A Latin spirit and soul for salsa

A Latin spirit and soul for salsa
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

OCT 7: They've stepped out of the shadows, the man clad in traditional frills from Latin America, the woman, a vision of the 1940's `dance for a dime' girl. Juxtaposed against the stark and smoke-filled background, he wraps his arm around her. Drum beats and saxaphone notes provide the musical setting as they present La Salsa.

Bacardi Reserva has once again opened doors to the Congresso Bacardi de la Salsa. Amidst workshops and performances at Otters Club, the three-day event reached its finale at the Taj on October 7.

Assuming the role of ambassadors showcasing Salsa music, dance and culture, the company has put together a team of professionals from Puerto Rico and Los Angeles to give the city's night bugs a rhythm to stomp their feet and shake their hips to. It's time for Salsa in conjunction with its offshoots, Mambo, Cha Cha, Cumbia and Rumba as the troupe of twelve move their bodies gracefully, swirling across the room.

Richard, the company's director, traces the roots of Latin music and dance. His soul, like the others, is embedded in Latin history and culture as he proudly explains that "the percussion of the African slaves was imbibed with the rhythm of the island folk. In the 1940's Mambo hit the entertainment circles followed by a resurgence of Salsa in the 1970's."

Contrary to popular belief, it was New York that gave birth to Salsa with its blend of musical genres from the Caribbean Islands and Los Angeles. The 1990s saw an explosion in the globalisation of Salsa, with 30 groups performing in Europe, Asia and the US.

And now the company says it is determined to bring the dance on par with ballroom and other recognised genres.

Richard excitedly sheds light on the popularity of Salsa which, he says, "attracted 60 countries to Puerto Rico to display their talents in 1999. The participants incorporated localised dance sequences with Salsa techniques and the result was beauty that hit us," he declares. The dancers, some professional dancers, others professors and journalists, choose music, choreograph dances and finalise costumes for the tours to Spain, Italy, London, Ecuador, United States, Toronto and the Caribbean Islands.

Sticking to the one-hour eight-song rule, the dancers will soon swirl their way out of the city to Bangalore, Calcutta and Delhi to showcase the Salsa beat, its syncopated movements accentuating sensuousness, reminding avid watchers of Tito Pointe, the renowned Mambo King.