About the Congress Parties
February 11th 2009 06:02
Capoeira at the Sydney Salsa Congress - Brazilian Room 2009
I still remember the first time I’ve seen the party at the Sydney Salsa Congress and every time I get goose bumps. That was what made me decide: yes, I will learn this salsa thing.
One live band playing for thousands of salseros on an enormous wooden floor. Filling up the State Sport’s Centre is a feat. And all those people spinning and partying to the sounds of live salsa was enough to amaze any watcher.
This year the Sydney Salsa Congress had a special something for the dancers. On Saturday and Sunday the rooms were divided, there was the regular Salsa room that continued to play Salsa, Bachata, Cha-cha, Merengue, etc. And the Brazilian Room. A dream comes true for Marcia Percival, and a lot of other dancers.
Marcia with Mafie Zouker and dancing Axe at the Party - Brazilian Room SSC 09
It was the acknowledgement that the other styles are getting more and more from the latin dancers’ time.
In this room we had Zouk, Forro and Samba for everyone to dance, also Marcia led an Axe, Kadu and Larissa performed a Gafieira Show, the Capoeira boys stole the stage for their amazing acrobatics and everyone went crazy on the Samba Parade with all this girls going crazy behind the drums. Gianne is such a beauty dancing I couldn’t stop looking at her moves. She is a contestant at So You Think You Can Dance. The DJs were great, Amit DJ Zoubasa, Kadu, Mafie Zouker made everyone dance until they dropped.
Party at Sydney Salsa Congress 09
Now and then you could see something that can make a dancer’s heart sing: someone running, actually running across the dance floor to get a specific partner. It happened to me before and it is something that I still smile at. No ego can survive unscratched to that. So if you feel like doing it. Do it. Don’t worry, many others have done before you and you will guarantee that one amazing dance with a partner that has to show you the best he or she has to prove your running was worth.
This dancing until you drop at this congress is not an exaggeration. If you seen a previous picture I posted of the guys resting on the floor you will get my meaning.
These people start dancing on Thursday night, go until late then wake up, workshops all day, then party all night, repeated for two more days. My sister was driving me and every time she got out or into the car she was saying:
- Ai, ai, ai, ai. Translation to English: Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.
My sister Tais dancing the night away
That is how bad everyone gets. By Friday afternoon you have your doubts you will be able to keep going, but the party is oh sooo goood! So you dance until you can’t walk anymore. Then yes, another song you like plays exactly when you think you’ve had enough, and you have to dance it. You go to the car or hotel room thinking you are stepping on shards of glass. Your feet cannot take it anymore.
When you wake up you keep thinking if someone got the plate of the truck that hit you. Then you close your eyes and see the workshop schedule you have memorised. You know you cannot miss that class! Only god knows how you get changed.
By Saturday you think you will not survive but you keep going, it’s all just too good not to. By Sunday half of you are enjoying all moments the most as the congress is almost finished and the other half cannot see the end of it and a bit of rest.
Monday is official sick day. You cannot get out of the bed but you have a smile stuck into your face.
The parties this year also had a nice appeal to it. The organizers had this idea of “selling dances” where all the money went to World Vision. So a few people got some dances with the international and national artist without having to make up the nerve to ask them for a dance or just pray and hope they would be asked in turn… and some kids got a better life. That is what I call win-win.
Dancers are all the same, ever. Talking about international artists I was watching Tatiana dance a zouk, her first zouk ever, with Gaspar. She was beautiful and soft. Of course she missed a few leads and looked a bit panicked but still she followed her best and did really well. It is funny how even being a dancer like her, so good, she would still feel insecure and ask after the dance: “did I look too bad?” No Tatiana, you didn’t and here is the picture to prove it. How amazing does that look?
Tatiana and Gaspar at the SSC09
Dancers are like that, able to improvise, move no matter to what music, follow or lead partners, dance with one hand
, and create in all matters. See this picture of a dancer that created a different way to hold a bottle of water…
Different way to hold your bottle of drink at SSC09
| 26 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
