Your Guide to the Chicago Salsa Congress
by Mark Scollar
posted Jan. 18, 2005

Here we are again for the 4th Chicago International Salsa Congress. There have been many articles in previous editions of this program magazine and elsewhere describing and honoring the past achievements of those who took salsa and mambo to a level where there could be a salsa congress in Chicago. I don't have anything to add to that long list of outstanding contributions, so I won't even try. I do however want to reflect on the brief history of the Chicago Salsa Congress itself, provide some helpful hints on what first time salsa congress participants might expect and present my own perspective on "what is it about salsa congresses that keeps us coming back for more".

The 1st Chicago Salsa Congress in 2002 didn't just happen, although in retrospect I wish it had. I would have gotten more sleep, more meals and fewer tense moments. How so? Well in 2001, Rosita Ragin, the Executive Producer of the Chicago Salsa Congress, asked me to join the team that had formed to plan and organize the first salsa congress in Chicago. That weekend in February 2002, we were only a handful of key people and a team of volunteers who created an event that is in the historical record as Chicago's largest salsa music and dance event of its time. The 1st Chicago Salsa Congress has only been surpassed by the subsequent editions held every February in downtown Chicago. I have since moved from the Chicago area to Minnesota and have "retired" from direct involvement in the organization of the congress. The good news: I get more sleep, eat regularly and have no worries. The best part: I had forgotten how much fun it is to attend a salsa congress without working or volunteering until I went back for the 3rd Chicago International Salsa Congress in February 2004. I am glad the small team of key organizers and volunteers just "make it happen" for the rest of us.

So what is it that makes a salsa congress so much fun? If you are a salsa congress "veteran" you already know what you want, what to look for and what to expect. As an amateur or professional performer, instructor or "hard core" salsero or salsera, you have already been networking well before the event, discussed joint performances and shared ideas on workshops and other activities. Its almost like a job. For some of you it is your job. How about everybody else?

If this is your first salsa congress here are the MUSTS:

• Get enough sleep before the congress starts. Slow down at work or club nights the week before, whatever it takes to fill up the sleep "bank". It will be drained to empty by the time its all over.
  
• Choose your wardrobe from the bottom up. Pick the shoes you can wear and dance in for 8-12 hours a day, then pick clothing that fits the shoes, not the other way around or you won't last the first day.
  

Other recommendations:

• Many salseras wear outfits that would be well suited for an aerobic workout rather than a fancy nightclub. Some salseros assume that women dressed like that are the better dancers, so if you get to dance more it may be a self fulfilling prediction.
  
• Salseros wear whatever they want to, but practice shoes are a must for the workshops, especially if you are planning to be on your feet later on. My personal hint: I wear bowling shoes. I can't find practice shoes in my size and I wouldn't last the whole weekend in my dance shoes.
  
• Many instructors sell videos or allow people to videotape a section of the workshop. Check with the instructor before the workshop and take advantage. You have only a short window to commit what you learned to memory. I read somewhere that information has to be practiced or reviewed within 3-6 hours or it will be lost from memory. That study assumed people were getting a normal amount of sleep, which is not possible at a salsa congress, so video is probably your best option.
  
• It is ok for anyone to ask anyone else for a dance, it's a salsa congress not a club. Traditional nightclub "rules" do not apply. Professional instructors are more approachable than you might think, especially if you are considering a private lesson with the instructor.
  
• A salsa congress is a great way to meet people from a lot of other cities. There may be a salsa scene there. You may be traveling to that city in the near future. You may be relocating to that city some day. If you only dance with people you know from your hometown you are going to miss out. I try to dance as much as possible with people I have not met before or people I am only able to meet at the salsa congress.
  

My own perspective on salsa congresses in general and the Chicago International Salsa Congress in particular has more to do with the "why" and the "what" than the "who". The "why" as in why go to a salsa congress, the "what" as in what do I look for at a salsa congress, rather than the "who" as in who is teaching/performing/going.

Why go and what to look for at the 4th Chicago International Salsa Congress?

Workshops.
The primary reason for me to take a workshop is to pick up on the energy and charisma of the instructor and have fun. I rarely bother to remember the move, turn pattern or shine sequence. If it's a keeper, I'll get the video. Occasionally, I have been exposed to something completely new to me (at the time) and have pursued it further on a different path. An example of this was a workshop in (afro-cuban) body isolations in salsa. It led me to seek out classes in Afro Cuban Rumba and begin to learn about the cultural significance and control of isolated motion and how it can be danced to specific elements of the rhythm.

Matinee Dance Performances.
Many performers featured in the Matinee show represent cities that are not known to be hotspots for salsa dancing. Many good dancers strive to become excellent dancers, develop a choreography, present a show and eventually raise the level of dancing in their hometown. It is this drive and determination of the performers rather than the specific routine that makes this program feature a success. Consequently, salsa has become more popular throughout the region and there are ever more places to go to dance.

Festival de Rueda.
This is a new feature. Once again the Chicago International Salsa Congress is breaking new ground. The final act of the Matinee Dance Performances, which will take place on the dance floor in the Grand Ballroom, will feature a rueda performed by several rueda dance companies from several cities. Near the end of the performance, rueda dancers in the audience are welcome to join the rueda on the dance floor. Rueda and salsa dancing will continue right up to the start of the Evening Dance Performances. On Saturday, the Festival de Rueda will also feature a competition. The competition format will be another first. The contestants are the rueda callers. The judges are the rueda dancers. Each caller will call an entire song. The caller with the most dancers in the rueda circle at the end of their respective song wins.
The intent of the Festival de Rueda is participation. Everyone can join in. Rueda classes are offered as part of the workshop schedule so people who have never danced rueda or need a refresher can get up to speed.

Evening Dance Performances.
For this part of the event I get to sit down and rest (apart from the occasional standing ovation). A performance that reaches beyond dancing, that tells a story, uses the music as a language, expresses the music through motion and presents visual depth on stage will no doubt receive a standing ovation. It may be a tough act to follow, but I will gladly settle down between outstanding performances and save my energy for the next part of the program.

Social Dancing to Live Music.
This is where a salsa event becomes the Chicago International Salsa Congress. Picture this:

• An 8000 ft2 dance floor, the largest of any salsa event.
  
• 1,500 people dancing with a different feel and look at different locations on the dance floor.
  
• The dancers expressing their interpretation of the music.
  
• The musicians drawing from the energy of the dancers.
  

It feels like there are several salsa events happening on the same dance floor. There are and that is the essence of a salsa congress.

In one section you might see or participate in dancing with an "athletic" flair. Turn patterns, moves, shines, tricks and spins executed perfectly as if the dancers were on a stage in front of an audience. You might detect a sense of friendly rivalry. Dancers competing for attention and bragging rights. Its all in good fun. If salsa dancing were like any other sport, here is where you would see the "smashes" and "dunks".

Walk over to another section and people might be singing along with the coro and Andy Montañez, discovering the driving rhythms of Los Soneros del Barrio or turning into an outright cheering section during one of Eddie Palmieri's piano solos. The people who come here to get a close up of these stellar performers in action aren't going to make room for others. So come early and hold your spot if this is your thing.

Then there is another section…you might not spot it easily…the dancers here use the rhythm only as punctuation. They may be gliding "on" the (lagato) beats of the resonating percussion or stepping "in" the sharp beats of an accented piano. A saxophone counter might inspire a playful syncopated motion. The back and forth of soneo and coro could be mirrored by changes in direction on the dance floor. Nothing flashy here but it is a very personal expression for an audience of one, the dance partner. Beware: If you find this zone you may not want to leave but the song will finish, the dance will end and the congress will be over and you'll be left behind wanting more.