Latin Village Festival 2013

This Sunday, I decided to attend this year’s LATIN VILLAGE festival, and I have to say, I was not disappointed. Never have I seen such a big crowd in such a huge beautiful location. As the festival was open air, the sunny weather made it even more special. The warm atmosphere, the passion for music, the dance moves and the conviviality of the enthusiastic crowd made, everyone talk about a memorable Latin experience.

In this year’s ninth edition of Latin Village festival, from 14:00 o'clock, the festival doors were open! A true Latin Experience for anyone music minded who loves the good life!

In the festival, one could find six music platforms with different line-ups: LATIN HOUSE, RAW& LIVE, DOS-BY-D-RASHID,ELECTRIC-LATIN, SALSA LOUNGE AND AFRO BEATS with music genres for all tastes: club, eclectic, hiphop, house, latin, lounge, merengue, moombahton, r&b, salsa, trap and urban. This party is warmly embraced by the audience something which reveals the massive need of the crowd for such events.

I believe that the big success of the party is due to some reasons which make this festival special. It unites people from all ages, colors  and backgrounds, with a common passion for music. Everyone was relaxed, sitting in the grass or enjoying their food and drinks, listening to music or moving their bodies under their favorite rhythms.

What is more, everything in the festival was perfectly organised: the venue, the sound, the stages, the food and drinks.In addition, a big funfair was located close to the Salsa Lounge for those who wanted to take a break and experience some high levels of adrenaline! In the Salsa Lounge the crowd could also enjoy some shows and workshops given by salsa artists.

As a fashion lover myself, I feel obliged to comment on the beautiful and amazingly well dressed people that attended the party. All the girls had a really funky and hot dress-code and were all in fashion- something which was unusual but at the same time interesting to see in an open air festival. The good weather allowed the girls to put on their smiles,their summer party clothes and enjoy the music.

The party went on until 23:00, and as the time passed by each stage was more and more crowded, while the audience became more and more excited…! Next years’ Latin Village, is an event NOT to be missed! If you want a small taste of what happened, you can find more photos and videos of the festival here.

Until the next festival, see you all on the dancefloor!

Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 05-07-2013 / Rated:4 stars

Bachata Lounge - Warmond

Vol goede moed en enthousisastme ging ik zaterdag 22 juni naar de altijd leuke en druk bezochte ‘Bachata Lounge' party te Warmond. Om de ingang te vinden moet je eerst het halve gebouw rond lopen voordat je eenmaal binnen bent. Dat beschouwen we maar als de warming-up voor de benen en het verhoogt de spanning omdat je vanaf buiten de warme en tropische klanken van bachata en salsa alleen nog maar hoort, en nog niet ziet.

Bij binnenkomst zag het er warm en donker uit. Logisch want  de party stond in het teken van ‘Candlelight’. Vandaar die heerlijke Bachata Romantica's. Ze klinken zwoel, slow en sexy. Helemaal top dus.

De  echte bachata liefhebber komt volledig aan zijn trekken en kan zich uitleven op de grootste dansruimte. Er werd volop en naar hartelust gedanst. Rond 01.00 uur werd het publiek nog verrast door een bachata demo van …………………… 

Op de salsavloer werd er ook uitbundig gedanst.  Het was niet zo druk dus het voordeel daarvan is dat je lekker voluit kan dansen. De derde ruimte was bestemd voor de kizomba fanaten. Jammer genoeg was het daar de gehele avond erg rustig.  

De dj’s  waren voor mij nieuw. Dat merkte je ook de muziekkeus. Het was, zoals eerder gezegd lekkere muziek, maar bij voorgaande edities was de muziek toch meer opzwepend, en gevariëerder. Dit gold zowel voor de bachata als de salsa room. Het was wat ingetogener dan normaal. Waarom dat was weet ik niet.

Over het algemeen heerste er een goede sfeer en had je veel dansruimte. 

Facts

Parkeren: Gratis parkeren en er zijn veel parkeerplaatsen

Zalen: Ruime zalen en goede dansvloeren

Bar: Ruime bar alleen te weinig personeel

Sfeer: Goed

Publiek: lekker gemixed. Doelgroep metname tussen de 25  en 45 jaar

Consumptiebonnen: Verkrijgbaar tegen een goede prijs en bij te veel ingekochte muntjes kan je ze aan de eind van de avond weer inruilen. Dat vind ik geweldig en dat is bijna nergens anders!!

Review by Alejandro Casas / 22-06-2013 / rated: ... stars

Havana Dancing nights - Den Haag

Eating & Drinking & Dancing & Cocktails

A real dance Cuban-style cafe where you can go for delicious food, great cocktails (and many available cocktail workshops), a sun terrace, guests from all over the world and of course a dance floor…right in the heart of Den Haag.

In the evenings after dinner, all the tables are moved to the side and the dance-floor is there with music that satisfies all tastes. On Thursday nights- there are very interesting discounts for students while Friday and Saturday night Havana becomes the meeting point of The Hague.

Personally my favorite day is Sunday, as it is the official Havana Salsa day. With great DJs, lots of space to dance, it is the ultimate place to be on a Sunday, and get the right energy for the

week that is about to begin. It is wonderful to begin with a lovely meal, and move on with a cocktail and some dancing. The classes provided in Havana by Universalsa are very high level and therefore attract many people every Sunday.

Hasta la evolución por siempre!

Until next time..see you all in Havana!

Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 26-06-2013 / rated:3 stars

Salsa & Zouk Party - Station / Perron 3a

This Saturday(8th of June), I decided to attend the Salsa and Zouk Party in Haarlem Station  as I wanted  to enjoy a relaxing-salsa and zouk dance Saturday night. I was not disappointed at all, as there are few elements that make this party special:

The beautiful location:

Haarlem Station is a railway station in the Netherlands, located in the city of Haarlem on the Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway, the original train line linking Amsterdam to Zandvoort and Amsterdam to Leiden.It is a monumental place and a wonderful location for parties, with a wooden floor and a warm envinronment.

The music:

In my opinion the music is one of the most important factors in order to have a good time in a party, and those who attended the party on Saturday night, had a blast. The DJs (Andres “el Jefe” in the Salsa room and Zoukkero in the Zouk area) made some excellent choices, with favourite and classic songs that please each and every dancer.

The shows:

The party included two shows,one from La Essencia and a different and a spectacular and sexy Burlesque show. I believe that the Salsa and Zouk audience enjoy seeing different shows and dance styles from time to time, and that is why the choice of the Burlesque show was really successful.

The Schedule of the party:

Another reason for which the party attracts so many people, is it’s nice schedule, and it’s affordable price. With only 5€ entrance for both rooms, you can enjoy two workshops (Salsa Beginners by Tonka & Andre and Zouk beginners from Willem Engel), the shows, and the party. The party starts early (21:00) and finishes early (01.00), so that everyone feels relaxed and happy, and is full of energy to enjoy a beautiful Sunday.

No matter what your dancing style and preferences are, this is a party not to be missed!
Until next time...see you all on the dance-floor!

Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 10-06-2013 / rated: 4 stars
 

Summerbreeze op het Westergasterras - Amsterdam

Donderdagen bij Summerbreeze zijn al 18 jaar een feestje. Sinds een paar jaar heeft het zijn vaste verblijfplaats op het Westergasterrein gevonden, naast de gasbrander. Bij droog weer is er een buitendansvloer waar je tot 23.00 onder de sterrenhemel kunt genieten van latinklanken. Je kunt ook eerst even een hapje doen op het terras van de Westerliefde.

 

Vanaf 19:00 draaien er buiten en binnen DJ's Salsa in de Westerunie en buiten en in het restaurant is altijd een ander soort muziek aan de beurt. De ene week Bachata ,soms zelfs Swingbeat en Oldskool beats, dus ook voor hen die niet voor de latin gaan is er in dit seizoen wel iets te doen bij Summerbreeze. Ook Kizomba en Zouk hebben speciale donderdagavonden. Echt voor elk wat wils, en dat zie je ook aan het publiek dat er op afkomt: jong en oud, doorgewinterd en onbekend met latin, alle soorten mensen zijn er samen in een sfeer die je altijd welkom heet. Iedere week een andere gratis workshop en een andere mix muziek.

 

Traditiegetrouw sluit Summerbreeze het seizoen af met een groot live optreden. Als je precies wilt weten wat het weer doet, en hoe Summerbreeze je per week vermaakt dan kun je het best even op de site www.mysummerbreeze.nl kijken of je aanmelden voor de nieuwsbrief.

Review by Louke Spigt / 25-05-13 / rated: 5 stars

 

 

 

 

 

 

Limburg Salsa Festival

If you didn’t go to Limburg Salsa Festival this year, not only did you miss some great shows and parties but you also missed a great performance by Gabriel GalanPeralta and Joachim! One of the most well organised festivals I have ever been to, with an amazing venue- perfect floor and very well ventilated main room where you could dance for hours. Very high quality shows and workshops for all levels, super-hot photographers and an amusing but warm atmosphere.

The shows:

The festival had some top quality shows from all artists of origins from all over the world. New York, Los Angeles,  Mexico, Israel, Germany, Italy, Greece, France…you name it! Performers, DJs, dancers and artists from all over the world, were joined together to create three spectacular nights. For the fourth time in Limburg, the participants could come and watch amazing performances of World-class Latin dancers, or even…join the competition!! Some amazing shows were given by Adolfo Indacochea and his Latin Soul Dancers, Gaby and Estefy, Alessandro & Philomena, Panayiotis and Mirto, Marco and Samantha, Estilo Dance, and many others.

The workshops:

As the organisers of Limburg Salsa Congress claim, there were three reasons  why every dancer should attend the workshops of the congress:

> learn

Both experienced or not experienced dancers,  should not  miss out on the amazing opportunities to learn from the world's best Latin dancers. For guys: learn new moves to impress the ladies on the dance floor! For Ladies: pick up amazing body movement techniques and learn how to follow exciting new moves. In this festival you had also the opportunity to learn the newest dance crazes such as Zouk, Bachata & Reggaeton - Tango, Swing & Samba!

> be inspired

Limburg Salsa Congress takes pride in inviting only the most talented and friendliest instructors from all over the world to teach. The workshops represent an opportunity to interact personally with our international instructors, to hear their personal stories and their philosophies on dancing and teaching, something which cannot simply be acquired by watching them dance socially.

> meet dancers from Europe & overseas

The Limburg Salsa Festival is an exciting opportunity to dance with different people. The workshops are a great way to meet new people from overseas. Chances are you'll be able to "try them out" at the workshop and make a mental note of who you want to ask to dance during the socials. You also get to "break the ice" at the workshops instead of spending hours agonizing about how to ask someone to dance during the socials.

The Parties:

Three crazy party nights + one pool party?!?! What more can someone ask for! Lots of party rooms to dance salsa dura, salsa romantica, kizomba, bachata, and reggeaton and lots of dancers from all over the world, all under one roof made the parties a BLAST! In my opinion, another impressive and very inspiring aspect of the party was the opportunity that EVERYONE in the festival had, to be professionally photographed by Mr Khalid Jalli, who has done some amazing work in the field of photography. After the parties, every dancer could attend an after party until 9 'o clock in the morning! The hot pool party  included lots of animation from the world’s most energetic artists.

Khalid Lazar and Naomi Dongelmans , we will all be there next year!!
You can buy your full pass for next year here!

Until next time, see you all another amazing congress!

Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 25-04-2013 / rated: 5 stars

Dos Bailadores Friday Night Party - Leiden

Dos Bailadores - The red party!! Celebrating Monique’s 50th birthday, was dressed in red and black. With bright red colours, great music, food and drinks, amazing shows, and a crazy crowd, what more can someone ask for a super-hot friday night??

For first time, a saw a dancefloor very different than normal. A great band with surprising live music, that fascinated the crowd. One could say that it was not a pure salsa, bachata, kizomba and zouk party, but the music programme also included disco, rock, and many popular hits!

With a very low entrance fee of € 7,- the party guests could enjoy lots of delicious and gourmet food snacks, both salty and sweet. Plus, all kinds of candies and fondue fountains with fresh fruit could be found next to the bar!

In my oppinion, the hottest moment of the event were the fascinating shows, best of which were given by Estilo dance, Willem (dance Alegria) and the EXTRAORDINARY Anderson and Brenda. The shows included salsa, zouk, tango,oriental and brazilian samba.

The atmosphere of the party was really glamorous, as all the ladies looked very sexy in their red dress outfits. Monique looked very happy to be celebrating her birthday among great friends, and great dancers.

Dos Bailadores is a wonderful venue-a spacious party area with excellent dancefloor, and dancers of all levels with a great desire for dance. As lots of parties are taking place in dos bailadores, I strongly recommend to give it a try, if you need some real fun!

Review by Kelly Stavridaki / 25-04-13 / rated: 4 stars