Will salsa dancing finally rise from the underground to hit mainstream television? Shows like Dancing with the stars and So You Think You Can Dance have been on the rise, but even in these popular dance shows, salsa gets a brief cameo at best. So what, or who, would it take for salsa dancing to arrive to our TV screens in mainstream media?
Junior and Emily Alibi, ESPN Salsa champions, might just make this possible. They have made it through preliminary rounds and wowed millions on NBC’s reality show America’s Got Talent. They are not the first dance act in the show’s history, but they certainly are the first salsa dancers, and they have gotten to the wild card position. What does this mean? It means that they are now in competition with 8 other acts for a spot on the final round of the show. Tune in Friday, September 3rd to see if they got the spot!
This is very exciting for all the salseros and salseras out there, to see one of our favorite dance couples on a popular TV show, and Junior and Emily are certainly a deserving couple. Having trained with them personally, I am absolutely amazed at the amount of talent they have. They have a bright future, and thanks to them the community at large will be more aware of the hobby that has become a passion and even lifestyle for many of us. Go Junior and Emily!
For those who missed it or have never watched the show America’s Got Talent, the 3rd place Salsa World Champions in the on2 division, Junior and Emily from San Diego, performed their routine on the TV show. They received outstanding reviews from the judges and the audience. Here at Addicted2Salsa we wish them the best of luck on winning the one million dollars. Hopefully they’ll win it as fast as Emily spins because the strength of the dollar is dwindling.
Well, last year’s Jack and Jill contest at San Francisco Salsa Congress was just simply amazing! This year was even better! These people just stole the show. You just have to watch some of the best improvised performances anywhere in the US.
The first place winners this year were Milton Cobo and Masha. Of course, I’ve talked about Milton before, and this video just shows how slick and smooth he is (unbuttoning his shirt while giving a girl multiple spins). Now, or Masha - wow - I’ve never seen such great (yet subtle) footwork styling. You will be rewinding this video a few times in order to appreciate the details. Enjoy!
Ok, now these are the cream of the crop of dancers. These are the famous Junior and Emily salsa dancers. This brother and sister duo are the winners on 2 of the 4th anuual San Francisco International Salsa Competition in 2005. I saw them perform at the PS Congress as well, and they are also excellent instructors - and man, SHE CAN SPIN. Other than Serena from Majesty In Motion, and Magna from Mambotribe, I think Emily is probably the best spinner - hands down. Its one of those videos, where if you weren’ t there to see them live, man, the video doesn’t even do it justice - but a lot of fun to watch. There is nothing more attractive than a woman who can do multiple spins on a dime.
Also, I think the dip at the end of the performance is my favorite dip ever!
