No chips, just dancing
International salsa congress brings top performers, workshops to the suburbs
Salsa aficionados of all levels will have the chance to enjoy a four-day dance extravaganza next weekend in Rosemont.
The annual Chicago International Salsa Congress will feature more than 70 beginner, intermediate and advanced salsa workshops, plus live music and performances by dozens of dancers and dance companies from the Chicago area and as far as Puerto Rico, Canada and South Korea.
Salsa congresses, or gatherings of salsa lovers who dance together, learn from one another and occasionally compete against each other are staged throughout the United States.
The Chicago International Salsa Congress, now in its seventh year, is "the big one in the Midwest," said Victor Monroy, of Hillside, dancer and co-founder of Latin Rhythms Dance Company, of Chicago. The company has performed in salsa congresses in Washington D.C., Texas, Puerto Rico and Bermuda, in addition to participating in the Chicago congress since its inception.
"This one stands out in a lot of ways," said Monroy, who will both dance and teach a workshop at the event. "The organizers have improved year by year, they take feedback from people. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year, and the talent goes up a notch every year."
The Chicago International Salsa Congress is produced by Chicago Cultural Alliance, Ltd., whose principals are Saladeen Alamin, an instructor of Latin dance at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and his wife, Rosita Ragin, who works as assistant dean for multicultural and student affairs at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine.
Organizing the congress, from workshop schedules to performance lineups, is a year-round endeavor, Ragin said.
The $250,000 event is funded by relatively small contributions from faithful sponsors, ad revenues from the program book, registration fees and the couple's own funds, she said.
"It's all volunteer-based, and we do it because we love it," she said.
While Ragin enjoys dancing purely for leisure, her husband first took the stage dancing mambo and Latin jazz in the late '50s and early '60s, then returned to it in the 1980s.
In the late 1990s Alamin and his longtime dance partner, Gloria Farr, were featured in the Spanish-language version of People magazine when they participated in a salsa congress in Puerto Rico, Ragin said. The recognition that followed planted the seed for the idea of organizing a salsa congress in Chicago.
"We wanted to create a very rich, wonderful experience for people. It's also a way to pass this on to the younger generation of dancers," she said. "This is our way to make a contribution."
The four-day event features all-day workshops, performances at 4 and 8 p.m., and live music and dancing from 10 p.m. into the night. Live performers include Grupo Galante with Jerry Galante, from Colombia, who are on a two-week tour of the United States.
"People can hop from workshop to workshop, see how the dance is done, and then see the talented performers," Ragin said.
Chicago's congress fares well compared to major congresses in New York and Puerto Rico, said Paulina Rodriguez, director of Chicago-based Grupo Taino dance group.
"I love the one in Puerto Rico, and I didn't like the one in New York very much. They make you pay $50 to see (performances) on a big screen," she said. "The one in Chicago has very good quality, it is organized and you are able to see the show well."
Dancer Oscar Cachon, of Oak Park, will be participating in the "emerging artists showcase" Feb. 15 along with his mambo dance group, Ritmo Denbow, comprised of students of DePaul University, in Chicago.
The group participated in the Chicago Salsa Congress for the first time last year.
"It was very, very exciting and very overwhelming," he said. "There were so many dancers who had a lot of experience, very skilled dancers."
One of the great aspects of participating in the congress is the chance to learn from some of the best dancers in the country by taking part in workshops, said dancer Brandon Segovia, 15, of Brookfield.
Whether a beginner or an expert dancer, there is always more to learn, he said.
"People will absolutely love it, it's very welcoming," said Segovia, who attends the Dance Academy of Salsa and Modern Latin Dance, in Chicago. "You learn everything you can, and then you test it out at night."
If you go
What: Chicago International Salsa Congress
When: through Sunday
Where: The Westin O'Hare, 6100 River Road, Rosemont
Tickets: one-day pass $129 general, $109 students/seniors; full day of workshops $99 general, $79 students/seniors; other options include night pass and open dance only.
Performers:
Grupo Gale with Jerry Galante today; Sammy Garcia & Sabor de Puerto Rico Saturday; Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound Sunday.
Info: www.chicagosalsacongress.com . Gina Wiklund (410) 960-9519 for English, Maggie Garcia (312) 446-1909 for Spanish.