What: 2nd Kolkata International Salsa Congress — presented by Siddha Live in Dance, organised by Aditya and Shaneel of Vive la Salsa and partnered by t2

Where: South City International School (workshops); CC&FC (performances)

When: January 31 to February 2

Husband and wife duo Sameer and Shenny of Delhi Salsa Club showed off cool bachata moves.

Step up: There were sessions at South City International School on zumba, hip hop, salsa, mambo, kizomba, body movements, Afro, tango, cha-cha, bachata and lifts. After two days of workshops, the action shifted to CC&FC for a two-hour mega show.

The movers and shakers: The instructors came from across India and beyond — Zumba Instructors Network, Vive la Salsa and Rhythmosaic from Calcutta; Madmax Academy of Dance, Salsa India and Dance Design from Mumbai; Latin Dance India from Bangalore; Delhi Salsa Club; I&A (Irisha and Awadhesh) from Pune; Euphoria from Italy; Neeraj Maskara from Singapore and BNF from Dubai.

Organiser speak: “It was amazing! The level of expertise among the city’s dancers has gone up. We started our workshops with Vihangam Yoga. Then there were simultaneous workshops in the music, dance and activity rooms,” said Aditya Upadhya of Vive la Salsa. “If you can walk, then you can dance. The level depends on your inclination,” summed up wife and co-organiser Shaneel Mukerji.

HOLLYWOOD DREAMS: New Yorker Jose Diaz (right in picture) and Spanish girl Nerea were on their first visit to India. “It was a great experience to be here. The hospitality was great,” said Jose. At KISC, with their Italian troop members Federica Sangalli and Massimilliano Nembri, they represented Latin dance troupe from Italy, Euphoria. “Aditya saw us on YouTube and contacted us so that we could come down to Calcutta for KISC 2014. Our main objective now is to get in Hollywood,” smiled Jose. The troupe has performed in Spain, Korea, Germany, Holland and Portugal.

MISS FLEXIBLE: With Alex Norena (picture left) and Eider Rua (picture right), Luisa Suaza from BNF mesmerised the audience with her turns and twirls. “We specialise in Latin dance forms. This is our first visit to Calcutta. We have heard that Calcutta is a city of music and art lovers,” said Eider, manager, BNF. Minette Jansson (the fourth member in the troupe) and Luisa were all smiles at the mention of Bollywood. They sang and jived impromptu to Hindi numbers — Kajra re, Senorita, Zara zara touch me and more! “People love Bollywood music in Dubai and in other parts of the world. We love performing to these songs,” chorused the girls.

CAL CONNECT: Organiser Aditya Upadhya (above) of Vive la Salsa took the CC&FC stage for a sensuous bachata gig with student Priyanka Sen as partner. The other city dance company to get a big applause at the show was Rhythmosaic, represented by Mekhola Bose (right). “Skill and performance-wise, Euphoria and BNF were far ahead. They were really good,” said the granddaughter of actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who put up a contemporary dance performance.

HEAD OVER HEELS! Mumbai-based M.A.D (Madmax Academy of Dance) stunned us with their stunts. For performer Madan, specialising in salsa, bachata and zouk, it was the first visit to Calcutta. “I was a finalist in Dance Premier League that Rani Mukerji judged. I have also choreographed shows such as Nach Baliye and Zara Nachke Dikha,” said Madan, who will take part in the Hong Kong Salsa Festival 2014 to be held later in February.

Shaneel’s SEVEN tips for beginners:

Aditya and Shaneel of Vive la Salsa. Their six-month-old baby, Kinaya, has already started “moving her limbs”!

1. Wear a proper pair of shoes that supports the ankles. In the beginning, you can wear a pair of socks or dance barefoot. Special jazz shoes are available too. Avoid sneakers.

2. Wear comfortable clothes like track pants, jeans and T-shirts. As you advance and your moves require more flexibility, shift to gym wear.

3. Most people don’t know what they are getting into. Attend a performance or a studio workshop first to decide which dance form you’re interested in.

4. Learn basic Latin dance steps and postures first and then move on to partner work.

5. When it comes to lessons, one can learn the basics of a dance form between three and six months. Attending a minimum of 10 hours of classes a month is a must for a beginner. After a month, a beginner’s dance might look amazing to those who don’t know anything about salsa!

6. We also give music lessons where we explain the music used in salsa.

7. There is no age bar. And there are no separate classes for children and adults.

workshops

’Coz docs can dance!

Sanchari Chakravarty, a final-year student of Calcutta Medical College, signed up for a KISC workshop. “I am learning salsa for the past one-and-a-half years. Before that, I took lessons in Odissi for six years. I love dancing, so it was a fantastic experience at the workshop,” said the PYT.

Aleena Banerjee (left) of Tollygunge has been training in Bharatanatyam and Odissi for five years. “I got to know about salsa from a friend. Since then I’ve been training at Aditya’s Vive la Salsa. I also went to Bangalore to perform and visited a salsa festival in Goa,” smiled the final-year student of Loreto College. Her dream dance date? “I would like to dance salsa with Arjun Rampal. He is so handsome and his eyes are so intense. Salsa is all about chemistry. I think we would do well!” winked Aleena, who picked up a few pointers at Neeraj Maskara’s workshop.

Singapore-based Neeraj Maskara trained salsa enthusiasts on ‘Dynamic Leading Techniques’. Dance is a “professional hobby” for this financial advisor. “My family lives in Calcutta, so I come here often. I have been always interested in dance. Then I went to Dubai for work and took lessons,” said Neeraj. “People’s interest in salsa is growing in Calcutta. They are picking up fast,” he added.

Awadhesh and Irisha of I&A took a ‘Salsa for Beginners With Styling’ workshop. Basic movements, postures and steps formed the mainstay of the workshop, attended by aspiring salsa dancers of all ages and from all walks of life.

Text: Ratnalekha Mazumdar

Pictures: Pabitra Das and Anindya Shankar Ray

Who would you like to dance salsa with? Tell t2@abp.in