Representing Hispanic Culture - PerformancesPerformances

Performances

In addition to teaching Salsa and Latin dance as “The Salsa Guy,” I am also the director of Tradición Dance Company, a 30-person Puerto Rican and Latin American Folkloric Dance Company. We perform at community festivals, cultural events, concerts, parades, cruise ships throughout the year. Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) is usually our busiest season so organizations often book our group months or even a year in advance. We have been featured on numerous media and you can watch a number of our previous performances below.

Please fill out the request-a-quote form so I can respond to you with an accurate proposal as quickly as possible. It includes questions about your attendees, performing space, timing, budget, music needs, as well as other parameters.

Thanks in advance for your interest in having us perform at your event. In the meantime, you can meet the performers or see a menu of our performing styles here:

NORTH AMERICAN DANCES

A Dance by Miguelito from the Disney Movie COCO (Mexico)

Our Interpretation of Miguelito’s dances from the Disney movie COCO capture his journey to visit his family for Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos.

Duration: 3 to 4 minutes

The full ensemble (6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (3 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space. Duration: 3 to 4 minutes.

El Baile de los Viejitos or The Dance of The Old Men (Mexico)

This is a comedic performance where the dancers dress as senior citizens and wear bright hats adorned with ribbons, a pink smiling mask, and typical campesino clothing. The men start hunched over, aching in pain as they walk with their canes in very slow motion when all of a sudden it turns into vigorous, agile dance where the performers stomping their feet. There are moments in the dance when the “viejitos” return to their “elderly” state, coughing and falling over. This performance be traced back to pre-Hispanic times to the Purépecha indigenous group from Michoacán and was meant to honor the ‘Old God.’ Later, after the colonization by Spain, it was “modernized” and became a parody of old Spanish men.

Duration: 3 to 10 minutes

The full ensemble (5 to 6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (2 to 4 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.

Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead Celebration (Mexico)

This is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead. It is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd and is a time to remember and celebrate loved ones who have passed away.

A full ensemble only (5 to 6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space. Duration: 3 to 10 minutes.

CARIBBEAN DANCES

Salsa Rueda (Cuba)

Salsa Rueda de Casino is a fun, upbeat, high-energy Cuban dance for four to eight performers, lasting three minutes. It is a community dance in a circle as dancers follow a "caller", synchronizing their moves and switching partners at the caller's request. Audiences enjoy watching the spinning, turning, clapping, and movements in unity.

The full ensemble (8 performers) requires a sound system and a large space. Duration: 3 minutes.
The small ensemble (4 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space. Duration: 3 to 11 minutes.

Bomba (Puerto Rico)

Bomba music and dance originated from West African slaves brought to the island of Puerto Rico during the 17th century to work on its sugar cane plantations along the coastline. Slaves gathered in the sugar cane fields on Sundays and festive days to celebrate life and express feelings of repression, sadness, anger, and happiness through music. Bomba created a sense of community for the slaves and allowed for rebellion meetings. Unlike traditional forms of music and dance, the Bomba dancer sets the rhythm of the music delivered by the drummer. The dancer and drummer establish a connection, and the drummer delivers the rhythm by following the dancer’s steps. All performances are accompanied by live music.

The full ensemble (8 to 15 performers) requires a sound system with 9 microphones and a large space. Duration: 15 to 25 minutes.
A small ensemble (3 to 4 performers) in a smaller space does not require a sound system. Duration: 10 minutes.

Plena (Puerto Rico)

Plena developed from Bomba towards the 20th century as slaves were freed in 1873, and Puerto Rico’s political rule was transferred from Spain to the United States in 1898. Freed slaves became part of the working class and traveled to cities along the coast searching for work. It was in the “barrios” of the city of Ponce where Plena was born. Bomba’s African roots blended? with other musical influences from the Taino Indians, Europeans, Jibaros (farmers) and other freed migrant slaves from other Caribbean islands. This fusion of cultures created Plena, a distinctive form of folkloric music native to Puerto Rico. Plena’s lyrics are like a sung newspaper about events and occurrences in daily life.

The full ensemble (8 performers) requires a sound system and a large space. Duration: 12 minutes.
A small ensemble (4 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space. Duration: 3 to 10 minutes.

Seis (Puerto Rican)

Seis is the folkloric music played by Puerto Rico's country folk (jíbaros) and is rooted in music that arrived in Puerto Rico from Spain during times of colonization. Listeners can recognize Moorish and Arabic influences in Seis given that those cultures were present in Spain for nearly eight centuries. Jíbaros lived in the mountains of Puerto Rico and worked on plantations, particularly coffee plantations. They played and danced to Seis in the afternoons and into the night after religious ceremonies during the 17th and 18th centuries. The music features the cuatro a Puerto Rican guitar-like instrument that evolved from Spanish instruments and is the most important instrument played in jíbaro music.

Duration: 3 minutes

The full ensemble (8 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
A small ensemble (4 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space.

Danza (Puerto Rico)

Danza is a Puerto Rican musical genre that resembles classical European waltz, which first appeared around 1870 in Ponce, a city on Puerto Rico’s southern coast and the capital at the time. A rigid Spanish country dance (contradanza) became popular during the first third of the 19th century, but faded upon the arrival of Cuban immigrants circa 1840. The new immigrants introduced their form of music (habanera) and a more rhythmic style of dance for couples which resonated with the Puerto Rican youth at the time. Puerto Rican composers adopted the habanera music and mixed it with local musical variations hence Danza was born. Unlike Bomba y and Plena, Danza is a high society type of dance where women wear long formal gowns, and gloves, and discretely communicate to the men through signals with their handheld fans. Other popular dances from that time include Mazurka, Polka, Vals, and Paso Doble all of which are ballroom dances introduced to Puerto Rico by the Spaniards and other European immigrants.

The full ensemble (8 to 10 performers) requires a sound system and a large space. Duration: 10 minutes.

CENTRAL AMERICAN DANCES

Cumbia (Salvador)

Cumbia El Sombrero Azul comes from El Salvador that is based on indigenous tunes and features the African Clave rhythm. Tubular bells are a cue for El Salvador's Christianity and majestic trumpets create a feeling of great fanfare for El Salvador's national pride.

Duration: 3 minutes

The full ensemble (10 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (4 to 6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.

Las Comaleras ( Salvador)

This captivating dance celebrates the vibrant culture and traditions of El Salvador. It is deeply rooted in the country's rural regions, paying homage to the hardworking women who labor over traditional clay comales (griddles). These comales are essential for cooking tortillas, a staple food in Salvadorian cuisine.

Dancers wear colorful, flowing skirts adorned with intricate embroidery, reflecting the vibrancy of Salvadorian textiles. The dance movements mimic the tortilla-making process: kneading invisible dough, patting and shaping tortillas, and pretending to flip them on an imaginary comal. The unity of the dancers, often forming a circle, symbolizes the communal spirit of women working together.

Duration: 3 minutes

The Full ensemble (6 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space.
Small ensemble (2 performers) requires a sound system and a smaller space.

SOUTH AMERICAN DANCES

Tango (Argentina)

Argentine Tango is a passionate and expressive dance originating from the streets of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century. It involves intricate footwork, subtle body movements, and intense connection between partners. The dance is characterized by its improvisational nature, where dancers communicate through subtle cues and responses. Argentine Tango is not just a dance but a form of communication, allowing partners to express emotions, desires, and stories through their movements. Its unique blend of intimacy, elegance, and intensity continues to captivate dancers and audiences worldwide.

There will be 2 dancers. Duration: 3 to 10 Minutes.

Cumbia (Colombia)

Cumbia is a folkloric genre and dance from Colombia. The cumbia is the most representative dance of the coastal region in Colombia, and is danced in pairs with the couple not touching one another as they display the amorous conquest of a woman by a man.

Duration: 3 to 6 minutes: 3 to 6 minutes.

The full ensemble (4 to 6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (2 performers) requires a sound system.

Cumbia "La Pollera Colorá "(Colombia)

La Pollera Colorá is a Colombian cumbia song, which translates as "brightly colored skirt." The name refers to a traditional, brightly colored dress that is considered the most well-known national costume for women in Colombia. It was composed in 1960 as an instrumental by clarinetist Juan Madera Castro. Singer-songwriter Wilson Choperena composed the lyrics in 1962.

Duration: 3 to 6 minutes

The full ensemble (10 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (4 to 6 performers) requires a sound system.

El Mapalé (Colombia) COMING SOON

A lively Afro-Colombian and Ecuadorian dance finds its roots along Colombia's Caribbean coast. Originating in regions like San Basilio de Palenque, Maria La Baja, and Cartagena, this dance celebrates the resilience and joy of African-descendant communities. The name "Mapalé" draws inspiration from the **Cathorops mapale**, a fish that wriggles energetically when out of water. In this rhythmic dance, men mimic fish movements, while women sway their hips, clad in black skirts adorned with fringes. The beat of drums and constant clapping accompany the swift steps, evoking both labor and sexual frenzy. El Mapalé remains a vibrant testament to cultural heritage, bridging past and present with each spirited movement.

Small ensemble (2 to 4 performers) requires a sound system. Duration: 3 minutes.

THEATRICAL, PARADE & SINGING PERFROMANCES

Salsa Performance Group (Ladies in Red)

Through their dances with style and grace they shine on the dance floor. These are the Ladies in Red

(Salsa Guy's Dancers). They perform Salsa, Bachata and Cha-cha.

Duration: 3 to 10 minutes

The full ensemble (3 to 4 performers) requires a sound system and a large space. The small ensemble (2 performers) requires a sound system.

Folk Characters Meet & Greet (Puerto Rico & Mexico)

Meet and greet with various traditional folk characters from Puerto Rico and Mexico dressed in traditional folk dresses. Our characters facilitate the promotion of an event, keeping the public engaged, and allows the public to pose with our performers for pictures. See a full list with photos of our characters here!

The full ensemble (5 to 8 performers).
The small ensemble (2 to 4 performers).

Folk Characters Show (Puerto Rico)

We proudly present a brief history of the Puerto Rican festivals and its characters. These characters and their masks are an essential part of these activities that occur primarily in the coastal towns and are an integral part of Puerto Rican folklore since the first half of the 19th century. Folk Characters are introduced to the public with an explanation of their meaning and purpose. Our performance features up to six characters and lasts up to 30 minutes. Today, the Cabezudos represent historical characters, painters, writers, patriots, and composers, whether alive or deceased and also everyday people who become icons like Don Saul, the street vendor of white lilies in the Old City. More information about our characters here!

The full ensemble (5 to 6 performers) requires a sound system and a large space.
The small ensemble (2 to 4 performers) requires a sound system.

Singer - (Mexico)

Alma Ranchera sings traditional Ranchera music, a quintessential genre in Mexico, embodying a sense of machismo, romance, and grandiose beauty. It’s characterized by pastoral themes, elongated notes, and the iconic charro costume. Some songs include Guadalajara”, Allá en el Rancho Grande, Ay Jalisco No Te Rajes, El Mariachi Loco Quiere Bailar, Volver Volver, and many more.

Requires a sound system can be proformed in small places. Duration: 30 minutes.

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