The Mediterranean Salsa Congress

An Indulgence Beyond Words!!

By Edie, The Salsa FREAK
Contact info for next Med Congress:  Lior:  lior@latino.co.il

What?  The food AND drinks are included??
Click here for Unfolding Congress Details...

An entire Congress weekend for only $200?!?!  Where else can you go where all your food, drinks, workshops, Salsa parties AND SHOWS are INCLUDED in one very low price?

…and THEN, to TOP IT OFF… spend the week visiting the world’s most treasured Holy Land right afterward???

Eliat, Israel, 2004…

THE WEATHER IS SO PERFECT OUT HERE.  Warm nights, mildly hot days, and wonderfully dry... 
    ...a sun bather's DREAM!!!

You would think, that If you lived in the Middle East, the last thing on your mind is Salsa.  But I’ll tell you what; the Salseros in the Middle East live, breathe, and dream Salsa all day long!   I get the feeling they need Salsa, like it’s the last thing they’ll ever do.   As a result, the dancers have become some of the best in the world. 

There is nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING like the Mediterranean Salsa Congress

Combining the weekend Congress with a three-day tour of Israel’s Holy Land is one of those trips you just HAVE TO TAKE before you die.  It was an event, unlike any other.  The organizers, Lior and Paco, obviously MORE THAN did their homework, and this, being their 3rd Annual event, was as close to perfect as it could get.

The Dancers…

When Paco invited me to Israel back in 1998, Salsa was just starting to take off, but there were no real formal classes anywhere.  People just basically learned from each other, watching eagerly.  I’ll never forget the peculiar Israeli style that I picked up on.  It was a cross-hybrid of Columbian and Cuban Style still in its infancy.  I named it Israeli-Style back then. 

Today, the Israeli’s have taken Salsa to an entirely new level.  I can tell that they’ve done nothing but study, study, study… everything from LA style, to New York style, to Puerto Rican style to Cuban, and everything in between!  They dance on both One and Two, and many are International competitors, traveling to different countries to compete, and perform. 

I have to say, without a doubt, that the Israeli’s now rank
as some of the best dancers in the world. 

You’ve GOT to be there to experience it.

THAT’S THE THING.  “Getting there” is what’s on everyone’s mind… RIGHT??? 
How does one get enough nerve to visit the Middle East for Salsa? 

Well, let me give you some tempting, luscious, tasty samples…

Safety…

Because of the current militant situation all over the Middle East, Israel is considered the top in the world for security - more so than any other country.  Everywhere we went, from the airport to a mall, there were military personnel armed with loaded machine guns enforcing tight security.  Metal detectors are very common in public places like the malls and airport.  I felt extremely safe and secure there.  Before letting anyone into the country, airport security checks everyone, questions everyone, and double-checks everyone – just to make sure all is well.  I feel sorry for ANYONE coming here with any sort of hidden agenda! 

I felt safer in Israel than I have anywhere else in the WORLD!

Literally 2,000 plus Salsa dancers fly or drive to Eliat equipped with bathing suits and dance shoes.  Here’s just a taste of what you get…

The City…

The Congress was held about four hours south from Tel-Aviv in the beautiful city of Eliat.  Eliat is a contemporary desert resort town on the tip of the Red Sea.  If you are at all familiar with Palm Springs, California, the cities are almost identical – from the weather, to the luxurious resorts and hotels.  

From the edge of Eliat on the beach of the Red Sea, one can admire the reddish-colored mountains of Egypt on the right, and the reddish-colored mountains of Jordan on the left.  The sea’s reflection of the mountain colors has given the Red Sea its famous name for thousands of years. There, one can wind surf, snorkel, dive, or simply swim around in the warm waters. It is a beach-lovers dream! 

The Resort…

When we arrived at the Desert Palace Hotel, I felt as though I were actually “in” a palace!  With over 2,000 dancers in attendance, we booked out the ENTIRE RESORT.  Like many resorts in Palm Springs, California, the resort was also a SPA, complete with massage, manicure, pedicure, and facial services the entire weekend.  In fact, I broke a nail on Friday night, but by 8am the next morning, I had an appointment with the manicurist!  It was fantastic!

The Pool…

The entire hotel spans around the enormous swimming pool.  It is the heart, and focal point of the entire resort.  Green grass, enormous palm trees, and white lawn chairs surround it on every side.  Beautiful bridges connect the restaurant and entertainment centers to the guest rooms.  Waterfalls drop against stone facades and coves, and relaxing Jacuzzis bubble hot water for the romantics.  

The Food…

…. IS FREE THE ENTIRE WEEKEND.  That was what completely floored all of the international instructors.  As part of your resort package of a mere $200 (including room and event), breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets are included!  Not only that,it was all you could eat!  They even served free lemon popsicles at the poolside for anyone with a refreshing sweet tooth!  Every morning the entire 250-seat restaurant was full of hungry Salseros wanting to get a head start on the day.  The enormous buffet consisted of all types of cereals, eggs, omelets, vegetables, humus (my favorite!), every type of bread known to mankind, zataar, cheese, butter, yogurt, fruit, juices, and whatever else you can imagine… it was there… and LOTS OF IT.  

Lunch was fantastic.  Sandwiches, spreads, meat, vegetables, deserts, breads, juices… I could go on… there was just so much FOOD!  And you could go back for seconds and thirds if you wanted! 

Dinner was to die for.  Everyone dressed a bit more formally (no swimsuits).  Each night there was lamb, various meats, more vegetables than you can name, salads, fruit, breads, juices, humus, olives… AND DESSERT!!!  Wow! 

The Drinks…

….WERE FREE AS WELL!  While dancing, you could go up to the bar, and order literally WHATEVER YOU WANTED, free of charge.  The servers were exceptionally warm and friendly, no matter how complicated your drink order was.  This surprised me as usually, when everything is free, the servers and service is usually horrible.   But not here!  Every server was warm and friendly, and always eager to lend a helping hand.  I was amazed. 

The Shows….

Evening shows were just as spectacular as any other Salsa Congress throughout the world.  Groups as well as couples performed each night, giving the best each school had to offer.  The organizers allowed for dancing to continue during the shows at the other end of the hotel to give people a choice. 

The Music…

Henry Knowles was the star DJ that weekend.  I had a unique opportunity to talk with him about his theories on what it takes to be a great DJ, and how he tastefully mixes and arranges music, which I found, is an art in itself.  It takes literally years of work and patience to mix music well.  Mixing is an art in itself.  And of course, after twenty years of practice, Henry is the Master.  I also found out that he is a vegetarian!  We had long discussions on food and the like, but I won’t bore you with that!  We both agreed that it is VERY easy to be a vegetarian in the Middle East. 

The Classes….

Each class was chalk FULL of people.  In most classes, the instructor was on stage for easy viewing.  All the students could speak English, so an interpreter was not necessary.  Each session was about an hour long, and each student came out of each class smiling with new combinations and techniques.    

The People…

Regardless of race, creed, color, OR religion, ANY Salsero the world over, was invited to this event.  There were people there from all walks of life, and each one had one common passion – SALSA! 

The Salsa dance floor is one of the few places left on earth where there are no racial boundaries, barriers, nor prejudices.

ANYONE who loves to dance Salsa could attend and enjoy the event.  The people were very warm and friendly, and always willing to help.

The Clothes…

Some of the vendors brought the most amazing dance-wear!  Brazilian-style warm-ups and brightly-colored bell-bottom tights were my favorite.   I spent hours going through the clothing racks!  There was such a vast selection, I had difficulty choosing!  I originally went there to purchase JUST ONE outfit… but I left with FOUR.  (don’t tell Al!)

The Shoes….

I bought two pairs of beautiful dance shoes.  The assortments and styles were fantastic.  They had every type of shoe imaginable, from formal performance-wear, to every-day wear, to flats, to men’s shoes.  And the prices were very reasonable as well.  The shoe booth was the buzz of the event! 

The Traditions…

I find that the Israelis have a tradition of creating “traditions”. On the first and last day of the event, everyone danced traditional line dance directed by some of the top instructors in the country.  Everyone participated and you didn’t need a partner!  It was a great ice-breaker and something anyone could learn after a few times. 

On the Friday of the event, there was a traditional “march” to the Red Sea.  Literally 1500 Salseros marched with drums, sticks, and blue balloons about a half-mile through the town.  As we marched, clanging drums and sticks, I thought of Biblical times, when Moses himself led the Jews out of Egypt.  I thought, wow, here I am, marching through the desert to the Red Sea.   Wow, here I am, part of a “demonstration” in the Middle East.  OK, now I’ve done EVERYTHING.  When all of us as a group of Israelis finally marched to the cusp of the Red Sea, I thought it was actually going to PART. 

It didn’t.  But Henry Knowles almost parted it with his music!  The weather was perfect.  It was typical California weather… IN ISRAEL!   We all danced and danced at a staging area with spectacular views of the Red Sea, and mountains of Egypt and Jordan.  Windsurfers, sailors, and scuba divers were also enjoying their day in the sun. 

When I looked around, I experienced one of those moments in life, where I just had to step away from it all, take a deep breath, observe, take it all in, and live and appreciate this moment in time.  Nearby, I found a beautiful pathway that stretched about 100 yards over the sea where I could watch everything happening from a distance.  There are no words to describe what I felt hearing the sounds of DJ Henry Knowles at the edge of the Red Sea and watching people from all walks of life, enjoying Salsa right here in Israel, overlooking the Egyptian and Jordanian mountains by the Red Sea.  It took my breath away. 

The last evening of the Congress…

Paco and Lior invited all of the International instructors and other volunteers to a private room where we formally celebrated a traditional “toast” of Champagne and fresh strawberries.  This was one of my favorite traditions.  It was a celebration of a phenomenally successful event, with the hopes of next year, making it even better (of course, I don’t know how much better it could possibly get… but I cannot WAIT to see!)

The next morning, we all got on a bus and made a tour of the Holy Land.  Our first stop was Masada - one of Israel’s most revered and oldest cities.  The story of Masada takes you back to the time of King Herod, and his struggles to keep his people from being conquered.  It is a definite must-see while touring the Holy Land. 

Next, we stopped at an old Dairy Kibbutz where we got ice cream and cheese.  I bought a few figs and shared them with everyone on the bus.

The bus was extremely comfortable.  It was huge, had a bathroom, and lots of air conditioning.  The driver was on his 20^th year of touring, and was very friendly and knowledgeable.  Our official tour guide Mike Sugarman, came also very highly recommended due to his vast knowledge of the Holy Land and is history.  He was dressed in Indiana-Jones wear, complete with hat and jacket.  He captivated us with emotional stories and Biblical tales of the past, and related them to today’s unfolding world events.  Not only did we enjoy the ride, but we also learned a lot about religious history. 

We then stopped at the Dead Sea, where we all bobbed up and down like corks in the salty water!  It is so weird when you walk along the sand, into the Dead Sea, and suddenly you are no longer walking on any “land” underwater per se, but simply walking in the water itself!   You just have to go there to experience it.  You float without trying!  You can literally lay on your back, and not sink!  It’s simply incredible.  Many people from all over the world come to the Dead Sea to be cured of various skin ailments.  The minerals aid in their cure – some companies even pay for their trips!  

The next day we visited the oldest city in the world – the Holy city of Jerusalem.  Our tour guide Mark was amazing.  His knowledge of the history, the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran was incredible.  He related many Biblical prophecies to the world’s current events.  His added humor and historical stories about past kings, religions, and wars took us back to Biblical times.  Actually walking the same footsteps that Jesus walked along the Via Dolorosa was something one cannot put into words. 

We were lucky to be visiting Jerusalem to experience Israel’s “Holocaust Remembrance Day”.  This is a special day each year, where every citizen in Israel stops whatever they are doing at 10am, once a year, and for one minute, remembers the Holocaust and its terrors during the Second World War.  It was rather eerie hearing the massive sirens blaring out while in Jerusalem.  All the cars stopped.  Their drivers stepped out and bowed their heads in remembrance.  Pedestrians on the streets stopped walking.  People stopped eating.  Sellers stopped selling.  For a total of one minute the entire country stopped everything they were doing, bowed their heads, and did nothing but remember.  What a site.  What a memory.  We will never forget. 

Visiting and praying at the Western Wall, visiting the spot where Christ hung on the cross, seeing King David’s tomb… it was all incredibly breathtaking.   

We ate at the most fabulous restaurants.  Henry and I were very happy vegetarians in this town.  Aside from the chicken, lamb and beef, there was so many veggies, beans, grains and fruit, that you didn’t miss a thing! They fed us like kings.  We were all awestruck by the way we were treated. 

Everywhere we looked, we saw smiling faces.  Even amidst the war, there were still thousands of people visiting and touring Israel with no fears.  Everything was extremely calm and very peaceful. 

We visited the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan, the Mount of Beatitudes (where Christ preached his famous "Sermon on the Mount", and so many different places that YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO DO THIS TO EXPERIENCE IT!!! 

The Mediterranean Salsa Congress was by far, one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. 

 “They treated us like royalty…we’re going back in couple months from now… just to hang out!” – DJ Henry Knowles

 “I would say, that visiting Israel was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had…by far” – Frankie Martinez

“I’ll go back in a heartbeat.  It was AWESOME!” – Ismael Otero, Caribbean Sol Dance Company, New Jersey

 “Israel was one of the best – by far.  The people, the places, the food… everything….”  - Griselle Ponce, Caribbean Soul Dance Company, New Jersey

 “This congress, by far, is one of the most amazing events in the world.  I can’t wait to go back and bring my husband Al this time!” – Edie, The Salsa FREAK

 “I feel like Moses.  I never got to see the Promised Land!” – Al, Liquid Silver, Espinoza

Contact info for next Med Congress:  Lior:  lior@latino.co.il