salsa
Articles tagged salsa on Medellin Living — Medellín expat guides and stories.
Things to Do in Medellín on Wednesdays
Wednesday. The day before Thursday, which is the day before Friday, and therefore a sign that you’re close to the end of the working week. Or maybe you’re lucky enough to be traveling and Wednesday is simply another day…
Things to Do in Medellín on Fridays
Friday – probably everyone’s favorite day of the week. The day that signifies the weekend has arrived and two whole days free from work. Whether you’re looking for the top places to let loose, to soak up some culture or…
Paisa Traditions: Mother’s Day in Medellín
There is a strong focus on family values in Colombia, and most relatives gather together every Sunday to spend quality time together – no matter how old or how distant the relation. Naturally then, Mother’s Day (El Día…
Dancefree Salsa and Bachata School
Dancefree Dance School offers salsa and bachata classes to anyone from beginners to experts – a great way to boost confidence and get dancing.
Ciudad Delirio (Trailer)
On April 11, 2014, Ciudad Delirio, a Colombian-produced romantic comedy about salsa dancing, opened in theaters. It was filmed in Cali, Colombia.
Vivir Mi Vida – Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony, one of the world’s top-selling salsa singers, is playing a live show at La Macarena this Saturday, March 1. For price and ticket info, visit Tuboleta.
Medellin Events: February
A list of Medellin Events for February 2014, including local concerts, sporting events, meet-ups, and more.
El Suave: A More Spacious Place to Go Salsa Dancing
El Suave is a three-level salsa club on Calle Colombia, just east of Carrera 70.
Travelocity’s Let’s Roam Colombia
Let’s Roam Colombia is a series of web videos from Courtney Scott’s visit to the country in 2013. Episodes include Medellin, Cartagena, Salento and Bogota.
Santo Baile: Best Place to Learn Colombian Style Salsa in Medellin
Dave’s experience learning Colombian style salsa at Santo Baile, a dance studio in the upscale Poblado neighborhood of Medellin.
Palmahia Discoteca: Willie Colón in Concert
Palmahia Discoteca is a concert venue and club located in Itagui. This is my experience attending a concert by salsa legend Willie Colon.
La Pantera Rosa y Su Mambo
This song is one of my favorites from dance class, and it just so happened to be the song I last danced to before my salsa teacher, Yamile, left Medellin for London a few weeks ago.
Salsa Dancing at Son Havana
In the last few weeks, I’ve been salsa dancing at Son Havana twice, and both times were a lot of fun. It’s now my favorite venue in Medellin, Colombia.
Feria de Cali: Celebration, Salsa and So Much More
CALI — Giuseppe got overzealous with the spray foam. He hit a little kid in the face. He felt bad and apologized. He didn’t realize revenge was coming. The caleñito, no more than 7 or 8 years old, eventually swiped the…
Quimbara – Celia Cruz and The Fania All Stars
I haven’t listend to as much of Celia Cruz as the other old school favorites, though I’ve no doubt heard songs like Quimbara many times while out dancing in the salsa clubs.
Son Havana: Cuban-Flavored Salsa in Colombia
The place was on my list, a club I planned to visit in the future, one of those I’ll-get-there-soon venues, soon being relative, of course. “Soon” for Son Havana came quicker than I expected. It was one of my last…
Ah Ah Oh No – Hector Lavoe
Last month I saw El Cantante, the Hector Lavoe biopic starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, for the first time. While the critics’ reviews were mixed, I enjoyed it, and the soundtrack was excellent. I became aware…
Live: Oscar de Leon & Gilberto Santa Rosa
Here’s a taste of an old school salsa favorite, Oscar de Leon, live in concert. If you like what you see, you can check him out live in Medellin tonight (Feb 17, 2012) at Palmahia Discoteca.
Best Place to Learn LA or Cuban Style Salsa in Medellin
A profile of the best place to learn LA or Cuban style salsa in Medellin, Colombia including video footage of the author and instructor.
Recap: 3rd Annual Colombia Salsa Festival
In 2009, on my last weekend in Medellin, I spent two nights dancing at the 1st Colombian Salsa Festival. As luck would have it, I ran into Yamile, one of my dance teachers, at the door. I had a way better time as a…
Listo Medellin – Grupo Niche
Slowly but surely, I continue to discover the names of the classic Colombian songs I’ve been hearing the last few years. Listo Medellin is by Colombia’s own Grupo Niche. If you’re familiar with the city, see how many…
2011 Colombia Salsa Festival
Cali may be Colombia’s salsa capital, but Medellin is home to the country’s annual salsa festival (or Congress, as they’re called in Western countries). This weekend, from July 8 – 10, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana…
The Difference Between Academy Dancing and Club Dancing
So there is club dancing and there is Academy dancing. Let me explain the difference. I have been going to the clubs that everyone goes to on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have been feeling quite dejected since, afterall,…
Me Libere – El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
Me Libere by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rio is one of my all time favorite salsa songs.
Video: Salsa Dancing in Medellin
When Jessica expressed an interest in contributing to Medellin Living, little did I know I’d end up with a new salsa dancing partner. I had invited her to my apartment to go over how to use WordPress. She arrived fresh…
Willie Colon & Ruben Blades – Plastico
A salsa classic, and a lot of fun to dance to, this is Plastico performed live by Willie Colon and Ruben Blades. My favorite part in the song is around 6:30 when they start doing shout-outs to the various Latin…
Learn Salsa in Colombia
I met Benny (Fluent in 3 Months) when he arrived in Medellin last November for a 2-month stay in Colombia. He wanted to learn salsa in Colombia, so I referred him to my teacher, Yamile, at the dance studio I’ve used the…
Hector Lavoe – Todo Poderoso
Hector Lavoe is one of the salsa greats, and you can see him rocking out here in Mexico, circa 1978.
Willie Colon – Talento de Television
I’d heard Talento de Television countless times in bars and salsa clubs, but it wasn’t until Thanksgiving Day a few weeks ago that I finally discovered the singer and title by accident while loading up salsa songs by…
El Tibiri: Hot, Sweaty, Salsa!
El Tibiri is a popular, underground salsa bar on La 70 in Medellin.
Oscar D’Leon – Lloraras
I recently made a mix CD to use during my salsa lessons, and Oscar D’Leon’s “LLoraras” is one of the 10 songs I burned. It gets regular play in salsa bars and clubs, so it makes sense to get a feel for the proper rhythm…
Grupo Niche – Cali Pachanguero
Grupo Niche is a popular salsa group from Colombia, and Cali Pachanguero is one of their classics. You’re likely to hear this song play in just about any salsa club around the world, and for good reason — it’s catchy,…
Video: Luis Enrique – Yo No Se Manana
When I landed in Cartagena at the end of June, Yo No Se Manana by Luis Enrique was one of the first songs I heard around town. Catchy beyond belief, I soon found myself watching this video on YouTube regularly. Early…
Daddy Yankee in Concert – September 11
Update: Soon after publishing this post, the concert was canceled. I heard two different reasons. First, the Ticket Express girl who sold me the tickets said that it was due to poor sales. Second, a friend said he read…
My Goodbye Party At La Rumbantela
The festivities of the Salsa Congress concluded, I spent the next few nights seeing friends for the last time – going out to dinner with Milena and visiting Alejandra at her new apartment for home-cooked pasta…
Colombia Salsa Congress: Dancing With The Stars
I had so much fun my first night at the 2009 Colombia Salsa Congress that I was looking forward to a return visit with Astrid on my last Sunday night in the country. We arrived at the starting time, yet they were still…
Salsa Etiquette
She said “no” – so are you never asking her to dance again? If she says “no” to you and “yes” to another gentleman a minute later, is this really inappropriate or “lame?” — Grace Badillo Now that I’m back in the…
The 2009 Colombia Salsa Congress
As I continued to try to squeeze every drop of enjoyment out of my time left in Medellin, I decided to check out Grupo Gale July 11th. They had performed the prior night at Colombia’s 2009 Salsa Congress party, and were…
My Final Friday Night In Colombia
I returned to Cien Fuegos on my final Friday night in Colombia for one last salsa lesson. It being the night geared toward more advanced salsaleros, the combination taught was rather intricate. I laughed when I saw the…
Let’s Go Salsa Dancing
As my time in Medellin was drawing to a close, I wanted to make the most of the salsa dancing opportunities. Earlier in the week, I’d gone out to El Eslabon Prendido for the last time, though I didn’t get to dance too…
Campina by Afro-Cuban Jazz Project
Campina by Afro-Cuban Jazz Project is another awesome salsa song which I think I first started hearing in El Eslabon Prendido.
Chan Chan by Buena Vista Social Club
Here’s another song I discovered recently, and absolutely love! I can’t recall exactly where I heard this song first. Either I downloaded it amongst others for my party last week, or I heard it in one of the salsa…
Friday Night at Cien Fuegos
Last Friday night, I had made plans to go dancing with Sirley at Cien Fuegos. It was long overdue, and we posted an invite to the Medellin Couchsurfing group to see who else would be interested. People began arriving at…
Salsa Celtica – El Sol De La Noche
I first started hearing Salsa Celtica’s “El Sol De La Noche” at El Eslabon Prendido, and it quickly became the kind of song I’d leap out of my seat to enjoy on the dance floor. The group is Scottish, and while the song…
The Last Salsa Lessons and More Practice
My group lessons wrapped up two weeks ago as the dance studio is closing for Summer recess. Because I had prepaid for 8 hours, I decided to take a private lesson to get my money’s worth rather than squeeze in another…
Thursday Nights – Live Salsa at Cien Fuegos and G-Bar
Last Thursday, I answered the siren call of a Lelayna, a UK couchsurfer excited to go out salsa dancing. I had a sense she’d be good from her CS profile, but she turned out to be far better than just “good.” I invited…
Celebrating Brazil at Teatro Matacandelas
Attending a Brazilian night at Teatro Matacandelas, including capoeira and musical performances.
Stepping Up the Salsa Practice
Lessons in a dance studio are not enough to become proficient at salsa. I learned this back in Washington, DC circa 2006. You need to practice, at least once a week, and preferably more in the beginning. So with that…
Rum + Salsa + Friends @ Octavia = Fun
Paragliding and bus adventures under our belts, I invited Clint and Martin to join me, Alejandra, and her two friends for a night of dancing. The destination was ladies choice, which worked out well as it was one of my…
Salsa Dancing At El Eslabon Prendido
Salsa dancing at El Eslabon Prendido is one of the top nightlife experiences in Medellin, Colombia. Live salsa bands are featured every Tuesday.
3 Barrios On a Saturday Night
A reggaeton concert was set to occur in Parque Envigado last Saturday, which Martin and I learned about when we happened across a giant stage set up the night before. I rallied people to meet us there at 8 pm, only to…
Let the Salsa Lessons Begin
My original plan to become a superstar salsa dancer by not spending any money and simply hanging out at the clubs on the weekend was failing miserably. I decided to take my desire to learn the dance more seriously, and…
After the Game – El Eslabon Prendido and Art
With the home team victorious, I joined Adriaan and Nicholas for a taxi ride back to Centro. Once there, we went to El Eslabon Prendido (see Nightlife page for address) for a post-game drink. I had recently learned…
A Rainy, Pre-Easter Saturday Night
Clint messaged me to say he was heading back to Poblado a few nights after our last adventure, and since I had recovered in that time, I met up with him in Parque Poblado along with Martin, my roommate, and his visiting…
Salsa Show Featuring World Champions
Last Thursday I met up with Joe (Australia) and Sirley from Couchsurfing for a salsa show at the University of Medellin. The headlining couples were from Cali, and both pairs were world champions. Carlo Acrosalsa y…
Friday Night Salsa
Friday night I went out with Martin, Diana, David and a few others to a salsa club near the Estadio metro station. I would give the name except I saw none at the entrance (update: it’s called El Tibiri). It was a small,…