3rd Annual MN Salsa Fiesta with La Gran Charanga

It’s a post-Halloween, pre-Carnival party with classic cumbias, hip shaking merengues, modern timba, intense danzones, romantic boleros, and salsa, salsa, salsa!

Dozens of top  local  Latin music and dancers will come together  for a talent lineup  that  includes musicians from Charanga Tropical,  Malamanya,  Salsa Del Soul, Sensacion Latina, and Salsabrosa. Dance showcases will include pros from acclaimed Social Dance Studio and fabulous rueda performance groups Minneami Salsa and Salsa De La Calle.  Adding spice will be tarot card readings, face painting, and a live Cuban cigar roller!

Doors open at 7 p.m. with DJ Fatty spinning salsa hits.  Bring your dancing shoes for a lively salsa lesson from one of Minnesota's leading instructors Rene Thompson, former lead dancer at La Tropicana in Havana, Cuba.  At 8 p.m. beloved local band Malamanya takes the stage for a 1-hour set.  Then the pro dancers perform and just before 10 pm mega-band La Gran Charanga takes the stage.  

La Gran Charanga is a 16-piece  with a 5-piece horn section, 3 violins, 4 singers, and a full Latin rhythm section.  The band  features 3-time Latin Grammy  nominee Viviana Pintado (QBand), singers Adriana Rimpel (Malamanya),  Juan Bautista (Sensación Latina), and Gloria Rivera (Salsa Del Soul), percussionists Rey Rivera (Zafra), and Mariano Flores (Salsabrosa),  trumpeter Bill Simemson (SevenSteps To Havana), flutist/music director Doug Little (Charanga Tropical), and many others.

¡Hasta La Fiesta!