With 3 days of amazing parties,workshops and shows…ASZF 2013 was a blast and THE ultimate Salsa Festival in the "Sin city"of Amsterdam. Set in a fantastic venue (The Rhone Party Centre), DJ Mauri Amsterdam and his team gave the audience something to remember them by….!
The Workshops:
Set in 5 areas for salsa, and a different one for zouk, the incredibly high level workshops could satisfy all tastes. Salsa On1 and On2, Afro Cuban, Chacha, Pachanga, body movement and all kinds of styling, very high class workshops given by the best of each kind. A really interesting aspect is that the workshops were addressed also to completely beginner dancers, with no dancing experience whatsoever, with a special area devoted just to them.
The Shows:
The shows were wisely selected to pleasure both salsa and zouk lovers. The list of the artists was very long, and included most of the biggest names in today's Salsa and Zouk scene. Personally I mostly enjoyed the shows by Mr. Adolfo and Tania, Mr. Juan Matos, Yamulee, the Cobo brothers, Teri and Cecile, Estilo Dance Company and La Differencia .... while in my opinion the most spectacular show was the one by Yamulee on Sunday night, where the audience literally stood up to loudly cheer the performance of both the group but also Ronald Pieters who was performing with his team in The Netherlands for the first time.
The Shows by Juan Matos and Adolfo and Tania were simply impressive. Mrs Tania Cannarsa is I believe a fresh and adorable lady and the number one hottest Salsa Dancer in the salsa scene at the moment with thousands of fans from all over the world.
The Parties:
The Parties of ASZF 2013 can only be described by one word. Extraordinary. The level of the dancers was incredibly high both in the Salsa and the Zouk area- I believe one of the highest levels I ever saw in such events. The music was also of very high quality with super hot DJs from all over the world. Except from the bars, where people could enjoy drinks and cocktails, the dancers could access a food area which was open all night long, with great food and fruits in very reasonable prices.
The costume theme on Saturday night was The Village people and Pussy cat dolls, a theme well chosen as it brought both incredible laughter, and the presence of super hot sexy ladies who were inspired by both themes when choosing their outfits for the party. The best costumes won full passes some of the biggest Salsa events. As DJ Mauri said...It is really worth dressing up!
The "Sin City" festival, except from its glamorous character, had many reasons for which to be considered the ultimate fashion event: Incredible show outfits & make up by every single performer - Fashionable party clothes and shoes worn by dancers in all party areas - Spectacular costumes in theme night, inspired by Pussycat dolls and The Village people - Shoe fashion show on stage by artists - Stylish shoes and dance clothes stands in party areas where dancers could be provided the most high fashion dance outfits
...With a great dance floor packed with dancers from 10pm until the morning, people kept asking for more and more music! DJ Mauri Amsterdam is one of the best event organizers, and left once more every dancer with the best impressions, waiting impatiently for the next festival to come!
Until next time...see you all on the dance floor!
Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 27-02-13 / Rated: 4 stars
Gezien ik alleen Zouk en Kizomba dans, kan ik weinig vertellen over de Salsa/Bachata zaal. Maar de Zouk/Kizomba zaal is een ruime mooie zaal met een goede vloer en, wanneer het druk is, kan de ruimte worden vergroot (2x) door de schuifwand weg te halen en de achterliggende dansvloer beschikbaar te stellen. Tijdens de Copa Cabana Nights is Dj Vanderlei (Braziliaan) de vaste Zouk DJ, maar soms wordt hij afgewisseld door Internationale DJ’s die bijvoorbeeld in Nederland zijn om workshops/shows te geven. Er hangt een hele relaxte, gezellige en open sfeer. Iedereen danst met iedereen en er is een redelijk gelijkwaardige man-vrouw verhouding, hierdoor hoeft niemand lang stil te staan. 
