PLANET SALSA – OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

In the words of Rogers and Hammerstein, “March went out like a Lion….” for Salsa Chillout & their friends at Salsa Sensation with the biggest salsa event in the region landing in Thurrock on March 31 st .

Gathering some of the best teachers and performers from the UK and Europe , the regions salseros had a full twelve hours of salsa, with workshops, shows and a great party afterwards!

Fancy some La Rueda with Moe Flex and Angelique – well, you could get it here.

What about music interpretation – Planet Salsa had it with Miguel de Puerto Rico and Natalia; or what about studying with Jason and Amanda of Manhattan Mambo, Frank Santos or Natalie Baltao – all available here. And if you love taking classes with Lee and Shelley, or Miriam Oppel, or Katherine Parker – get them at Planet Salsa! And if you'd leap at the chance to learn something from international stars Neeraj Masakra and Ania Chagowksa – well they were here, too..

And of course, not forgetting workshops, Chillout's very own Yolande Lewis, and Steve Eden from Kent 's Salsa Sensation.

All here in one place, on one day in a fantastic venue – great dance floor, loads of space. And plenty of parking to boot. And the stage – all the performers agreed that it was a great stage to

show off their creativity and talent, to a very appreciative audience. From 9 till 9.30 we were treated to an intense education in “What is Salsa Talent”, with fantastic shows from Tamambo and Miriam, Miguel de Puerto Rico and Natalia, Frank and Natalie, Moe Flex and Angelique, Manhattan Mambo, Lee and Shelley and Neeraj and Ania.

Taking a very short communal breath, it was then party time till midnight!

All this in one day…..Fancy doing it again???

What the Stars Say:
Snippets from back stage

Frank Santos:
I enjoyed the way the people were so keen to learn in the class – everyone did a lot of hard work. The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone was very friendly.

Natalie and I performed our show, “White Mambo” here for the first time, so we were quite nervous-the first time you never know what reaction you are going to get to it. But it was great!


Natalie Baltao
I thought the way the classes were laid out during the day was good and there was an excellent mix.

I thought all the shows were very dynamic and it was an excellent mix – it's more exciting to dance with other performers in a show than when you are one act on your own – you get more of an adrenalin kick!


Miguel de Puerto Rico
We taught Musical Interpretation and the class appreciated learning something new; it's great when the students get the class, when you see them achieve what you've been teaching them.

For the show we performed “Mi Borinquen”. Borinquen in Puerto Rico means my neighbourhood, my people, and the rhythm comes from sugar cane cutters, which is typical of Puerto Rican culture.


Natalia
This is one of the best events I've been to – I like the organisation and the friendliness – it has a real homely atmosphere.


Moe Flex
I had a great time – it's a fantastic venue, with a great floor and a great stage.

We bought this particular show, Lovers Feud, back to Essex by popular demand. When we come back to Marconi on April 21st we'll be performing a new routine, which will be very explosive and dynamic!


Angelique
I have had a fantastic time – the dance floor is wonderful and the stage is great to dance on; a stage of this quality is very unusual – it's a lovely venue.

The shows are amazing – it's lovely to see some of the best performers in the UK and it's great to be on stage with them and be around them.

Jason and Amanda
It's an excellent venue with a great stage and we've been looked after very well. It's a nice event for people who don't want to travel far and who just want to do a day – a nice taster and a good regional event.

Performing on a stage enabled the audience to appreciate our dancing and choreography more, we feel, as our choreography designed for a stage. You don't always get to dance with an audience in front of you; sometimes they are around you and you have to adapt the performance to suit the circumstances.


Tamambo
The event was very well organised and well attended, and the fact that this was a comparatively small event created a more intimate atmosphere which I love. It's been a very relaxing event and the Essex crowd were as pleasing as always.

As for performing – when it's a sit-down audience, it takes away a lot of the artist to audience contact - dancing on a stage is more of a theatrical performance – people are less likely to applaud in the middle, and tend to wait to the end, because there is a distance, whereas if you are sitting on a floor, there is more of a continuous contact. I enjoy them both for different reasons because they have different feels.


Miriam Oppel
I've really enjoyed the day - it's been very well organised and we've been well looked after.

The number of workshops was just right so people didn't feel overwhelmed and there has been a really nice atmosphere. It's been like a mini-congress.


Neeraj Maskara
This is the first event of its kind I've done in the UK , although I have worked at congresses here. The organisers have taken a lot of care and made it a very comfortable experience for the participants.

There has been a very good energy from the students and a lot of enthusiasm. Everyone wanted to learn and were good at giving feedback; often salsa teachers are in a monologue, but this was a nice interactive class.

The atmosphere back stage, the professionalism of the MC's and the welcome we got on stage was great – I really enjoyed doing the show


Ania Chagowska (who runs her own congress in Warsaw , Poland )
The people are very friendly and its nice to hang out with the students and the audience – you don't always get that. People have come to have fun and want to have fun so the students are very chilled out, and I really felt the connection with the audience during the performance.

What's nice about salsa in the UK is that is of mixed nationalities, races and ages

The show Neeraj and I performed here was our first show – our breakout show which we have performed all over Europe . We are launching our new show in Prague in April.

Areas For Improvement...

Got Something To Say, Please Email Us (Both The Good or Not So Good!)

PlanetSalsaReview@SalsaChillout.com