The International Hustle and Salsa  Competition 2001 in Miami by Fernando Cáceres Due to unfortunate circumstances, I completely missed the welcome party and the first night of competitions where they held the Professional Jack and Jill (which I heard was really great), Amateur Hustle & Salsa, Amateur Theatre Arts Hustle, Pro-am Classic Hustle, etc. After a long drive down to Miami from New York City, I did, however, make it in time to have to wait about 45 minutes on Saturday morning for someone to help me get situated with my pre-paid package. After that, I made it in time again to wait over an hour (since they started late) to see Pro-am Hustle that had so many divisions that I couldn't take it anymore.  I ended up taking a workshop with (a local salsa school, unnamed as per request of owner) instead. The workshop was fun, except for a few professional Hustle/Salsa dancers who felt overconfident and jumped into the advanced rueda and threw off the flow of the circle. When I left the workshop I went back to the competition and wound up running into more, you guessed it, Amateur Hustle. I then decided to go outside for a little Salsa over by the poolside dancing area and hung out for awhile figuring that at the pace things were moving, I still had time to kill before the salsa competition would start. After hanging out and dancing by the poolside for about an hour, I went back inside to find out that I basically missed the whole salsa competition!!! How frustrating is that!!! That same evening (Saturday night) they held the Gala dinner. The dinner tickets weren't inside the package because they had been printed the same day as the dinner, so we had to wait in line to get the tickets. Then we had to wait on another long zig-zag line just to get into the ballroom!!! Of course the good tables were gone by the time we got in, but what can you do? On the whole, the show was OK, but I could have done without the Austin Powers performance. I really enjoyed the Salsa performance done to Grupo Niche's "Cali Pachangero," as well as the Tango performance done to "La Cumparsita." As for the food,  I figured we'd at least have a choice--you know, "chicken, beef, salmon"; you had to have chicken, and you also had to make believe it was good! I figured that we would at least be treated with an open bar since we paid some good money for the show, but once again, I guessed wrong. You had to pay for drinks and you even had to get your butt up and get them yourself. The ballroom dancing was fun, but only when the DJ took a break from disco and played some salsa.  I also got to dance in an enormous rueda that was at least fifty couples strong which I enjoyed. Sunday morning I took a workshop with Salsa Racing Dance Studios and had a great time, except for the Pro-Whatevers who once again jumped into the advanced rueda and didn't even know "dame una." This was the big day and the last day for the Professional Salsa & Team Salsa competitions, along with Just Hustle, Classic Hustle, Theatre Arts Hustle, etc.  The hustle competition was really nice and so was the Tango exhibition. In between divisions they would open the dance floor for everyone to dance, but they only played a few salsa songs and the rest was Disco for the hustle people. The children's Rueda de Casino performance was great!  As for the Salsa competition, we got to see some great dancers from LA to New York pulling off all kinds of wild stunts. There were a lot of acrobatics, and sometimes more gymnastics than actual dancing. It was strange to see how many couples didn't show up. The division was classified as "anything goes salsa," so this opened doors for people who may dance with a different style rather than the uniform "competition salsa."  Henry Herrera and Yanisbel Sánchez went out there and showed everyone what hardcore Casino Cubano is! The arm tangling, intricate turns, and overall performance got the best response from the crowd as everyone cheered and yelled while they danced. To my surprise, it wasn't as exciting for the judges who didn't even place them 3rd at award time! It was obvious to everyone they were cheated. After speaking with other respected salsa dancers, observers, plus hearing what people said to the couple before the awards indicated that they should have placed 1st or 2nd. Then it came time for the team competition, which I had been waiting for all weekend! I knew I'd be seeing the best of Rueda de Casino action, since it was being held in Miami. But once again, I was let down!  The only team competitors that showed up out of six different teams scheduled to compete were Henry Herrera and his group from Salsa Racing Dance Studios. They put on an awesome performance that unfortunately had to be shortened from its original duration, plus ended up being an exhibition since they were the only ones who showed up to compete. On top of that, they didn't even receive the full prize, which they should have. The justification for them not receiving the full prize was the other teams' absence. I felt that (unnamed studio as per owner's request) should have at least done their part in competing since they were the dance company with the most advertisement throughout the weekend.  I was very disappointed. After all the work, time and money they put in, the Salsa Racing Team was rewarded with an unprofessional gesture which was only a portion of what their prize should have been.  When you consider the hefty package prices that didn't include hotel accommodations, but did include bad food for the dinner, and a "no video cameras" rule put in place so they can profit from the video tapes that they've made of the weekend, I don't understand why they couldn't pay in full? I think that was unfair and somewhat disrespectful. It wasn't their fault that all the others backed out.  As a first-time spectator at a professional hustle & salsa competition, I was disenchanted. Was it overrated?  Yes.  Was it like the movie "Dance With Me?"  No.   Was it worth the money?  NO.  I felt like it was divided into two groups that clashed: The Hustle people and the Salsa people.  I can't say that everyone had or would have had the same experience I did, but then again, I don't have the same interest as a hustle dancer or a biased salsa dancer.  With regard to the competition, I do feel that the ethics & norms of salsa competitions need to be re-examined. The beauty of Salsa is now universal, and it can be danced and expressed in different ways; it is therefore crucial for us to also look at it in different ways.  °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° Note from Jacira: This competition was never announced on the South Florida Events Calendar of this site due to my own negative experience with the organizers in 2000.  This short article by our new New York Local Correspondent, Fernando Cáceres, just revalidates my experience.     All editorials and letters to the editor on SalsaPower.com are personal opinions of those people who write them and do not necessarily reflect the position of SalsaPower.  If you wish to comment on this article, send your letter to: editorials@salsapower.com .