Coventry on the Friday afternoon to Katowice. Mel had to get her hair done first, which meant we were cutting it a bit fine, but should get to Coventry with plenty of time to spare. Cat and I packed everything while Mel was getting her hair done, then headed to her hairdressers to pick her up, then straight to Coventry… easy!!!
Got to junction one of the M5, traffic was at a standstill heading north, so we decided to get on the A34 and jump on the M6 further down. Ended up stuck at roadworks-from-hell for about 25 minutes – and no-one was working on them!!!!
Anyway, got past that, onto the M6 and I put my foot down in an effort to get us to the airport in about 15 minutes.
We got there, parked, and got to the check-in desk about 5 minutes after it had closed. Thought we could blag it, but boy were we wrong!!!! The evil !@*%& behind the desk was not interested and seemed to take great pleasure in our misfortune. She wouldn’t help us with any alternatives or suggestions, so home we went, but we weren’t to be beaten!!
Got on the internet, and Cat was on the phone for about 30 minutes trying to find an alternative flight to Poland, or the nearest country possible. We found one from Liverpool airport at 10pm, so booked that, and decided to get the train to Liverpool, and use our flight back to Coventry. Drove to Birmingham, got the train to Liverpool, bus to the airport, checked in, and the flight was delayed by an hour and a half!!!! Typical!!!!!
Mel and Cat amused themselves for a couple of hours by playing the baby grand piano that’s in the departure lounge, much to the amusement of the other passengers!!
We arrived at Katowice airport at 2-30am, participated in the scrum for baggages, then went to collect our hire car. It should all have been straightforward from here, but the car hire place was closed – despite our reservation confirmation confirming everything!! We called the phone number and woke someone up at 3am, and after a debate, agreed that he would come and sort the car for us. So, 4am and we were hiring our car – it turned out that no booking had been made, so the guy was none too pleased but helped us out nonetheless.
So, off we went on the A4 to Krakow ☺ Surely we’d be at the hotel and in bed in just over an hour.
A missed turn and we ended up on a side road in the middle of some woods on the way to the Slovakian border!!!!
We got back on the main road, obtained directions from a service station, and headed down the 44 road to Krakow – not quite the same as the motorway from Katowice to Krakow, this was a slightly potholed windy road, blanketed in fog. We eventually got to the Motel Gorska at 7am, had breakfast, then went to bed!!!!!
We all got up at about 12-30am, met up with Sizzla and Ricardo, then went to workshops. Mel and Cat went to Neeraj Maskara’s Cha Cha class, and I went to Mambomikes mens styling workshop.
Later we drove into Krakow centre for dinner, and Mel managed to find a salon to get her nails done. We waited, hungry!!! Went to the restaurant recommended by the salon staff, and ate a hearty meal (enough for ten!!)
Spent 25minutes trying to get on the road back out of Krakow, showered and changed at the hotel, then headed to the Wieliczka Salt Mine for the party.
It was a great party in a fantastic location 150 metres underground. We stayed until 3am, slept, got up at 7.30am, quick breakfast, then our brief stay in Wieliczka was over. It was time to try and get home!
This was a fantastic event and we were honoured to have been able to attend the very first one. Will we be going next year? Definitely!!! Will we be better prepared for travel? Absolutely!!!!
Mel (Mel C), Cat (Cathjex), My Brother (Devin Dash) and Me (Torqueo) decided to drive to the Antilliaanse Feesten from Birmingham. We hired an MPV and set of at 8.30pm on the Thursday. Our ferry was at 2am from Dover to Dunkerque. An hour into the journey, I jokingly asked if everyone had their passports. My brother had forgotten his!!!!! We turned round, raced back to Birmingham, then had two and a half hours to get to Dover from Central Birmingham. We managed it…. Just!!!
Managed to grab an hours sleep on the ferry, then drove through the remainder of France, then Belgium, to the festival location at Hoogstraten, which is near the Dutch border. We arrived at about 8am, pitched our tents next to the group from Chester, had breakfast in the campsite tent, then got a couple more hours sleep. Later in the day we drove into town to get a couple of disposable barbecues and some food, so that was dinner sorted! The whole campsite at this festival is electric - because they allow cars to be parked with the tents, there are loads of makeshift soundsystems wired up to car batteries so the whole place is like one big party!!
Popped back to the campsite tent after eating, where a band was playing and everyone had a dance!
We walked up to the actual festival site later in the evening. It takes your breath away on first entering - so many people and different stalls and tents. Checked out the Salsa club tent, then went over to one of the two main stages where Joe Arroyo was due on. The Colombians went mad for him and a few jumped onto the stage, one girl nearly pulling him over. Really enjoyed the first part of his set. We then went to get some food - the food area has anything you could possible want, with food from across the globe!! Drank a bit too much Rum and was shattered so went back to the tent with Mel. Stu and Cat stayed out to watch Pitbull.
On the Saturday, we went backtage with Mike from FunkySalsa and met Louis, the organiser of the festival, so that we could interview him. We then popped into town again for more barbecue provisions, and I ended up reversing the hire car into a tree - not sure how that happened, as I'd asked 'will we be able to get the boot open because of that tree' when I parked! Lucky I had zero excess!! Anyway, the next couple of hours consisted of prawn and chicken skewers, a fair bit of beer and rum, some campsite games, dancing, then back to the festival site!!
We had meant to see Kassav, but they weren't due on yet so went to the other stage to catch the beginning of N'Klabe's set. We ended up staying for the whole set to allow Cat to drool over the Sax player!! Plus, they really rocked the place!! Went for a bite to eat after that, then checked out La India for a bit. Back to the Salsa tent, then home to the campsite.
After all that, it was soon Sunday morning, and time to pack up the tent and head for the ferry for a bit of dancing and frisbee at the docks!
Will definitely be back next year, and the year after….. As festivals go, this one has the best atmosphere of any that I've been to, and I've done the lot!! For those that don't like camping, there are loads of B&B's and guesthouses nearby, but you'll miss a lot by not being on the campsite!!
Following on from my first blog..... where I decided that as part of the Salsa Central team I really should start learning Salsa properly and document my 'Salsa Education' as a blog each time I went social dancing...... this weekend I went to Club Candela, at The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury.
I did actually go to Mambocity the week before, but having gone on a work 'away day' (and extremely heavy night!) the previous day, I was feeling a bit too delicate to dance.
I was somehow unwittingly roped in to driving a minibus to Shrewsbury, so we could take some of Mel's students - for some of them it was their first time social dancing!
Mel took a few in her car and left before us, as she'd been booked for a spinning technique class.
We left a good 15 minutes after her, but still overtook them on the M54 - a combination of them chatting (men/shoes/shopping), and my driving resulting in nothing but a blue blur faintly resembling a minibus!
We got there fairly early, and I had a drink while Mel did her class, then went for a quick bite to eat before the serious stuff began.
When we got back, Tony - one of Mel's students, and the only other guy in our group, was looking a bit flustered and hot, as he hadn't had a break from dancing in about an hour!!
I was eager to get on the dance floor, as i'd been to class the previous two weeks, so had expanded my (albeit limited) repertoire. I lost count of the amount of dances I had, but it was well into double figures (See Paparazzi-JoJo's 'Stalking Steve' gallery for evidence).
I had a really great time, and will be going to the Candela events as often as possible, due to the friendly and laid back party atmosphere.
We all stayed right until the end, then it was back onto the minibus for the drive home on the M54, which must easily be the most boring motorway in the whole country!!
Not sure where i'll be out next, but I can't wait :-)
I'm not much above beginner level when it comes to Salsa - I can do my basic steps, cross-body lead, and a few turns. I do have good timing, but need to learn a lot more – I can’t be part of the Salsa Central team and not be able to dance well!
So, I thought I’d keep a blog on my ‘Salsa Education’ and make an entry whenever I’ve been out socially to let you know how I get on.
I went to the Salsadelic/Latinmotion night at The Colliery club last Saturday, to film an interview with Mauricio Reyes, and Moe Flex’s routine. I also danced a few times (Hooray!!!!).
For my first dance, I was actually asked by a nice woman from London, who didn’t mind that I’m a bit of a beginner – I even got my first little set of moves a bit wrong, but she told me to try it a couple more times, so I was fine – thank you to her!!
Apart from that, I danced a few more times – with Cat, Mel C , Linda, and Raynor (who was completely hammered due to her birthday celebrations, but still managed to follow my lead!!). I didn’t stray much from the basics, so plan to try a few more things next time (once I’ve watched my SuperMario DVD!).
I’m going to the Club Candela night on 22 nd June, so will try and get to class before then.
Until next time!
Steve
