The creator of Salsa Info.nl,
the largest salsa website in the Netherlands talks to ¿QUE PASA? about his experiences, projects, and ambition
¿QUE PASA?: Can you describe the Salsa scene in Holland at the moment?
Andre: Compared to the nineties, Salsa has taken an enormous flight. It has clearly required its own place in society and seems well established. Practically every town or village count one or more Salsa dance schools, that organize their own parties, weekly or monthly.
In summer, quite a few festivals take place, with more and more performances by Latin and Salsa bands. Also, organisers take advantage of European tours to program a latin touch from abroad. Fanatic salsa dancers, who like to frequent the special international Salsa Dance Congresses, will find one or more in the Netherlands as well. However, quite a few Dutchies do not hesitate to move their country to visit Salsa Dance Congresses abroad. There are plenty of choices. Worldwide, there must be over 200 of these congresses.
Salsa is here to stay, but has been joined by several other Latin music styles, such as zouk, bachata, reggaeton, and many more. In the Netherlands, the real hype started with the Buena Vista Social Club. The fourty plus generation will remember those “old men with their guitars and dance moves”, who filled every theatre in the nineties. They even were mentioned in the 8 o’clock news on national television. Holland started by getting acquainted with the Cuban son. This music was, and still is, very accessible for the great public. Everybody could wiggle along a bit and widely make an attempt to move the hips. Salsa teachers benefited from this.
When I started to dance (Cuban casino style), the average age of the dancers was 35+. Partly, thanks to the influence of the LA style this average age descended to 20+. Why? In my eyes, the LA style tends to attract more younger people. To many, at first sight, it looks more dynamic and spectacular. Cuban style is generally considered also slower, though this is often not the case. Personally, I assume Salsa is attractive for everyone, no matter which style you choose. It does not have to be perfect all the time, the important thing is to enjoy dancing and weather you dance on 1 or on 2, that doesn’t matter.
Salsa is still “hot” and it keeps on growing. I think that Salsa is there to stay, but it will generate various “crossovers” . The Latin music, with all its diversity and styles, will continue to grow, I’m sure.
¿QUE PASA?: How did you become involved in Salsa?
Andre: Some 14 years ago, my brother (DJ Don Pedro) – who cannot dance anymore because Multiple Sclerosis has now confined him to a wheelchair - took me to place where they taught Cuban Salsa (Casino style). At first I thought it a bit strange, but after having watched for half a year, I decided to give it a go. What struck my at once, was the friendly atmosphere and that everybody was obviously having a good time.
Everyone would dance with everyone, and it didn’t matter in which “level” you were. Just like with Ballroom dancing, there were more women than men. The advantage of being a man was being invited to repeat classes at different days of the week, and getting the occasion to practise with different women. Soon I discovered that mastering the rhythms and steps paid off, because it made you popular among the women. So I practised daily, together with my brother.
We had a great time. Unfortunately, that period ended when the Council decided to close our Salsa location. I was very disappointed, because Salsa was not that big yet, and it was the only “Salsa spot” in town. Protests did not help, so instead I decided to start promoting Salsa. My girlfriend Caroline (now my wife), whom I had just met back then, encouraged me to follow my heart. It was the start of what would later grow out to be my present business: Salsa Info!
At first I took pictures of parties, and later of Salsa artists. I published the photographs on line, and added a small event calendar. My first web site was born: Lamanca.nl, a combination of both our names. At the present time, this site has been split up into latinartiesten.nl and salsainfo.nl. In that same period, my brother, who could not dance anymore because of his disease, decided to be a Salsa DJ te worden. He also encouraged me to continue with Salsa, and became the first sponsor on my website.
Now Salsa Info is already 6 years old, and it is the salsa website with the largest number of visitors in the Netherlands. Of course, I do not have the only info site in the Netherlands, there are more. With most of these sites, Salsa Info has established a strategic partnership. That makes us strong, and prevents conflicts. We reinforce each other, and by working together, we can accomplish more.
¿QUE PASA?: What is your next musical production? When will it open and who is taking part?
Andre: I hope to formally present my next musical production in May 2008. The final version still depends on several factors, but preparations are on their way. In May 2008 it will be presented as a theatre performance.
Also, I am negociating with several parties to produce several musical performances together, covering a larger scope than just the Cuban part. At present, the theatre performances with Latin music are mainly filled by Cuban bands, touring the European theatres. I intend to present a more complete programme, with live music, dance, decors, costumes and a story line. The majority of the theatre public likes to lean back and be amused, and loves this type of performances. So right now we are already working on various musical productions for 2009. There is yet much to come.
¿QUE PASA?: Can you tell me about your website?
Andre: My first website was Salsa Lamanca, and that contained mostly my own pictures from Latin artists and dancing events. I remember my first pictures of well known artists: Oscar D’León & Celia Cruz. That was in 2000, when I also used to take pictures for a Jazz label. My simple website was still built in Publisher back then.
That would change quickly. My website started to grow, and I started to publish more and more information on various latin activities. In May 2001 I started my 2nd website Salsa Info, which now is the largest informative latin internet site in the Netherlands. In the following years,I created several other websites covering aspects of Latin American music. At the moment I have about 10 websites, but Salsa Info is by far the largest and for me the most important one.
¿QUE PASA? What is the line up for your salsa festival?
Andre: For 2008, the line up is not yet known. Like many organisers of festivals, we start programming in November/December. By then, most (foreign) bands have layed out their tour schedules and try to present themselves for festivals. Of course, we also have our own list of bands we would like to contract, and by negotiating we try to come to an agreement. For my Cubamania Festival, bands with a Cubaans repertoire are preferred. Cuban music is accessible for everyone, and offers a great variety of styles.
The Cubamania Festival is not large in the number of visitors, but it is famous for is great atmosphere. We can host a maximum of 6000 visitors on the grounds, but endeavour to limit the access at 3500 visitors. Cubamania must stay a small scale, cosy festival with enough space to move for everyone. As organisations, we consider that to be very important.Every year we try to program a mix of known bandsand “young” promising bands. So far, Cubamania has no sponsors, and has to make ends meet with the proceedings of the entry fees and consumptions. We are still hoping for a good sponsor, who will enable us to pogramm a "big", well known artist of band as main act. Who knows, we might just succeed in finding one for 2008...
¿QUE PASA? What are your ambitions for the future of salsa in Holland?
Andre: My ambitions, that is a big question. I have many ambitions, and if I succeed in making half of those come real, I’ll be more than satisfied. The last years, I have seen, heard and learned a lot. My dream has always been the theatre and I am already active in that field. I like working in the background, and am being consulted by several festivals and large events concerning the programming. I can dispose of a large database and an extended network, and because of my organisational activities, I receive a lot of offers from bands, including international ones. That makes me an interesting contact for organisers, bands and booking agents. On the promotional plan, I am convinced that the Internet is the future, and I will continue to work on that. I would love to have my own large event one day, but nowadays that is not an easy goal. Sponsors are not anxious to spend money on salsa. They do not consider Salsa a very rentable investment. As long as newspapers and television don't pay any attention to it, salsa will not generate enough publicity.
¿QUE PASA? What do you think of the British salsa scene?
Andre: I have not attended sufficient Salsa parties in the UK to be able to judge that. I do follow the artists that are active in the UK, and I know that your country counts several Salsa Dance Congresses, with many visitors. At my next crossing of the North Sea, I will certainly look into it.
OK, Salseros that's all for now! If you wish to know more about the Netherlands Salsa Scene please visit my
website www.salsainfo.nl
Y que Viva la Salsa! Cheer!
