Dancing with a side of salsa

culture@dailylobo.com
@Jyllian_R

Suede-bottomed shoes and conga drums will be plentiful this weekend as the Latin Dance Festival tangos its way into town for the fourth year.

The festival, presented by Guanábana Productions, will span the city with events at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Albuquerque Museum and Old Town Plaza, said James Foley, president of Guanábana Productions.

“This year is a break-out year for us because we’re bringing in live salsa, live bachata, some of the biggest names in the industry,” said Foley.

Those big names include 2013 Grammy winner Marlow Rosado and bachata group Danny D & Xtreme, he said.

The event will include live concerts at the Old Town Plaza, workshops and seminars at the Cultural Center and an afterparty at the museum, Foley said.

The festival began four years ago when Foley started the nonprofit Guanábana Productions so that he could share his enthusiasm for dance with others in the community, he said. The festival is produced by about 50 volunteers, all of whom are passionate about dancing, he said.

“In order to put on a show like this, you have to go beyond loving salsa. You have to allow yourself to be obsessed,” Foley said.

The festival has surpassed local expectations and has become a regional sensation, with most pre-sale ticket purchases coming from Colorado and Texas, he said.

“They’re just big fans of what we’re doing” he said.
Nicole Jacot, UNM theater alumna and co-owner of the new Highlands Dance Studio, has been involved with the festival since its inception. She teaches workshops and was asked to be the model for this year’s flyer, she said.

Jacot said she loves the community aspect of dance and of the festival.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing, it’s very collaborative. Many wonderful heads and imaginations have gone into it. I think it’s something to be proud of for New Mexico,” she said.

Foley said he learned salsa in 2002, when his roommate began teaching dancers in their living room. Foley had just begun to learn swing, but quickly fell in love with Latin dance. Salsa, he said, is something that is hard to become bored with because there is always something new to learn.

“First it’s a girl and then it’s connection, and then it becomes a sport, and then it’s athletic,” he said.

For many, dancing is a spiritual thing, Foley said.

“You can’t be unhappy when you’re dancing,” Foley said. “This is where beauty resides.”

Thursday

Kick-off Party
8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Q-Bar at Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. N.W.
21

Friday

Classes, workshops and films
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 Fourth St. S.W
All Ages

Salsa on Old Town Plaza
5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Old Town Plaza, Central and Rio Grande boulevards
All Ages

Afterparty
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road N.W.
21

Saturday

Classes, workshops, lectures and films
National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 Fourth St. S.W.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All ages

Marlow Rosado and Danny
D Xtreme concert
National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St SW
6:30 p.m. to midnight
All ages

Afterparty
Ivon Ulibarri and Café Mocha
Cooperage Restaurant, 7220 Lomas Blvd. NE
Midnight to 1:30 a.m.
21

Sunday, Aug. 25

Classes, Workshops, lectures and films
National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St SW
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All ages
Wrap-up party

National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St SW
7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
All ages

For pricing and a complete schedule for the Latin Dance Festival, visit abqldf.com