Salsa Casino Mayan Congress 2018
The 14th Annual World Salsa Competition at the world famous Mayan nightclub has just ended, crowning this year’s amateur and pro champions. I judged the amateur finals and the professional semi-finals this year, and was pleased to see the dancers in both divisions were some of the best I’ve seen in the four years of judging this event. Over the years the competitors have become stronger, and more aware of the total package of great technique, costuming and choreography.
First lot of Rueda Congress passes sold out! New lot available Thursday 26th from 15 hrs! SALSAtlanta, Inc 800 Miami Circle Atlanta, GA 30324 United States of America. Salsa Casino Mayan Congress. Cancun, Mexico See Website Address (Congress / Salsa, Reggaeton, Bachata, Other, Kizomba, Cha Cha Cha, Afro-Cuban, Merengue, Rumba). 15 - 18 Feb 2018 Mambolee ONE Mexico, Monterrey Festival / Salsa, Bachata. 17 - 19 Nov 2017 Tijuana Salsa Bachata Festival Mexico.
One of the unique entries this year was the first time that a same sex couple entered, and won, the competition. Eli Torres and Yen Dorado stunned the crowd with their amazing technicality and precision. This was the first time I’d seen this partnership, and was impressed with the completeness of their performance package. Musicality and partnering were clearly quite above the other competitors. Eli’s turning ability is certainly to be admired and is clearly one of his trademarks. He pulled off multiple and complex turning sequences with such speed, stopping effortlessly on a dime. Of course making this level of dancing look so easy is not something one can do alone. Eli’s showstopping abilities were displayed so well thanks to great partnering from leader, Yen Dorado.
UPDATED: Yen Dorado passed away November 9th, 2010. The salsa community has surely lost a bright star in his passing.
Taking second place were Liz Lira and Christian Oveido. These two are veterans for the LA salsa scene and I’ve seen them both with other partners in the past. This pairing is the best I’ve seen from both of them. Liz’s signature style showcases her ballet training and creative use of her contortion abilities. Christian is a strong and masculine partner, which contrasts well with Liz’s femininity. They did have some missteps and were not as seamless as the winners. I hope they continue to develop their partnership, as it looks very promising.
Congrats to the winners and all the runners-ups!
champs Eli Torres and Yen Dorado in their winning performance
Pro Division Results:
1st Eli Torres and Yen Dorado
2nd Liz Lira and Christian Oveido
3rd Shirley Amador and Luis Aguilar
Amateur Division Results:
1st Vicky Cruz and Antonio Jimenez
2nd Lindsay McCarthy and Eddie Sadiwa
3rd Allison Potter and Ismael Rodriguez
Check out the Mayan every Saturday for hot salsa dancing and live music.
—Melissa
- Write your Dance: Improve your dancing through journaling - November 12, 2019
- The Difference Between Oversway and Throwaway: Ballroom Video Preview - June 8, 2018
- Principles of Movement: Ballroom Basics Video - September 21, 2016
World Salsa Championships are major international salsa dancing competitions held throughout the world. There are several competitions around the world that claim to be 'World Championships' of salsa.
Mayan World Salsa Championships[edit]
Salsa Casino Mayan Congress 2018 Dates
The oldest is probably the 'Mayan World Salsa Championships', hosted by Club Mayan in LA. Publishing video-clips on this site did much to publicize salsa, especially LA-style salsa. For many years Johnny Vazquez dominated this competition before relocating to teach throughout Europe.
WSF World Salsa Championships[edit]
The WSF World Salsa Championships are organized by Isaac and Laura Altman, who formed the World Salsa Federation (WSF) in 2001. The competition is held every year in Miami, with the first competition held in 2002. The competition features 13 different divisions including solo, couple, and team competitions, and there are separate age divisions for Adults (18+), Youths (ages 13–17) and Juniors (ages 12 and under).[1]
The WSF is recognized by the Amateur Athletic Union, the largest amateur sporting organization in the U.S. with over 800,000 members, as a governing body for salsa dancing and competition in the US.[2] Isaac and Laura were successful in bringing Salsa and DanceSport as official sports in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2002 and Isaac became its National Director.
World Salsa Open[edit]
The World Salsa Open is an international salsa competition held every year at the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress. The first competition was held in 2002, and the competition draws a large attendance of competitors from South America.
World Salsa Championships[edit]
2005 saw the birth of an alternative 'World Salsa Championships', created by Salsa promoter Albert Torres and a group of other promoters called the 'Salsa Seven', and broadcast live on ESPN. Competitions were held in four categories: 'On 1', 'On 2', 'Cabaret' and 'Groups', such as 'Rueda de Casino', a variation on Cuban style.
The 2008 competition was cancelled due to the 2008 Global financial crisis, and the last World Salsa Championships were held in 2009 and the competition ceased operations due to financial troubles and a falling out among the event organizers. However, the World Salsa Championships was re-launched successfully under new ownership (World Dance Group) in 2016 from December 9-10 in Atlanta, Georgia. As in previous years the event was broadcast on ESPN network. The event takes place every four years following the olympic format. The next edition of the World Salsa Championships will take place in 2020. [3]
World Latin Dance Cup[edit]
In 2010, the salsa promoter Albert Torres started a new salsa competition called 'The World Latin Dance Cup' (WLDC), which included other Latin dances besides salsa, such as Cha Cha Cha, Bachata, and Cumbia.
The first annual WLDC was held in San Diego, with the second competition held in Las Vegas. In 2012 the competition was moved to Miami. In 2016 the competition was moved to Orlando.
World Salsa Summit[edit]
The World Salsa Summit is a global salsa competition first held on January, 31st 2013 - February 3rd, 2013.[4] The competition is organized by Katie Marlow (multiple world title holder in dance, choreographer, producer, and performer), Nelson Flores, and Billy Fajardo (former head judge of the World Latin Dance Cup) and is held at the DoubleTree Miami Airport with over 50 different divisions.
Notes[edit]
- ^'WSF Competition Rules and Categories'. World Salsa Federation. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^'About the WSF'. World Salsa Federation. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^'World Salsa Championships'. World Salsa Championships. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^'World Salsa Summit'. World Salsa Summit. World Salsa Summit. Retrieved 30 January 2013.