The Art Of Dancing, Cuban Style

The 3rd Annual Salsa Rueda Festival took place this past weekend at San Francisco’s Hotel Whitcomb. Produced by the SF based Cuban dance instructor team of Nick Van Eyck and Serena Wong, the festival offered workshops with internationally renowned instructors teaching subjects ranging from rumba to danzon to rueda de casino from beginners to advanced dancers. The festival featured cocktail parties, live dance performances, the Bay Area’s best timba dj’s: Walt Digz, Antonio and Dark Rum and live music from the likes of Miami’s Timbalive, SF’s own timba superband Team Bahia and Rumbache. Even though it was pouring rain outside on Friday night, it was steamy inside of the Whitcomb’s ballroom whose dance floor was packed with wall to wall dancers groovin’ to the sounds of Team Bahia, DJ Antonio and Samba dancers celebrating Carnaval! What a scene. Vendors were selling their wares from music/dance videos from Cuba to unisex clothing. A few feet away, oblivious dancers were busy gracefully grinding their bodies to a steamy Los Van Van timba mix. San Francisco has become a mecca for Cuban music in the United States. The Salsa Rueda Festival exemplifies this movement with style!