Festival Mundial de Salsa in Cali

Among the most representative cultural manifestations of our country, there is a space where a musical genre that runs through the veins of our identity takes center stage: “Salsa.”

How the Festival Arrives

Brought from New York, it comfortably settled in Cali in the Colombian Pacific, a city with indigenous roots and close to Buenaventura, a port with a predominantly Afro-descendant population. This cultural mix makes the rhythm of the drums feel familiar and has allowed this musical genre to take such strong root. This is why Cali is considered the “World Capital of Salsa.”

Those who know this rhythm, and those who simply want to enjoy it, visit the city each year to attend the World Salsa Festival, which usually takes place at the Alberto Galindo Complex, including venues like Ciudadela Salsera and Coliseo del Pueblo. For six days, the people of Cali welcome artists from around the world to learn, enjoy, and share everything related to this musical genre, a blend of Cuban son with various Caribbean and American rhythms.

Salsa has found a permanent home in Cali, where numerous orchestras and dance academies have been born, enriching parties and shows around the world; where 1,500 musicians and over 5,000 dancers from all over the globe perform. Groups like Grupo Niche and Guayacán Orquesta traditionally host this event, which gains new dimensions each year.

The Competition

Couples and groups compete in various dance styles to the sound of the orchestras' music. Cabaret, ensemble, on-1, and Cali style are some of the categories that include three levels: amateur, elite, and professional.

Shows full of lights, energy, and elasticity compete for a chance to gain recognition and secure important opportunities in major art, dance, and theater companies. The judges for this event are renowned dancers and masters of national and international dance.

More than seventy thousand people visit the Festival annually, whose attractions, in addition to the impressive performances and dancing competitions, include workshops, meetings, and discussions offered free of charge to enrich the audience's knowledge about the world of salsa.

Experts music lovers, musicians, and teachers reflect on topics such as the influence of Salsa on cultures, its geographical evolution, and its branches in a global and connected world.

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More Plans During the Festival

Dance classes with experts attract national and foreign tourists who travel to Cali to be seduced by the acrobatics, technique, and sensuality of the steps of this beautiful artistic expression.

At the same time, the city has numerous venues where salsa dancers can spend their nights to the rhythm of classics from past decades.

Cali has found in the World Salsa Festival a new economic engine, where thousands of young people find alternatives and a means of livelihood.

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