The much-awaited West Coast Salsa Congress 2004 is now over.

Albert Torres threw a most successful four-day long Congress, preceded by the musical ‘Guaguanco Oyelo Bien’ directed by Neri Torres from Miami.

We were introduced to a new ‘Salsaland’. An entire complex of white tents set up on the parking lot of the Hollywood Park Casino that accommodated us much better than the indoor facilities. The ‘Salsaland’ consisted of a huge dance tent with six dance floors and a stage for the bands, a second big tent for the performances, an outside dance tent surrounded by a large sitting area in front of the food service, and a perimeter of individual tents for vendors, which included known and new goods and services, from the usual dance shoes and clothing items to a massage therapist and a coffee booth.

Johnny Pacheco of Fania All Stars

The absolute highlight of this year’s Congress was the band line up. Four days of great caliber groups performing, some of which felt like a privilege to watch in action. A perfect example, Johnny Pacheco’s performance on Thursday, the man who founded the Fania Records label, and started the Fania All Stars. Fifty years of musical talent performing on stage was truly a treat to witness.

Africando

Africando, for the first time in the West Coast and only the second time in the U.S., with Medoune Diallo, the original voice of their popular song ‘Mandali’, as well as other fantastic singers such as Ronnie Baro from New York, was a big hit that attracted many new faces. Along with Roberto Roena y su Apollo Sound’s incredible energy, they made up for a fantastic Friday.

The ‘in’ band from New York, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, performed superbly on Saturday night, along with L.A.’s most popular band, Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad.

Orquesta de la Luz

To close the festivities on Sunday, Orchesta De La Luz from Japan, with a hyper Nora that won the crowd easily with her Japanese lessons and cute remarks, sounded strong while preceding the most popular El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which played hit after hit to a full house.

The second main attraction of Congress, the dance performances, was plentifully available. Dozens of teams performed, with quite a few excelling in talent and grace. My favorites: Salsa Rica’s two guys/one girl show, Eddie Torres from New York, Alex Lima for the first time in the U.S. from Brazil, and the team from Cali, Colombia.

On an event of such massive proportions, while it is impossible to make everyone happy, Albert Torres came rather close this year. We enjoyed five days of pretty smooth sailing. A few suggestions have already been offered in regards to the dance floors, the portable toilets, and others of the like, and if Albert and his team continue their track record, they will considered them into next year’s Congress planning and further improve the event.

The wide consensus is that this year’s Congress was the best so far. The spirit of camaraderie that identifies Salsa congresses was in full effect. Dancers from all over the world interacted and enjoyed each other’s company. Many of us stayed five days in a row up until wee hours of the morning, and although exhausted, wouldn’t have it any other way.

This morning, a day after dancing the closing song of Congress, I was still reliving my happy moments.

Unfortunately, just a few hours ago I learned of something that put a damper in my enthusiasm. Confirmed by Albert, it is now public knowledge that someone from the Los Angeles area, a familiar face in the Salsa community and a partner, stole a large amount of Congress passes and resold them for an amount that they kept in their own pocket. This resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars that were meant to finance the event, and an episode that even put Albert in physical danger. What was the most successful event ever has now left Albert in a horrendous monetary debt of about $80,000, not to mention a deep emotional disappointment. He is currently pursuing legal prosecution.

I am disgusted by the news and the thought that someone may want to jeopardize the production of an outstanding event such as the West Coast Salsa Congress. With such a small amount of people successfully organizing quality Salsa events, how sad that someone’s greed and jealousy might be so poignant! Shame of these people!

I feel horrible because I was one of the first to complain about Albert not closing the Congress himself with the traditional ‘Sonido Bestial’ dance on Sunday, as he had done at every previous Congress. Now I know that he was going through a personal hell, as it was that very evening that he faced the cheaters, and that his absence was not out of neglect.

There’s little I can personally do to help Albert, other than to try to create some public conscience and awareness. Great shows don’t happen by accident, they take effort, planning and of course, funding. Our feeling as a community should be, not a destructive one, but one of cooperation and support. Shame on those who intend to destroy what others work so hard to build!

Like Albert says, it’s not only about money, but also about principle and respect!

I dearly hope that Albert can obtain justice through the legal system, and hope that somehow he will be assured that the great majority of us appreciate his great efforts towards the dissemination of Salsa, in the West Coast and branching out to the world.