Ecuador, champion at the 2023 World Salsa Festival

Nearly 40 competitors traveled to Colombia to represent Ecuador in the Cali 2023 World Salsa Festival. This event, which took place from October 4 to 8, brought together approximately four thousand participants from different parts of the world at the El Pueblo Coliseum, a place that hosted almost 15 thousand attendees who delighted in the movement, passion and skill of each one of the dancers.

Ecuador was represented by dancers from the Djembé Dance Studio and Bongó Dance Center academies. Our compatriots competed in three categories: “Grupo Cabaret Amateur”, “Ensamble” together with The Royal Band orchestra and their unreleased song Cali es Cali with which they obtained fourth place, and the “Salsa Caleña in the World” category where world champions were crowned with the song Cocinero Mayor by Fruko y sus Tesos.

David Bernal, director of Djembé Dance Studio, pointed out that the preparation was arduous to reach this competition.

“We had a preparation of almost six months, and the last two months we increased the rehearsals, reaching the point of having arduous four-hour days during the week and on Sundays up to five hours to be able to bring the championship.”

This was the 18th edition of the festival that is held every year in the coffee-growing country, cradle of one of the most recognized salsa styles worldwide.