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Owing
to these influences, we have experienced styles
ranging from Columbian and Cuban Salsa, to the
Cross Body styles "On 1" / "On
2" and Cha Cha Cha.
In May 1999, we had our first Salsa Congress
experience at the first SalsaWeb Convention
(which was hosted in Washington DC), we were
really inspired by the amount of talent on display
there, this plus the encouragement from Nelson
Flores and some friends who wanted us to teach
them, prompted us to start MamboCity which we
did in August 1999, our first class had about
15 of our friends, we held our first party in
October of that year which was a Halloween
Fancy Dress/Mask Party.The following month (November),
we got involved in promoting a New York dance
group who wanted to come to the UK, Luis Zegarra
of Fuerza Latina and Ismael Otero of Caribean
Soul, This happend by chance, due to a promoter,
who was responsible for organising the event
pulling out, Luis Zegarra persuaded us to go
ahead with the promotion. Since then MamboCity
has gone on to host and promote Workshops and
Showcase weekends for the following events:
November
1999:
Luis Zegarra of Fuerza Latina
and Ismael Otero of Caribean Soul (Photo's)
March
2000:
We held the UK's very first On2 Social at the
The Globe (Cellar Bar) Marylebone Road.
April
2000:
We had the pleasure of having
the Mambo King himself Eddie Torres and Nelida
perform and Henry Knowles DJ at Bootsy Brogans,
Wembley, Middlesex (Photo's)
February
2001:
Nelson
Flores – Descarga Latina, SantoRico Dancer
Co, Alma y Sabor (Featuring Daniela and Graziano),
17 Dancers from New York and Italy took part
in a Show called “Latin Connection”
for a St Valentines weekend of Workshops and
showcase, this showcase was only ever perform
once and was the fore-runner for the much acclaimed
off Broadway show “Latin Madness”
(Photo's)
June
2001:
Launch Party of Salsa @Tudor Rose (23rd June), Featured Leon Rose, Susana Montero
& DJ Julian "The Duke"
October
2001:
SantoRico Dance Co, Halloween Weekend of Workshops
and Shows and production of the Mambocity Presents
SantoRico Video. (Photo's
# 1) and (Photo's
# 2)
November
2001:
The Cobo Brothers Weekend of Workshops and Shows
(Photo's)
December
2001:
Christmas Party, featuring Frankie Martinez,
Aisha Koswara and Henry Knowles (Photo's)
March
2002:
Monthly Saturday @The Camden Center (2nd March) Tribute to Xhiromara Granados
May
2002:
Launch Party of Monthly Fridays @Ealing Town Hall (3rd May)
April
2002:
Nelson Flores – Descarga Latina, Jai and
Candy Weekend of Workshops and Shows
World Premier of "Merecumbe Dance Routine"
(Photo's)
July
2002:
Frankie Martinez and Aisha Koswara
Workshop and Show.
World Premier of "Welcome to The Party
Dance Routine" (Photo's)
December
2002:
"The Palladium Mambo Legends"
Freddie Rios and Mike Ramos End of year Workshop
and Show. (Photo's)
March
1st 2003:
Frankie Martinez and Lori -
Perez Workshop and Show. (Photo's)
July
2003:
SalsaSplash Weekender @Hayling
Island (Photo's)
August
2003:
Launch Party Monthly Saturdays @Carisbrook Hall (9th August)
ecember
2003:
5 Star Weekend @The Radisson Edwardian
Hotel Heathrow, a End Of Year Weekender featuring
SantoRico, Nelson Flores, Duplessy Walker, Mario
"B", Susana Montero, Rafael & Janet,
Homero Gonzalez, Osbanis and many more (Photo's)
February
2004:
Weekly Fridays @Ealing Town Hall (13th Feb)
April
2004:
5 Star Congress @The Radisson
Edwardian Hotel Heathrow, MamboCity's 1st Salsa
Congress featuring Eddie Torres and The Eddie
Torres Dancers, Felipe Polanco, Rene Guiets
and Salsa Lovers, Daniela and Graziano, Susana
Montero, Rafael & Janet and many more (Photo's)
July 2004:
SalsaSplash Weekender @Hayling
Island (Photo's)
December 2004:
5 Star Weekend @The Radisson
Edwardian Hotel Heathrow, a End Of Year Weekender
featuring Hacha y Machete, Nelson Flores, Jesus
Aponte, Raphael & Janet, Herve Suzan (Uforia
Dance Co), Farid Ferchach
April 2005:
5 Star Congress @The Radisson
Edwardian Hotel Heathrow, MamboCity's Salsa
Congress featuring Eddie Torres and The Eddie
Torres Dancers, Felipe Polanco, Tito & Tamara,
Edie Salsa Freak & Al Espinoza, Joby Brava,
Daniela & Graziano, Susana Montero, Leon
Rose, Carmen & Raul and many more
Why
the name Mambo City?
The
Mambo: of African and European parentage, Mambo,
Conga and Bongo were originally Bantu names
for musical instruments that were used in rituals
and gradually became secular. Mambo means "conversation
with the gods" and in Cuba designates a
sacred song of the Congo (Cubans of Bantu origin).
The
Congos absorbed a variety of foreign influences
and the mambo drum rhythm became a cocktail
of Bantu, Spanish and Yoruba. Coupled with Western
Jazz, these beats provided the basis for the
creation of the Mambo then the Cha Cha Cha and
Salsa. The mambo is the result of a long cross-cultural
journey, A journey through life with Music and
Dance.
______________________________________________________________
Robert
White AKA (DJ Cruz and Bobby Blanco),
Has
a strong and diverse back ground in music
and is a former session musician who has played
Reggae and R&B on a semi professional
basis, he has always enjoyed a wide variety
of music from Reggae, Soca, R&B, Jazz
to Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Zouk and Bachatta
etc.
Some
of his favourite artists are: Isidro Infante,
Jose Alberto, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Puente,
Juan Luis Guerra, Louie Ramirez, Rey de la
Paz, Oscar De Leon, Africando’s and
Los Van Van to name but a few.
Robert
regularly DJ's @MamboCity events but has had
the pleasure of being invited to Dj at the
following events:
Salsa
Congresses:
The
New York Salsa Congress 2001
German
Congress (Darmstadt) 2001
Both
UK and British Salsa Congress 2002
Dubai
Congress 2002
“Salsa
Fusion 2” Dubai 2002
Paris
Salsa Congress 2003
Barcelona
Salsa Congress 2003
Norwegian
Salsa Congress (Oslo) 2003
Both
UK and British Salsa Congress 2003
UK
Congress 2004
Norwegian Salsa Congress (Oslo) 2004
You can also catch Robert at:
Clubs SOS London and of course all MamboCity
Events.
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