Thank you to all that helped us celebrate the 25-year anniversary of registering our trade name, Salsa Pittsburgh! From our NYC professional dancers, Diego Rivera & Yaritza Arboleda, to the performance teams from Pittsburgh and Cleveland, to guest DJ, Efrain “Frankie” Flores, volunteers, Dawn Bizba, Irena Czuczman, Paul Bhaskar, and all of the dancers and Latin music lovers that attended our dances and workshops. Thanks to the venue owners/managers that allowed us to host our dances and workshops. And, thank you to Tony Encizo for his videography/photography on Saturday night. It was truly a heart-warming experience for Colleen and I to witness a sea of dancers enjoying two nights of social dancing and two days of workshops! We feel very fortunate that our lives have been so enriched and fulfilled through the experiences and friendships we have made since our first introduction to Salsa dancing in 1995. I don’t think there will be a 50-year anniversary, but we do have a few more gallons in our tank, so stay tuned for future events and dances from Salsa Pittsburgh!
We will post videos/pictures in the next day or so on our social media pages…again, we thank everyone for making this celebration so special!
And a special THANK YOU to Marixa Moran and Jessica Taylor for surprising us with the beautiful crystal 25 year commemorative gift, and the very kind words that were expressed!
Jeff & Colleen…10/27/25
You can purchase your pass (Full Pass, Saturday Pass, or Sunday Pass) on Eventbrite at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salsa-pittsburghs-25-year-anniversary-dance-weekend-tickets-1558014516359
If you plan on attending all or part of our weekend, please consider using this Event Frame by uploading your image inside it and sharing it (website below) or by making it your profile picture on FB…any help in spreading the word about our celebration is certainly appreciated!
https://frame-me.io/dance-events/salsa-mambo/salsa-pittsburgh-weekend-2025/
Brochure images are below…a registration panel is on the brochure and you can save the Eventbrite fees by purchasing your passes via the brochure panel…in the meantime, see the flyer for the venue listings and times, as well as the workshop descriptions below:
EVENT BROCHURE HERE: https://salsapittsburgh.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SP25-Brochure.pdf
Click below for inside/outside panels of the brochure:
WORKSHOP CONTENT
Wightman School Community Building
5604 Solway St (Squirrel Hill), Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, October 25 – 1:00 – 4:30 pm
HOUR 1 (1:00 – 2:00 pm)
Body Movement/Musicality – Fundamentals of Latin body movement, how to be more musical in your dancing by applying body movement/isolations to specific instruments in salsa music.
HOUR 2 (2:15 – 3:15 pm)
On1 Partnerwork – learn a smooth combination and dance appropriately (match your energy level) within the musical structure of a salsa song.
HOUR 3 (3:30 – 4:30 pm)
Shines/Footwork – learn a footwork combo and understand three timings (On1, On2, Contratiempo)…what is Clave and what role does it play relative to timing?
Sunday, October 26 – 12:00 – 4:45 pm
HOUR 1 (12:00 – 1:00 pm)
Pachanga, Boogaloo, Cha Cha – short discussion on the roots of these three genres, followed by fundamentals and where to apply these skill sets, so that you can become a more versatile salsa/mambo dancer.
HOUR 2 (1:15 – 2:15 pm)
Spins/Turns – Solo/Couples – Introduction to exercises/drills that will improve your spins and turns. Two aspects will be taught: how to execute individual spins/turns (solo) and proper leading/following technique while spinning within partnerwork.
HOUR 3 (2:30 – 3:30 pm)
NY Style Partnerwork On2 – Learn an intricate, fast-paced combination using NY On2 timing.
HOUR 4 (3:45 – 4:45 pm)
Mambo Jam/Footwork – get ready to sweat as Yaritza and Diego close out the weekend with some unique funky footwork!
DANCES
| Friday, Oct 24 Dance Coraopolis VFW 412 Mulberry St – Coraopolis, PA 2500 Sq Ft Wood Parquet Ballroom Seating for 150, Free Parking Performances/Cash Bar 8:30 pm – 12:30 am $15.00 admission at the door, or included with Full Pass DJ Jeff Shirey |  | Performances: 1. Rachel Sensi Booth & Nina Demeter Ramos (Pittsburgh) 2. Alma y Sabor (Cleveland) 3. Steel City Kizomba (Pittsburgh) 4. Katie Pendred & Mel Cortez (Pittsburgh) 5. Yaritza & Diego (NYC) |
| Saturday, Oct 25 Dance Velum Fermentation 2120 Jane St – (Southside), Pittsburgh, PA 5000 Sq Ft Terrazzo Dance area Free Parking Performances/Cash Bar 8:30 pm – 12:30 am $15.00 admission at the door, or included with Full Pass DJ Efrain “Frankie” Flores (Cleveland, OH) & DJ Jeff Shirey |  | Performances: 1. 5SIX7 Studio – Bachata (Cleveland) 2. Saoco de Mambo (Cleveland) 3. Vee and Avelino (Cleveland) 4. Bachatalicious (Pittsburgh) 5. 5SIX7 Studio – Salsa (Cleveland) 6. Yaritza & Diego (NYC) |