Come and join us in September 2010 for an action-packed two week Salsa, Culture and Eco-Tourism Holiday to Cali, Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia, including attendance at Cali's World Salsa Festival.
This amazing offering will feature some of the best Salsa dance couples, groups and schools on Planet Earth, including the 5 x times World Salsa Dance Champions: SWING LATINO, 2007/2008 World Salsa Dance Champions - Cabaret Division: Jhon Vasquez & Judy Aguilar, 2005/2006 World Salsa Dance Champions - Cabaret Division: Ricardo Murillo & Viviana Vargas, 2006 Rueda de Casino World Dance Champions: RUCAFE, 2007 World Runners-Up - Groups Division: Pioneros del Ritmo, Ases del Ritmo, 2007 World Runners-Up - Couples: Nilson & Deisy of SWING LATINO, plus many more Salsa dance schools from Cali, and other cities in Colombia, as well as international guests from the USA, Puerto Rico, Asia, Australasia and Europe, headed by Albert Torres, the world's No.1 Salsa promoter.
People will soon learn why Cali is considered by many to be 'The New Salsa Capital of the World'.
This will be an amazing and exciting Salsa experience in the heart of one of the most beautiful, vibrant, welcoming, modern and undiscovered countries in Latin America. Despite the bad publicity, Colombia's progress on all fronts over the last few years is breathtaking and undeniable, and the country is fast becoming a hot spot for tourists. ** 'COLOMBIA IS PASSION' **
Please find below an array of ‘You Tube’ videos from the recently staged Cali World Salsa Festival 2008 in Colombia, a true testament to a city where Salsa reigns supreme. A popular saying goes 'In Puerto Rico even the stones sing and in Cali even the stones dance'.
These videos are also a small momento from our recent ‘Cali Experience’ Salsa Holiday. To be present at such an amazing and special event, which for us was certainly one of the best and most exciting Salsa competitions in the world, with some of the best Salsa dancers in the world competing in front of more than 20,000 people, was just an incredible and mind-blowing experience.
Further down, after the above-mentioned list of videos, you’ll be able to click on links which will direct you to some of the many photos and video mini-clips taken by members of our group during our recent trip to Cali, Colombia. These photos and video mini-clips will give you a more personal view of our experiences there.
The Salsa Festival also included performances from children's groups, with some members as young as 5 years old, the older Salsa dancers from the city 'the old guard', plus special shows from international guests, brought to the event by world famous promoter Albert Torres, such as Swing Guys (Italy), Billie Fajardo & Katie Marlowe (US), Tito & Tamara (Puerto Rico) and Hacha y Machete (US), amongst others.
Reigning world champions Swing Latino won in the 3 categories: Teams, couples ON 1 and couples Cabaret Style. However, the competition from the other schools from Cali, and from elsewhere in Colombia, was fierce, and the final results were really tight in the end. A few people were not happy with the results, particularly in the Teams competition, but Swing Latino's routine was simply spectacular and probably had that extra edge.
Prior to the Festival and after, we were treated to an interesting city tour as well as other cultural and eco-tourism visits. We took workshops with famous dance schools such as Rucafe and Swing Latino and, of course, we partied like mad. In Cali, when it comes to Salsa, you're spoilt for choice. This city is without doubt the Salsa Capital in the World!
We will definitely be returning to Cali's World Salsa Festival in September next year, and in December next year for the Feria de Cali (Cali Fair), so you're all welcome to join us and have the Salsa Holiday of your lives!
Oh, and by the way, in 2010 these holidays will be extended to two weeks so that you can learn more…much more about all the things this very beautiful and interesting country has to offer. Apart from the cultural and eco-tourism trips in and around Cali and the Cauca Valley, you’ll also get a chance to visit an admiringly colonial Cartagena, and its environs, on Colombia’s exquisite Caribbean coast for a few days, for some more eco-tourism and relaxation, before moving on to the country’s capital city, Bogota, where you’ll be amazed at how modern and cultural it has become. It is also another important centre for Salsa in Colombia, so you can be sure we’ll be partying there too before returning to the U.K.
We would like to thank the following Colombian organizations for their sponsorship and special support: PROEXPORT - COLOMBIA, THE MAYOR OF CALI, THE CALI WORLD SALSA FESTIVAL, THE COLOMBIAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE - AVIANCA and THE CALI TOURIST & CULTURE BOARD.
For more information, and to book your place on next year's AMAZING 'SALSA, CULTURE & ECO-TOURISM' HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE, please visit: www.salsaincolombia.com. Please note: this website will be updated shortly with new information about our holidays to Colombia in 2010.
All the best for now and enjoy the myriad videos, photos and additional video mini-clips below!!!
1- Compilation video of some of the best moments of the Festival's Final
12- Interesting Video Diary of the Cali 2008 Experience of some of our friends from the USA and around the world, brought over by Salsa Promoter Extraordinaire Albert Torres...Part 1 of 2
13- Interesting Video Diary of the Cali 2008 Experience of some of our friends from the USA and around the world, brought over by Salsa Promoter Extraordinaire Albert Torres...Part 2 of 2
