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Salsa Dancers Heat Up Midtown For Annual Congress

By Della Hasselle | September 4, 2010 10:03am | Updated on September 5, 2010 9:37am

By Della Hasselle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN — Salsa dancers from all over the world converged in Midtown to learn new moves at the 10th annual New York International Salsa Congress.

The third floor of the Hilton Hotel, on Avenue of the Americas between West 53rd and West 54th Streets, was sectioned off for dancers of various skill levels. While experienced dancers were practicing their mambos and cucarachas in the main ballroom, next door people were learning the hustle for the first time.

“You can’t believe the energy,” said Ernie Acevedo of Cojunto Imagen, one of the Salsa bandleaders. “You can’t believe the happiness. Even if you have two left feet, I promise you that our rhythms will make you dance.”

Both amateurs and professional dancers are gathering all week to learn choreography, put on performances, and compete for cash prizes. The festival lasts through Monday.

“I love watching people get it,” Long Island teacher Derrick Allen, 52, said after his beginner hustle class. “It means that the dance has new blood, and the new blood keeps it alive.”

Midtown lawyer Siuno Naniwa, 28, signed up for the classes just to do something different, but swears that she will keep coming back.

“I love it,” Naniwa said. “Yeah, I am so in.”

The addictive nature of salsa keeps dancers coming back, many professionals said. Organizers said roughly 20,000 dancers would attend the congress. But the best perk, some say, is that the dance helps them pick up dates.

“I started because I wanted to get girls,” said Alfred Peno, 28, of Long Island. “I love the ability to connect with my partner, make sure she’s having a good time.”

The cost of the Congress ranges from $10 for an evening class to $3,000 for a full package of classes and a hotel room. Dancers perform in the event for free.