This was the 6th Leeds Weekender, and the first that I've attended. It's run by Ces & Kerry of LatinXces, and the weekender is structured with a full day of workshops on the Saturday, plus workshops on Sunday morning. There are parties on the Friday and Saturday night.
The event takes place in the Holiday Inn, Garforth, which is a short drive from Leeds. The hotel is very smart and well laid out. Included in the price of the full weekend pass (£164), is two nights accomodation plus all meals, in addition to the workshops and parties, which makes this exceptionally good value.
The line up for the weekend consisted of Emma & Mushi, Irene Miguel, Lossie & Gareth, Nicky Lloyd Greame, Mel C, Ces & Kerry, Nigel Maye, and many more.
We got there in time for the Friday night party, checked in and got settled in our room. We made contact with the competition winners and got together in our room for a pre-party drink.
DJ Mani (MuchaSalsa) was keeping the party going when we arrived, and was assisted tonight by Nicolai of Fuego latino. The party takes place in what is essentially a large hotel conference room with a couple of removable dancefloors in place. This set up is more than adequate. The only thing missing was some lighting or projections to add some dynamics to the venue. Attendance for the Friday night party wasn't great, but this is the case for most weekenders. Those that were there made sure thay kept the dancefloor busy and the atmosphere was welcoming, even for the most timid of beginners. We stayed until the end, then had a couple more drinks in the hotel bar.
We missed breakfast on the Saturday, and got to the main room halfway through the first workshop to set our stall up. During the day, the large room is partioned into 3 separate rooms for workshops, one large room, and two smaller ones.
In the main room, where our stall was to be located, Emma and Mushi were teaching an Intermediate partnerwork class which was well attended. Then, Irene Miguel taught her Body Movement for All class, after which everyone seemed very impressed. Next, it was Emma and Mushi's ladies and mens styling class, while Mel did a Reggaeton workshop in one of the other rooms, then time for lunch.
An hour later, and Emma and Mushi were back with another well attended class, after which it was Nigel Maye's 'Street Salsa' class, which was as amusing to watch as I'm sure it was to participate.
Shortly after this round of workshops had ended, we decided to pack the stall up and get some food (lack of breakfast was catching up with us), so missed the final 2 workshops of the day. The overall feedback and vibe from those attending the various workshops throughout the day was good.
Later in the evening, the party resumed, and was a lot better attended. Again, Mani was warming things up and keeping the dancefloor full. My set was from 11pm to 12-30, and I found the crowd very responsive and managed to push the boundaries a little more than I might be able to at other nights. It was great fun to play here.
We stayed to the end, then topped the night off again in the hotel bar.
We managed to make it to breakfast on the Sunday morning, a little worse for wear. The food was good. We then watched the second half of Lossie & Gareths 'Timing for all, with live drumming' workshop, where they use instruments such as Congas, Clave sticks, etc, in tandem with notes and demonstrations of the dance steps. This was a very informative workshop, and the type of which we should see more of at other events.
A free buffet lunch was provided, then we left the hotel for our long drive home.
In summary, this is not the largest or most prestigious of weekend salsa events, but it does have the fun, friendliness and intimacy that you don't find at a lot of places. The perfect weekender for beginners, but with enought technical workshops that even experienced dancers will benefit.
Added to that, the whole event is self-contained within a nice hotel with an all-night bar and good food!! We'll be back next year!!
