DJ Sammy

Rueda at Seattle Center

2009-01-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

December 28, 2008
We all got together and did a Rueda with Dennis for Winterfest!

Alki Beach '08

2009-01-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

Xtreme Welcome Party in Corvallis!

2008-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Xtreme Cuban Salsa Weekend 2008.
Salsa Suelta (line dancing) at the Platinum Club! Ahi nama!
And the rest of the amp'ed crowd beyond.

Grupo Ashe Returns!...

2008-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Pedrito and Friends returned to Nectar last night! They had the crowd shak'in it till they turned the lights 'ON'! ;) For me, the best G.A. show to-date. My 'despelote hangover' is on today, but I'm still smiling! Thanks to everyone who made this show off-the-chain! Also, thanks to Eglis and Ruth for adding Cuban sabor with their dancing on stage.

The best decision Pedrito made since deciding to form the group, was to invite this woman named Mikaela Romero to sing a few songs with them. Did she drop from the heavens?? When I first heard her voice at their RockSalt show, i couldn't believe my ears, my jaw dropped - She sounded just like Yeni of Los Van Van!! Thanks Mikaela for bringing your wonderful vocals, in the midst of machismo. It's great to hear. I'll be Groupie #1.
Check out these small, average quality, videos & photos from the show! (they don't do them justice..) You can click on the photos to make them larger.
Cuidate

Musica en Sayulita, Mexico

2008-04-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Salsa Night at Don Pedro's
My first two nights in Mexico were the most memorable for dancing, and the second night I was in one of my favorite places in the world. Sayulita. Don Pedro's was jam packed and the mujeres (chicas) were ready to dance! Again, I met wonderful people, especially a very nice group from Bucerias. I'll never forget some of those dances! Thank you. I hope I get to see those photos of me....as I never take photos of myself! ;)

Musica Cubana at Dragon Rojo
I kept a constant eye out for good music (especially Cuban) as i strolled thru the village at night. I stumbled across this place, on either my 3rd or 4th night and although the dancers were not out in force, the band was flavorful enough to keep the crowd moving on a chilly evening. I think some of the men-folk were there to check out the blonde bombshell vocalists.....(which looked like twins) But with my limited Espanol, I wasn't the one who would be able to acquire that information from the non-English speaking band. The song they sang, "Que Manera de Quererte" was a favorite with all the bands. I must have heard it 4-5 times during the week!

Samba at Fiambala. Brazil!
Well, the night of my birthday I was looking for a good time~! ...and I eventually found it. Once again, another Cuban band was playing at Dragon Rojo....but zero people were there. I was a bit disappointed as they were very good. I decided to take a stroll to find something else, and all I had to do was take 2 steps and I heard the party nearby in Fiambala, the Argentinian restaurant in which I had the best steak dinner a night before. Even though I had hoped for Cuban, it was nice to find something different and also give my knees a rest! So, I shook my booty a bit and watched the other great dancers shake theirs. Pirate booty that is..arrrg!

El Sabor de Cuba en México!

2008-04-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few short clips of the many dance opportunities I had in my amazing week in Mexico.
March 2008.

La Bodeguita del Medio, Puerto Vallarta
One of the best Cuban bands I've ever seen! and it was in PV at this famous Cuban restaurant.
The best decision I made on my itinerary was to stay in PV my first night, just to go to this establishment to see what kind of fun I would find. Well, I found it. This band played till 3am (a total of about 5 to 6 hours!) with about 5 set breaks! WoW. What energy, stamina, and sabor. In that time, the audience/dancers would change face many times....but, Me and a few hardcore fanatics had not moved far from the floor. Mind you, I did break for dinner and went upstairs for some paella, as I basically came from the airport straight to dancing! I certainly didn't dance for 5 hours straight, but after a day of air travel, I wouldn't have made it to 3am without the adrenaline of the night helping me along. I met some great people that night and I'm sure they remember the evening, the band, and the dancing as fondly as I do........Ahi Nama!!

Pedrito Vargas y su Grupo Ashé's Debut!

2008-04-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Seattle's First Timba Band?! That's right! Pedrito has given us what we wanted! Thank you Pedro.
Well, like the reputation of timba music... this new group of artists, the crowd, and the vibe was electric, hot, and a lot of FUN! at Nectar on 4/3/08! Sabroso!
Here are a few small clips from my little camera, therefore sorry about the quality....it's just a taste.
Was it a success??......Well, I think this image tells me better than anything = There was a moment in the night when John started leading some moves and I joined the salsa suelta. After a few moments I looked behind me, and there were 3 ROWS deep of synchronized "line dancing"!!! That might be the first time I've seen that in Seattle, for a live band! Nice dancing everyone...look'in good! Goosebumps.
Here is the clip and a few others from the evening.

Havana NRG Photos 8/30/07

2007-09-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Havana NRG at Century 8/30/07

2007-09-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Our friend 'D', dancing with 3 ladies at Havana NRG show at Century Ballroom!

Rueda at the Century...

2007-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Great Ruedas in between sets! (Havana NRG at Century on 8/30/07)

Cuban Salsa, Seattle Stylie II

2007-09-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

Mini Ruedas, Seattle Stylie

2007-09-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

Great night at Mojitos with the Supersones on 10/18/06!!