2005 Chicago Salsa Congress
by Cindy Wright
posted Mar. 1, 2005

On February 19th and 20th I attended the Salsa Congress in Chicago. I recently began taking classes and the congress was my first. The crowd at the congress was diverse, with many nationalities, age groups and cultures represented. It was a great opportunity to meet new friends and get to know acquaintances better.

The first event of the afternoon was the Rueda competition. Rueda is a dance of Cuban origin that is very lively and interactive. Many couples stand in a large circle and there is a constant changing of partners within the circle. All couples are given commands by the "caller" who shouts the names of the moves that are to be danced. The competition was very entertaining. As I watched, I couldn't help but laughing and thinking that I would describe Rueda as the Cuban equivalent of American square dancing with much better music, minus the silly outfits.

The next event of the evening was the Dance Extravaganza. There were couples and groups of dancers from around the world exhibiting many unique dance styles. The costumes ranged from Toga clad men to tomb raider attire. I was sure that each new act was my favorite, only to find it topped by the next.

The most impressive, inspiring and intimidating event of the evening was the open dance on Saturday night. The ballroom where the dance was held had an 8,000 square foot dance floor and a huge live band. The talent displayed by most of the dancers was impressive as well as intimidating. I initially found myself feeling that I will never be able to achieve such a level. As the night continued I became inspired to practice more, hopeful that someday I will be comfortable dancing with dancers of all skill levels.

A friend defines Salsa in a way that has eased some of my beginner's apprehension. She likens Salsa the dance to Salsa the food. Saying that the dance is like the food in that each person takes the basic steps/ingredients and adds their own flair/spice to the mix. The result being each person's own unique Salsa recipe. At this point my Salsa is still very bland. A weekend at the Salsa Congress has me looking forward to the fun of learning how to add the spice.