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Second
Annual
South
Padre
Island
Summer
Salsa
Bash
Just in
case you
haven't
heard
the MTV
of salsa
"
imambo.tv"
and
Sabor
Vallero
are
doing it
again.
The 2nd
annual
SPI
Summer
Salsa
Bash is
taking
place
May
18-20,
2007 at
South
Padre
Island.
and
Matamoros,
Mexico.
Last
year was
a great
success,
this
year it
is the
only
salsa
event
that
will
take
place on
both
sides of
the
border .
Join us
and be
part of
history
in the
making!
Hundreds
of
salseros
meet in
an
intimate
setting
that
offers
fun and
excitement
throughout
the
weekend.
You can
participate
in a
variety
of
activities
such as
jet
skiing,
parasailing,
bungee
jumping,
horse
back
riding,
pool
party
and many
more.
Last
year we
sold out
the
hotel,
and had
people
stay in
a hotel
across
the
street,
more
than 75
rooms
were
reserved
at the
Island
for this
event.
Instructors,
performers
and DJ's
from all
over the
USA,
Canada,
Mexico
traveled
to the
island
to
PARTY,
entertain
and
teach.
Everyone
is
invited
to enjoy
the sun,
beach,
master
workshops,
phenomenal
performances,
incredible
social
dancing,
and so
much
more.
This is
the
perfect
place to
enjoy a
little
bit of
culture
and to
be
exposed
to the
salsa
addiction.
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Troy and Jorjet - New Orleans, LA .
Magna Gopal, NJ
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Lee Rios, TX
Rosie and Israel
Rio Grande Valley, TX
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Dr. Ike
Houston, TX
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Shaka Brown
Washington DC
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Darlin Garcia, Philly
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Maria Falcon
San Antonio, TX
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Review
Friday
We met Tess, Laura, Shaka and Darlin at
Houston International Airport at 10am... that means we were all
on airplanes at around 6am, which means we were all awake around
4am... actually, some of us did not sleep from the night before
:) The weekend had arrived, and we were excited!
Demonti and Israel picked us up, and we
drove to the hotel. After check in we went for to get some food
and then took a nap. We had a long night ahead of us.
At 6pm we were walking, yes, walking across the US/Mexico
border. It costs us a total of 60 center per person to walk into
another country. Together we crossed the bridge and made our way
to Cappuccino's Restaurant. It's a beautiful location, you'll
see in the DVD.
Shaka, Magna and Darlin had workshops, while the rest of us hung
out with the locals. There was Bachata music upstairs for those
not taking the workshops, and a full service, and delicious,
restaurant on the first floor for those that wanted to eat.
The party began with a display of talent by the workshop
instructors, followed by performances:
- Rosie &
Israel-McAllen
- VaBaila
Project-Matamoros
- VaBaila-Matamoros
- Troy & Jorjet-Houston
And then, my friends... the party began. Close to 200 salsa
lovers, Mexican, US, Canadian, Dominican, Cuban, Puertorrican,
and more were all in Matamorros, Mexico... dancing... all
night... it was beautiful :)
We left the club at 2am and walked back
to the US. Tato forgot his Green Card in the hotel, so he had to
stay behind for about an hour until we got his documentation.
While that happened, 20 salseros were at the jacuzzi... until
6am!
Saturday
Saturday began with hot breakfast
served "free" by the hotel. From 7am to 10am we enjoyed buffet
style scrambled eggs, sausage, waffles, yogurt, cereal, juice,
milk and cold water. As a salsero, i took advantage of the
protein offered by the eggs and the water... lots of it!
Shaka and I headed to the workshop
location were we had our "300 Workout". That's 300 reps in 20
minutes!
Read more about that exercise
routine, it's really cool. Tory and Jorjet followed with a
Choreography workshop where the guys in one room and the girls
in another room learned segments of the same song. At night they
will perform the choreography at the evening party. Tato's
Bachata workshop was lots of fun, and Ike's Cha Cha class was
super informative. Magna's Body Movement class was packed.
Lunch was served outside on the
terrace, we had sandwiches, fresh fruit juice, fruits and ice
cream catered for everyone who had the the full pass. So we all
sat outside with some music to enjoy a well deserved lunch.
After lunch the workshops included
Shaka's mens styling class, Maria Falcon's ladies styling class,
Turn pattern Drills by Shaka, and Advanced Turnpatterns On1 by
Lee & Maria and Advanced Turn Patterns On2 by Darlin.
Just so you know, if you stick around
after the workshops, you can get a sneak peak at the
performances of the night. Of course you wont see it with
costumes, but you see it anyway ;)
Some folks went back to their hotel
rooms and got pretty. We all met up at Bigo's Restaurant where
No need to worry about bringing money
for dinner... it's included in the Full Package. we had
delicious chicken and steak fajitas. There were 44 people at
dinner. It was great! We really really enjoy having meals with
our friends. It's down time where we get to talk about our
lives, our jobs, and lots of things that you would otherwise
never learn while doing triple spins.
Another cool thing about this dinner
was that it was included in the price of the full pass. So
basically, people arrived hungry, and left happy, without having
to split a bill, or charge their credit card, lor even leave a
tip. As it was all included. No pressure... we like that :)
After dinner we walked over to the club where music was going,
people were dancing, and the bartender was busy. DJ Ike pull out
his music collection and got us dancing to salsa, bachata, cha
cha cha, and a little bit of reggaeton. It was a great night of
social dancing.
And then... the performances!
"WOW" is the first
thing that comes to mind!
Performances were spectacular, from the
first, to the very, very classy last routine. South Padre Island
has never before seen such a specatcular line up of professional
dancers. Kudos to the spectators as well, they gave back such
energetic cheers and applauses. It was really a great vibe for
both the performers and the people watching.
Saturday Performers:
- Mty Salsa
Dancers-Monterrey
- Mezcla-Austin
-
VaBaila-Matamoros
- 1LuV-McAllen
- Sabor
Vallero-McAllen
- Salsa
Renegades-Houston
- Rosie &
Israel-McAllen
- Carlos &
Azucena-Austin
- Lee & Maria-San
Antonio
- Magna & Darlin -
NJ & Philly
After the performances we kept dancing
until 2am, at the end, no one wanted to leave... but we had to,
so, we headed for the jacuzzi! There must have been 30 people
circling the jacuzzi. A few drinks, some music, lots of smiles
and plenty of enjoyment. It's great see see and feel the energy
that people have when they are in close proximity. While I love
congresses as much as everyone else, being closer together with
friends is so much more satisfying than getting lost within
2,500 salseros in a massive ballroom. Everyone at the jacuzzi
was enjoying themselves, some even jumped into the pool. Now
that was crazy! Oh and me, well, i got into the Jacuzzi with my
snapshot camera in my pocket. It's an older camera, so now i
have reason to get a new one :) "I
had a blast in SPI. What great way to meet sooo many cool
people. The combination of the great performances and
humor.....definitely made a good times in SPI."
... John, Tampa
Sunday
Breakfast began promptly at 7am. Some
people were able to enjoy breakfast as they left the jacuzzi
party. Others woke up to get some orange juice and waffles. The
early birds went down to the pool around 10am to lie in the sun.
It was bright, warm, and perfect for resting after a long day of
workshops and party.
Tess put on her iPod and entertained us
with some cool music, and then came Ike... I plugged in his iPod
and queued up the Bachata playlist. Ike... dude... you have a
fantastic bachata playlist! So we put some tanning oil on (other
put on sunblock) and we danced.
We danced slippery Bachata until Troy,
Lee, Tato, Darlin, Sid and Damonti came to the pool. They
thought it was necessary to throw people in the pool, and well,
to help them, we changed the music to party music and cheered
them on. All in good fun of course, and we made sure people did
not have their cell phone or other items in their pockets.
At 1pm the BBQ arrived! That was a hit.
BBQ chicken, brisket, rice, potato salad, iced tea and lemonade.
Again we were all eating together, siting down, relaxing with an
ice cold cup of lemonade and a chicken wing. Ahh, the good
times! After lunch, we played a few water sport games with the
football. The guys vs the girls.... Sorry girls! The guys won!
After some sports and such at the pool, we headed to the beach
to play volleyball and jump in the ocean. We had a huge beach to
ourselves. With plenty of space to knock the ball around... and
then run after it :) By this time we were getting hungry, so we
decided to head back, shower and go to dinner. We asked a police
officer if he knew of a good place to eat. He sent us to a place
called Dirty Al's. So, we showered, and went to dinner.
After dinner we drove, 36 of us, to the
border. 36 crossed the US border into Mexico. We invaded a club
called Live West. They had promoted our event on Television,
Radio and Newspapers. The place was full of locals when we got
there. Last year we had a great time at Live West. This year was
the same. We gave a few freestyle shows for the locals, they
really enjoyed that. I think next year we are going to do a lot
more in Matamorros :)
We left Matamorros around 3am, and headed right for the airport.
Our flight was at 5am. Its sad when events end, you have to say
goodbye to friends, and you really don't want the trip to end.
So, we are already planning next year. Set the date in your
calendar. The month of May, 2008.
-Your friends at iMambo.tv
Here are the sponsors who helped make
this happen. We thank them very much for their support.
- Malaise Law Firm
- Kollision King
- Sifu David
Rodriguez
- Siempre Natural
- Salsa Padre Club
- Comfort Suites
- Hotel Colonial
- Cafe
Cappuccino's
- Live West Disco
Y Rodeo
- Polibrid
Coatings
- Marissa's Salsa
Dance Shop
- Bigo's Mexican
Restaurant
- Casa Bella
Resort Hotel
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