The 4th Annual DC Bachata Congress was held from Thursday, August 9th through Sunday, August 12th at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC. It was a great event with performances by several dance groups from different locations ranging from the local DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area, to New York and New Jersey and as far away as Illinois.
As a native New Yorker now living in the DMV, I have been yearning for an event that would allow me to spend time around my fellow Latinos. Immersed in our rich culture, this event definitely met all of my needs! The turnout was amazing; there were attendees from 39 states and 21 international countries which made for a very interesting, diverse and entertaining event.
The choreography of the dance groups were very well put together. You could easily tell that they all worked very hard to prepare for their performances at this event. Their costumes were very detailed and elaborate and many of the ladies wore very sexy outfits. The creativity of traditional Bachata dance and music mixed with Merengue and Salsa (dance and music) were just incredible. Although all of the dance groups did a great job, two groups in particular really stood out to me. One dance group call The Rhythmology Bachata Team from Long Island,New York included a live musical performance with a singer and rapper in their routine. The songstress had such an amazing voice that I initially thought it was a recording. Another group call the Piel Canelea Dance Company began their exciting performance with Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”which was remixed into a Bachata beat.
The Congress also hosted many dance seminars lead by distinguished instructors such as Roberto Lay from Dallas, Texas. Roberto has mastered several genres of dance including Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Bachata and Cha-Cha. Additionally, there weregreat live performances by Joe Veras, Voz A Voz, Bachata Heightz and Nelly Soriano.
All in all, the event was very well put together with great music, amazing performances, beautiful people, and several vendors who displayed and sold items such as dance shoes, jewelry, customized shirts and other apparel.
Iam really looking forward to the New York Bachata Congress!
