If I hear the music, I'm gonna dance!

Posted October 30th, 2008 by Geo-
in

 


Live from Detroit!

Did we dance or DID WE DANCE? Super Salsa Weekend had more than a lot of music, dancing, workshops and performances: it had a heart and it had soul. A bit of a dream come true, a bit of a mountain to climb. This was the biggest event YA has ever attempted and we are proud to say that Detroit really showed that it is a salsa city. Many months of saving the proceeds from all the other socials allowed us to invite some of the biggest names in salsa, two bands and 600 of our best friends to to make it a weekend to remember.

 

 

 


Nellie watching the table at the workshops

In the beginning this was just going to be another weekend with some out of town instructors, but little by little it began to grow and take on a life of its own. Conversations led to plans and plans led to actions. Once we added a few more instructors, then we added a band, then we needed more workshops to afford the band, then we needed another night to afford the workshops... Pretty soon we had more instructors, more bands, a healthy cup of excitement with a bowl of fear... Two days and nights? Could our scene support that? Were we out of our minds?

 

Photo Galleries  (a.ka. Facebok Fodder!)

 


Jamin & She She taking it to the next level!

Fueled by that meal of excitement and fear, we pulled out all of the stops promote the super salsa weekend like never before. But it took more than our efforts. It took YOU supporting the events and helping to spread the word about salsa to your friends, family, and co-workers. For some, this may have been their first time ever at a YA Salsa event or maybe even salsa dancing. To the many many new faces at these events, especially the workshops, your presence truly is our greatest inspiration, and is a major reason why were were so happy about the weekend. We hope you continue to be part of our little (but growing) salsa community. There were also those who came to the workshops and both nights of dancing and really immersed yourselves in the salsa life. Our hats are off to you! That level of participation is not for the faint of heart! Last but and certainly not least we would like recognize the many people who traveled from Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and all cities far away. Taking the time, energy and money just to get here to dance with us is a tremendous honor.

 

 

 


Andy & Griselle's workshop

The weekend began with a relaxing meet and greet at Nina's Rhythm & Spirits where we welcomed the instructors and celebrated Jamin & Shekyla's wedding. But things really got going first thing Saturday morning with the salsa workshops. Despite all the preparations and promotion we still wondered if we had done enough. When we arrived at the JCC early to set up we wondered, "will any one show up?" The answer was YES! Amazingly we had record attendance at the workshops on both Saturday and Sunday. Overall the workshop sessions were executed smoothly. Not only was everyone very pleased with the instructors, the facilities and staff at the JCC were top notch as usual.

 

 

 


Grupo Escobar lights up the night

Saturday night started when William Marin and Marco both from Havana, gave everyone a taste of high energy Cuban street dancing featuring timba, casino and folklorico styles as well as a little audience particpation. From there timbaleros Grupo Escobar launched the hall into two hours of solid Cuban sounds and the dancing continued until 2AM. Escobar has been one of the mainstays of the Detroit salsa scene and we were happy to host them for the first time. This was our first and only Saturday night event and while it was really the warm-up to Sundays main event the turnout was solid, the mood festive, and after it was all done we wanted more!


The Cleveland Connection - Efrain & Combo Tropical

Sunday's musical theme shifted to Puerto Rican roots and suprisingly a whole different crowd showed up. All the way from Cleveland, Combo Tropical gave an awesome performance and certainly made their mark for the first time in Detroit (and hopefully not the last). We were not sure what to expect from a five piece combo but on the advice of our friend Efrain we booked them and the audience's response to their soulful, nuanced, and highly danceable sound was overwhelming. Due to the fact that the dance floor was still full at 10:00 dancing was extended to 10:30 and then to 11:00. Its difficult to describe but safe to say we have never had such overwhelming joy and energy in the room at a social before. This one will be difficult to top.

 

 

 


Son of Count Scary meets Neanderthal Man

Let's not forget all the Halloween costumes! The October Social wouldn't be nearly as fun without the creative and crazy costumes. Congratz to the Halloween Costume Contest winners. Not only did they win the cheers of the audience, they also won tickets to the La India Concert Nov 9th courtesy of the Music Hall, shoes from Carol & Dance Sole , and the biggest gift of all, a YA Salsa T-shirt! Which surely will be worn proudly :)

 

 

 


Griselle's big finish!

It's important to note the many people who made this event possible, people who who can be depended on to step up and get the job done and none was a greater contributor than She She (Lashena) -- our ghostly presence from Dallas. She She spent 8 months coordinating and negotiating and arranging to get top notch performers and instructors to our little city. If you enjoyed the workshops and performances, thank She She! No Halloween contest would have been complete without decorations and Sharon Ritter came though for us again as she truly transformed the hall into a scary fun house. Marci Mambo hosted not one, not two, but three of the instructors and her house served as food central for the weekend -- many thanks to Marci for her hospitality. Then there is the the YA Team -- they simply are the best around: they make it possible to plan an event with confidence because they will do what needs to be done and be there when ever they are needed.


Dancing with the Stars!

With the success of this event, the natural question is "What comes next?" At this point many lessons have been learned, budgets are being reconciled and we are discussing many possibilities...

 

 

For now we will simply savor the memories look at the pictures and videos and prepare to see everyone (YOU) in November.

Average: 5 (3 votes)