Latin Splash 2003 - London, England
June 29, 2003
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On a rare hot, sunny day in South London, something special was taking place. It couldn't be more different to the Wimbledon tennis taking place just up the road. A section of Clapham Common had been transformed into a mini Latin America known as Latin Splash. With two Latin Festivals happening over the same weekend, this was very poor planning. However, Latin Splash had gathered some of the biggest names in salsa for the first large scale salsa event in London for nearly 2 years. Starting at 10.00 a.m., this was a 12 hour Latin extravaganza that salseros had been looking forward to for weeks.

Paulito FG was one of the first acts on stage. Despite a poor sound quality, his brilliance echoed across the Common and had people singing and dancing on the grass. There followed several other acts on stage, but Paulito's performance had me itching for a proper dance, so off we headed to the salsa tent.

The Salsa Tent was suitable impressive. With a temporary wooden floor, a huge marquee and balloons everywhere, it was very much a fiesta atmosphere. With a list of DJs taking their turn on the deck, the music ranged from hard core timba to Colombian cumbia. There were also several classes for non-dancers, including a very sexy merengue class that I witnessed. The dance floor wasn't brilliant but danceable, although one section did have to be cordoned off later in the evening when the floor boards started rising.

After several dances to some great music, it was time to explore the food village. The food on sale ranged from everyday chicken and chips (fries) to Brazilian, Jamaican and Colombian food - food to cater to everyone's taste.

During the course of the day, it was easy to take your pick from listening or watching some great performances on stage, dancing away in the salsa tent, lazing about on the grass or sitting in one of the temporary bars out of the sunshine. For the more energetic, there was a five-a-side "Mini-Copa America" football* tournament, with the cup for the winners being presented by World Cup Colombian veteran, Carlos Valderrama. His famously flamboyant hairstyle hasn't changed a bit from his World Cup days and he was accompanied on stage by some very scantily dressed ladies - much to the amusement of the wide Latin American audience.

Back on stage, as normal for a lot of these events, everything was behind programme. There were some wonderful salsa and Brazilian dance shows. We were also entertained by the likes of Son Boricua, Lisandro Meza, Aldo Ranks, los Gigantes del Vallenato and a great performance from Lady Ragga, who's original Cuban rap version of 50 Cents "In da House" had the audience going wild.

When she finally arrived on stage, La India gave an electric performance and displayed the reason why she's known as the "Princess of Salsa". The grand finale was left to the veteran band El Gran Combo, who were the highlight of the festival. Their tight, slick performance had the audience dancing and singing together and the Salsa tent virtually empty. Their energy and 40 years experience together, shone through and made their mark to an enthusiastic audience.

After 9 hours, it was time to go home. Those left with any stamina continued partying at the local club until the early hours. Those of us who can't take the pace and who had work the following morning hobbled home, tired but happy. Hopefully it won't be another 2 years before we experience another Latin festival, but this time, let's hope the organisers will check that there isn't another Latin festival happening at the same time!

 

*football - for those of you in the USA, this is not American Football - you would know it as "soccer"!

Actualizada el día 07-Mar-2005