Cali Style Salsa

A city that adopted salsa

Salsa records from Cuba, Puerto Rico and New York reached Colombia's Pacific coast through the port of Buenaventura, and Cali took the music to heart. Neighborhood record collectors, called melómanos, traded rare vinyl, and local dance halls turned into training grounds for a new kind of dancer.

By the 1980s Colombian bands were writing their own hits. Grupo Niche, founded by Jairo Varela, gave the city its anthem with Cali Pachanguero, and Cali began calling itself the salsa capital of the world.

Footwork first

Cali style is about the feet. Dancers keep their upper bodies fairly calm while their legs fire off tiny, rapid steps, flicks and kicks, often doubling the speed of the music. Partner work tends to stay close, with fewer long traveling turns than LA or New York style, and more side-by-side footwork sections.

Local lore says DJs once played records at a faster speed than intended to keep dancers on their toes. Whatever the truth, the city's dancers clearly love a fast tempo.

Cali dancers often train in academies from childhood, and competition routines pack in tricks, lifts and synchronized footwork that look almost impossible at full speed. On social floors the style is simpler, but you can still spot a caleño by the quick, bouncing feet and the joy with which they attack a fast song.

Feria de Cali and the Salsódromo

Every year in late December the Feria de Cali fills the city with concerts and dance. The festival opens with the Salsódromo, a street parade where more than 2,000 dancers from local schools perform in sequined costumes along a closed avenue.

The city also hosts the Festival Mundial de Salsa, a competition that draws dance companies and couples from across Colombia and abroad.

Salsa as a career

Cali has dozens of dance schools, many in working-class neighborhoods, and salsa offers young people training, travel and paid work. The show Delirio blends salsa, circus and live orchestra, and has become a symbol of how the city turned a dance into an industry and a source of pride.

For visitors, the city's salsa bars offer a way in. Many places mix live bands with classic records, and locals are often happy to show a few steps. Go early, watch for a song or two, and do not worry about keeping up: in Cali the effort is applauded as much as the skill.

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