Salsa Dance Troupe - Salsa Competition Review by Maya - San Francisco Salsa Dance Competition 2007

By Salsaloca

Dull title you say? Well, that’s what you get when the most anticipated event in the lives of the Bay Area dance teams fizzles like a bottle of spoiled champagne. This year, in the city where everyone who can make a basic step has a performing group, only 3 competed in pro division. Worse still, one of those teams planning to compete with amateurs was cajoled into the pros to create ”a competition” for the other two branches of the same tree!

If you were there, you know what I’m talking about. If not, here’s the scoop.

Every year brothers Oscar and Tony O organize this event to give our aspiring champs a venue to showcase their skills, to get awards and titles and to watch their peers before heading to the LA congress. Even non-dancers are packing the club to enjoy the presentations, and this year the attendance was high. But where were our pros? Salsamania and its junior team Son de Mania would compete with each other if not for the brave Yemaya kids from Sacramento who were “upgraded” from the amateurs.

Whatever the excuses (we’re not ready, we’re busy etc.) it certainly leaves a sour “gripe” in the minds of the spectators who might not show up next year.

Yemaya was rewarded by getting 3d place, but the biggest shocker was the switch in honors: with the difference of only 1 point the first place was awarded to the junior Salsamania team Son de Mania. Without their mentors John and Liz performing alongside of them the pros had minor blunders and were bumped to the second place by their “brothers” (not that they were too upset about it – it’s all in the family)

Unlike pros, amateurs had a healthy showing of 6 teams including Oakland Salseros – an unusual group of mostly “mature” dancers. It was obvious they did not compete for the sake of it, they were having fun, and that makes you look like a winner.

The most popular amateur team, Rica Sensacion (the junior Ricasalsa branch), presented such a creative and polished routine the audience members stomped their feet in appreciation. Ricardo even incorporated a pole in the middle of the floor in their performance. Rica Sensacion was by far the best amateur team and easily got the first place. Had they competed in the pro division the competition outcome may have been very different. Too bad, Ricasalsa did not compete, but Ricardo and his new partner Tianne presented a spectacular performance that wows audiences everywhere.

Con Afinke took second place and Chiquitos Rumberos placed third.

We’ll we ever see all of our teams competing some day? Let’s hope so as that will be a show to watch.

SALSA DANCE COMPETITION 2007