Pura salsa caleña!
No hay nada mejor!
Before I came to Cali I knew from glancing at a few videos on Youtube that they danced a very different style of salsa from what I had learned in Ireland and Japan. Add to that the fact that some people who had actually been to Cali before had told me that I wouldn’t get to far dancing the way I did and you’d be right in thinking that I was a little worried about strutting my stuff on the dance floors of Cali.
With the world famous “Feria de Cali” (a week-long party that begins right after Christmas) just around the corner and for the benefit of those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to visit the world capital of salsa, I’ve found a few videos showing just what salsa caleña (in it’s many forms) looks like. Enjoy.
Here’s a great example of what the local dancers call Salsa Cabaret which is basically salsa caleña on steroids (as many twists, flips and displays of showmanship as possible).
Here’s another lightning fast cabaret performance.
Here’s some great footwork from the 2 time world champions Ricardo and Viviana (pity about the awful commentary)
Here’s a solo performance that shows the level that some caleños achieve with their footwork.
On the other end of the scale here’s an example of how salsa is danced in Cali on the streets at a typical neighborhood party.
and here’s another example of a style of street salsa that has become very popular recently.
Finally here’s one of the most famous videos of Cali club style dancing (although this is much more professional than what you normally find).
I hope you liked them. Watching them has really put me in the mood for a rumba tonight.
Keep dancing folks.
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The Dancing Irishman 
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