New York International Salsa Congress Dance & Music Festival

The New York International Salsa Congress Dance & Music Festival opened my eyes to an art I had never really paid much attention to. I've always loved Muerenge dancing cause i found it to be the most active in hip movement. Bachata I can handle when I'm feeling emotional and intimate. Cumbia makes me feel like I'm in La Pollera Colorada . Reggaeton is to get down and dirty at the club. And Salsa on the other hand I always found to be a bit to complicating. I never really considered it in my dance life style because I only saw the older people doing it. I've attended dance festivals and performances but most of them being hip-hop or step. I have always considered dance both a sport and art. Its a beautiful motion you can be critical about and cheer for at the same time.

The New York International Salsa Congress is a time for people to come and share their latin dance with one another. Everyone has a different form of presentation with salsa. This event is so big, I met people 

from different countries around the world. Being able to record almost all the dances for this event 

brought me to actually pay attention to the way the dancers moved to the music. Whether it was through

their arms, legs, hips, or feet, people always pay close attention to the dance as a whole. I was able to 

look at it in pieces and eventually see how it came together as one. It honestly inspired me to go out there and dance Salsa.


Here are a few of the highlights:

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En La Escena

Growing up in a diverse neighborhood such as Sunnyside and Woodside in Queens New York, I have been exposed to many different cultures and aspects of them. If you were to see me walking down the street with my friends, it'd seem as if the United Nations just let out a youth meeting. Of course this does not give me a lack of acknowledgement to something I am most proud of, my hispanic heritage. I have always followed up on the Latin roots, most particularly Colombian. I grew up speaking english and spanish fluently along with keeping my traditions alive. I attend many spanish festivals and parties, dance and know all the basic steps to our music, and of course appreciate el sabor en mi arroz con frijoles.

I attend St. Francis College and I'm majoring in film and broadcasting. I hope to make it out there and keep my beautiful culture alive and well known for the good things that it brings. Luckily I am now interning for En La Escena. This has brought me a wonderful opportunity to learn more about my culture and the media world. I have started as being the camera operator and it has given me a completely different view on what's around me. I used to do photography and enjoyed it because I was able to capture moments, but it'd always upset me if i didn't get the exact one I wanted. It was also simpler for me to do because it was a one on one gig and its still life. Now with a video camera, I am able to capture the full moment. I've always been very observant towards others, but now I have learned to make connections with the people that I am watching and all just by filming them at the moment, even by being more than a few yards away and them not knowing I'm there because there's more then just one camera on them. Its about the connection between you, the camera, and the person in front of it.