Exclusive Interview!

Rogelio Moreno in Houston
September 22, 2001
By Mick Chang
Salsa Power Local Correspondent in Houston, Texas!

The great LA Salsa Dancer and Choreographer Rogelio Moreno was in Houston this weekend (Sept 21-22) participating in dance performances and workshops. You might have seen Rogelio in the salsa movie "Dance With Me" or on "NYPD Blues".
He was also Josie Neglia's dance partner in the popular salsa instructional video "Salsa Advance Variations". We got a chance to get Rogelio to share some of his thoughts here in Houston.

Q: What is your background and how did you get into salsa?

Rogelio: I was born in Chicago, but grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. As a kid, I was always attracted to the tropical music like merengue and cumbia. When I moved to LA about 12 years ago, I started going to the clubs, and that was when I saw the salsa dancers. And the passion of the dancers really drew me in.

Q: Who are some people that have influenced you?

Rogelio: The dancers in the street. Anyone that can dance with heart.

Q: What are some of the musicians that has influenced you?

Rogelio:  Cachao, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo,
Eddy Palmieri, Oscar d'León, Tito Rodríguez, etc.

Q: How would you characterize your style?

Rogelio: Elegance and sabor. That is what our
dance company's name is in Spanish, Salsabor y Caché.

Q: How do you feel when people characterize your style as L.A. style?

Rogelio: We helped define the L.A. style. The L.A. style is really everyone bringing in their own individual style. I like to think that I can bring in my own individual style not just the L.A. style.

Q: We know about your work with Josie Neglia. Who were some of your other partners and what attributes do you look for in a dance partner, or what quality do you think a female dancer should have?

Rogelio:  My current dance partner is Megan Edner. A female dancer should have lots of rhythm, be flexible, dance with passion and elegance. Some of my past dance partners were Elizabeth (Mexican), Lourdes (Cuban), Josie (Canadian), and Alyra Lennox.

Q: How is your experience dancing with Josie?

Rogelio: She is wonderful. I did the video with Josie when we weren't dancing together anymore. And she is a great friend. She wanted to experiment with ballroom, and I wanted to stay with salsa.  Now, she is back into salsa.

Q: What are typical routines you do when you practice?

Rogelio: I warm up dancing a whole song, and I stretch. Then we will practice working on details for about 7 hours a day.

Q: What would you do if you get too old to dance salsa or can't dance salsa anymore?

Rogelio: I would definitely like to teach salsa. I will probably do what I do now outside of salsa like promoting events (musical), do clothing business, and maybe get into the club business. My clothing line is at www.salsaborycache.com.

Q: What do you think about the Houston salsa dancers compared with the L.A. and N.Y. dancers?

Rogelio: I was here last year and I see them now, and I am really impressed in how much everyone has improved. Güagüancó is really good, and probably the best group I've seen in Houston. They have followed our style, and I'm very proud of that.

Q: Did you see the VH1 salsa movie filmed here in Houston ("The Way She Moves")?

Rogelio: Yes. That is great for Houston salsa. The movie could have been better, but it is a great for Houston. It could have used more fully expressed salsa. There is still no movie with real salsa.

Q: What about "Dance With Me"?

Rogelio: We were limited. It could have been better. We couldn't express ourselves fully. It was like dancing halfway.

Q: What future projects are you working on?

Rogelio: We are planning our dance company's anniversary for next March 2002. It will be a big weekend extravaganza with performances, workshops and surprises. It will be in Las Vegas.

Q: Any last thoughts?

Rogelio: I want people to keep dancing and not worry about L.A. style, Puerto Rican style, Cuban style, or Houston style, etc. I don't want any barriers or walls to keep people from dancing. Salsa should be a big family and unite people, not divide.  

We thank Rogelio for coming to Houston. His website is
www.salsaborycache.com/

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