By THERESA HOGUE
The Entertainer | Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:00 am
Rumbanana hosts Xtreme Cuban Salsa Weekend with special guests
CORVALLIS - Mention salsa, and many people reach for a bowl of chips. But this weekend, Corvallis will be filled with people who jump to their feet when they hear the term. For three days, Xtreme Cuban Salsa Weekend will bring famous dancers and bands to town for a series of dances, workshops and live musical performances.
Salsa dancing comes from the Caribbean and has many Latin American and African influences. Cuban salsa is a specific form of the dance, and is thought to descend from another Cuban form of music and dancing known as son.
The weekend begins Friday night at 9:30 p.m. at Club Platinum, 126 S.W. Fourth St., with a salsa lesson by local group and event host Rumbanana Salsa Group. The 21-and-over event continues with dancing until 2 a.m.
Workshops begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Memorial Union Ballroom at Oregon State University, and continue through 4:30 p.m. Workshops will feature a number of internationally recognized instructors from around the country, and include salsa cubana, rumba, cha cha, son and rueda de casino.
A Gala Salsa event takes place in the ballroom from 7:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday, and includes a number of performances by dance groups and live music by Aguamiel (agave sap), a Portland salsa and timba band. Aguamiel is a 10-piece band that performs both traditional dance music and modern Cuban music infused with jazz and hip-hop flavors.
Dance workshops continue Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the ballroom.
A number of special guests will appear in Corvallis during the weekend. They include Henry Herrera, director and choreographer of Salsa Racing Dance Studio in Florida; Julian Mejia, a rueda de casino dancer and instructor from Atlanta, Geo.; Jose Carrion, a Cuban-born dancer and choreographer; Duane Wrenn and Maribel Vasquez, of Energetic Soul, a studio in Michigan which combines dancing and fitness; and DJ Melao of Miami, one of the top Cuban salsa deejays in the world. Other guests include Salsa Vale Todo, Estilo Cubano, Rueda 4 Fun, Sabor Latino and Hurricane Tumbao.
Tickets for the full weekend of events are $100, or $75 for students. There is a charge of $5 at the door for the Friday welcome event at Platinum. Tickets to the Saturday gala are $15, or $10 for students. Individual workshops are $15 each, or $10 for students.
Tickets are available at www.xtremecubansalsa.com.