Sacramento's Sunshine...
An Oasis in the State of California
By Edie, The Salsa FREAK

Al and I had a beautiful time in Sacramento.  Sacramento promoter Fahad organized the entire weekend's performances and workshops.  We held our dance (beginner, intermediate, advanced), men and women's Styling, and Spins workshops at the Mike Del Campo Dance Studio at 2993 Fulton Ave, about ten minutes from downtown Sacramento.  There's a Starbucks right across the street - which was great for us because we performed and danced virtually every night we were there, and needed a quick boost the next mornings! 

Fahad and I were talking "Salsa" in the car on the way to Starbucks, and we both came to the startling realization that there has been a direct correlation between the explosion of Salsa around the world, the explosion of the Internet, and the explosion of Starbucks coffee.  Think about it.  Each go hand in hand.  A dancer's desire to satisfy their fix is so powerful that they could care less if they have to get up at dark-thirty the next morning to go to work.  The night before, they all clammer to the Internet to find events and places to dance.  Then, they dance all night.  Reality hits the next morning when the alarm clock goes off.  AAAAAaaaaaahhhhh...  Starbucks is the perfect answer.  I'm telling you, if it wasn't for Salsa, Starbucks would have never become a household name, and the Internet wouldn't be half as popular as it is today. 

Fahad is one of Sacramento's first and finest Salseros.  His lead is very clear and his moves are a lot of fun.  I never have to feel like I'm having to "guess" what he wants me to do.  He has excellent rhythm and his timing is perfect.  He told me he picked up a lot of his moves from our Cool Moves video, Volume II.  Fahad moved to Sacramento in 1988.  He became hooked on Salsa in Tampa Florida when his soccer buddies were always listening and dancing to it during their house parties.  "I used to hide in the kitchen to avoid having to dance.  I didn't want to dance Salsa at first.  I was more into Pop-Locking and Hip Hop.  Salsa just wasn't my thing."  Later, the music grew on him, and he started taking Rueda classes in San Francisco.  Fahad never took any classes but Rueda workshops.  He says, that if he were to ever to do it again, he would have taken partnering classes right away.  He learned it all the hard way.  "If I would have taken classes, I would have been much better off.  It took so long.  When I started getting better and better, I was addicted!".   Today, Fahad teaches Salsa and Casino Rueda near downtown Sacramento.  He manages a nightclub called Brannen's across from the State Capital.  "Many promoters have tried to come to Sacramento and open clubs, and hold events. They don't realize how conservative and tight-knit this town really is.  There's no in-fighting or jealousy between schools like I've heard of in other cities.  All the instructors get along great.  We all help each other out, and encourage our students to learn from many different teachers.  Competition between instructors is really not a problem here." 

We met both Mike Del Campo and his beautiful wife Gina on our honeymoon on the Calle Ocho Salsa Odysee Cruise back in March.  Both are wonderful people with hearts bigger than Sacramento itself.  They teach all the dances, but focus primarily on Salsa.  They have a growing dance troop and teach a killer Rueda to boot!  We got the opportunity to watch them practice.   Their dance team is excellent not only in their dancing, but in their attitudes as well.   Many would agree that it is far better to have a dance troop with dancers who are willing and eager to learn, than it is to have a dance troop that thinks they're already all "that", and refuse to learn anymore.  Every dance troop's overall attitude is dictated by the leadership.  This one shines like gold. 

On Thursday, we performed at a beautiful and elegant nightclub / restaurant called Harlow's in downtown Sacramento.   Quite a few gentlemen actually asked me to dance at Harlows!  What a treat!  It is very rare that gentlemen ask me to dance anymore.   99% of the time, I'm always the one doing the asking!  Later that  night we went to the city of Davis and performed at a place called The Grad.  It was a vibrant crowd, with a college-type of atmosphere.  Both played excellent music, had excellent dance floors and were a blast to be at.

On Friday, we performed at a place called the Conga.  They have are two dancefloors, and an AWESOME DJ.  There were a few people from the Bay area that surprisingly showed up!  Bill from Las Vegas was there, Oscar, and Roc, and others whom I don't know their names. 

On Saturday, we performed at Brannan's across from the Capital.  They play R&B upstairs and Salsa downstairs.  It seemed like all the best Salseros hang out there.  I saw some excellent dancing, and danced with some really great dancers!  We had a blast in Sacramento, and hope to come back very soon!

Love, Al and Edie Espinoza