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The Great British Salsa Experience, Manchester 20-22nd Nov (GBSex 2009)
Review by Karen Chau
 This was the second GBSex event since its inception last year. Emma and Kate Moore, the organizers and their team had made great stride in creating a very memorable event for all who attended. It was a big improvement from last year and certainly comparable to the hugely successful Britfests events in the past in 2006 and 2007.
My return ticket from King’s Cross to Manchester on Virgin Trains cost £22, a real bargain if you were able to book three months in advance. I shared accommodation with Boyana, a friend from the Netherlands at the Ibis Hotel at Portland Street. I pre-booked all the workshops for the congress in advance on their website, although one could pay for a what they termed a zero ticket, which allowed same day booking. The down side was that vacancies for the classes were not assured. I think most people booked in advance, and the organizers were able to make the class numbers manageable and certainly better balanced male to female ratio.
 I arrived in Manchester late Friday afternoon, checked in at the hotel, which is near China town on Princess Street, and met up with a few friends five-minute walk away at the Christmas Market in the front of the Town Hall. We strolled around the bustling stalls, soaking up the Christmas atmosphere underneath the twinkling lights. There were an array of food stalls and we could not help but sampled the delicious grilled German Bratwurst sausages, washed down with hot cider and Gluhwein. Ashamedly we had to leave the hot strudel and waffle, as we did not want to be too full for the dancing.
 The salsa congress is held in the Town Hall, which started construction in 1868 costing a cool one million pounds. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the building exemplifies the Victorian Gothic revival style of architecture; the exterior of Spinkewell stone is decorated with carvings of important figures in Mancunian history. Even though we entered through the side entrance, the breath-taking beauty of the interior struck me with awe, the floor mosaic, the painted ceiling and the statues. It even has warm air heating system. How impressive is that!
We were given a "GBSex Times" at check-in, a mock up newspaper as a memorabilia, printed with the programme and other bits of useful information. Dancing on Friday evening was held at the  Main Hall, which has mural-sided walls reflecting Victorian Manchester, with themes of Christianity, commerce and the textile industry. I watched a show at eleven o’clock and retired from dancing at 3 am.
There were forty different workshops to chose from each day on Saturday and Sunday, in six separate locations, running from 10am till 6.30 pm, choices from different salsa styles. In addition, were the tango for beginners, Quebradita, and Latin Percussion Jam workshops. They were of an-hour duration with a fifteen-minute  break between classes. I thought it was prefect as the usual forty-five minute lessons always seemed a little rushed.
Hot meals and snacks were available along the food corridor. Between classes, one could social dance until 5.30 pm at the Bees, just outside the main hall. Alternatively if one fancied a rest, one could visit the vendors and exhibitors along the far corridors.
I bought the GBSex6 tickets and I attended one master class with Ahtoy and Daniel (Baila Society) and three other workshops on both Saturday and Sunday. Although the master classes  cost a little extra, they were well worth the money, the teaching was superb, the explanations were very detailed, easy to understand and given with great sincerity. One of the main benefits of holding the workshops in a large space with limited number of participants was that we had space to move, able to see the instructors clearly and rotate with different partners. I especially enjoyed the On2 partner work with Yamulee and Santo Rico too!
Apart from workshops, there were also some fun events held during the day. I have to mention the spinning competition hosted by MelC of Salsa-Central on Sunday lunchtime. Ten couples entered and Wim Lefebvre and Barbara Hendrix came first, with Phillip Langlais and Daniela Stojcevska came second. Despite their gallant  efforts, there were unable to beat the current, officially recognised, world record of 125 spins in 60 seconds, held by last year’s winners Giles Eadle and Lisa Anscombe-Smith.
The performance of Saturday afternoon were mainly for student groups and some of the professionals; my favourite, was the Danzalifestyle student performance of the Burju and Victor’s choreography. The queueing system for the Saturday and Sunday night performances however, needs to be improved and supervised; but the hall has a lot of seats and could accommodate a lot spectators. The performances (about 10 each night) were extremely high. International groups like Baila Society, Yamulee, Santo Rico, Baila Society, Utribe were excellent. Our own Mauro and Eva, Duende, Marchant and Davina, Miguel and Mayana, Mark and Lisa, Mamboleo, and especially Salsology dance company, pulled out stunning performances. They have all done us proud. Other performances too numerous to mention but I was especially impressed, with the couple from Dubai, Eida and Luisa, whose Tango display was breath taking. Rowan Brown, the compere was very witty and comical. After the performances we had time to dance to the music of some of the best DJs like Shann (LDA), Yuchi (Salsa Tipica), Norman (Café Mambo) and Torqueo (Salsa Central).
On reflection, I really had great time, the venue was second to none, the event was well organised, the Town Hall staff were very friendly and helpful. Even the flooring they put down was of exceptional quality. My favourite moment I must say was on Sunday night, when my idol,  Jimmy Anton, a famous New York instructor/DJ, was charged with the deck; with interception of some of the other DJs jamming with percussion instruments. The atmosphere was they say electric, I felt like I was in New York; and we danced until 5 am in the morning.
The only regrettable thing about the whole weekend was the Ibis Hotel where I stayed. It was not that cheap and definitely not cheerful, we had to check out at eleven in the morning, how uncivilised. The only saving grace was it’s close proximity to the venue. On the train journey back to London, the conversation with my travelling companions revolved around the experiences of the weekend. I think the consensus was very positive and looking forward to the one next year.
More info and photos:
http://www.thegreatbritishsalsaexperience.com/
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/JonathanCRiley/collection?album_id=242475674
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