- April 19, 2024
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Daytona Salsa owner Kevin Guerra teaches dance weekly in Ormond Beach. He and his dancers returned last week from an annual pilgrimage to the Miami Salsa Conference.
BY PAULA BUCK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Ormond Beach dance instructor Kevin Guerra, and members of his Daytona Salsa company, performed last week at the 13th-annual Miami Salsa Congress, a five-day event featuring about 500 performers who, Guerra says, drew thousands of fans.
The gathering is “among the top five salsa congresses in the world," according to event's website.
“We were proud to represent our coastal communities," Guerra said, of Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Palm Coast and St, Augustine, where he teaches.
He leads a class Thursday evenings, at Rockin' Ranch, 801 S. Nova Road.
But the conference was more of a showcase than a competition, Guerra added. "Dancing is a journey. It’s more about learning and sharing than winning.”
"We were with performers from all over the world," he said, noting that he sees the event as a chance to expand "his personal vision" and make friends.
Ormond Beach resident Cara Triz was one member of the five-couple team Guerra took to the congress this year.
“The entire weekend is completely high-energy, full of color and excitement!” she said.
Her routine involved salsa, swing and bachata, she added. And although she describes herself as “shy and timid,” something change inside her when the rhythm gets going.
“I just get lost in the music,” she said. “It’s very cathartic. I love being able to express myself in the dance.”
Receiving advanced training as part of one of several performance teams Guerra prepares for public performances, Triz stressed that “salsa can be good for everyone. It’s great exercise, and it gives people a chance to branch out and have fun together.”
But the benefits are heightened through good instruction.
“(Guerra) can enter a room full of beginners who claim they have two left feet, can’t dance at all, feel scared,” she said, but within minutes, everyone is in synch. “The trick is small steps; the smaller the better. (Guerra) makes the whole thing comfortable and fun. ... We are like a big family. I love it.”
In addition to the performances, the congress also offered education workshops. One misconception Guerra is quick to clear up is that, despite an apparent consensus that salsa has roots in Afro-Cuban culture, Argentinian and Colombian dancers, Guerra said, have "very different approaches" to the dance. The style now applies to a wide variety of forms, steps and rhythm, each determined by its place of origin.
"There is a lot to see, not just hear," Guerra said of the event. "“Some of the world’s top salsa singers come every year. ... It’s very exciting.”
Here at home, Guerra says he strives to share the excitement of gatherings like the Miami Salsa Conference. A dancer for 13 years, he opened Daytona Salsa — which also hosts sessions Monday and Tuesday evenings, at the Schnebley Recreation Center, in Daytona Beach — in 2005. Now, it's client database has 1,000 names. Students work at 10 different levels — beginner to pro. And participants' ages range from about 16 to 60
"There is room for everyone," he said. "And no dance partner is required. ... We have just grown and grown and grown. I want to thank the community. They have made this company even more than I thought it could be."
Visit daytonasalsa.com.
