Sunday - The Show!
Sunday night's show was a comfortable evening spent with friends - a lot of friends. Saturday's energy morphed into something very relaxed. Didn't have to prove anything or overwhelm anybody. Have some fun, throw in some salsa, entertain, and enjoy.
Some of Saturday night's performers came back with more treats, while others took the stage for the first time. Sunday's line-up included Hache y Machete, Liquid Silver Productions, Tito & Tamera, San Tropez Victor & Corinne, Seabreeze Dancers, Latin Energy Kids, Calor y Fuego, Jamnastics, Saltimambo Student Group, Stephanie & Mark Anthony, SKS Productions Kelly, Virage Dance Company, Latin Spirit Kids, Los Salsomanos, Pawel & Dora, Latin Spirit.
But, comfortable doesn't mean boring, as the chaos wasn't long in coming. This time, from an unlikely source.
Dating Game Trick
David Melendez surprised Jennifer when he slickered her into his version of "The Dating Game." The lovely bachelorette was wooed by the most unlikely trio of bachelors on two feet, Victor, Ismael, and John. Scavenging costume bits from Saltimambo, the Geek, the Construction Worker and the Purple Pimp vied for the prize, a dance with Jennifer with the audience choosing the winner.
The questions flew with the hostess with the mostest - ToSalsa's Rose - as the MC.
"Bachelor Number One, where are you going to take Jennifer on your date?"
"To the point of no return!" Bachelor Number One shot back as the bachelors high fived each other.
"Bachelor Number Two, what would you cook for dinner?"
"I'd cook her!" Fired back Bachelor Two as they strutted their stuff. Where's Chef Morris' recipe?
Amid laughter, the audience chose Bachelor Number Three. But before the Purple Pimp could claim his prize, David Melendez stole the prize for himself and he claimed the dance with Jennifer.
Stop/Arret! Suspend Reality!
Clack! Action! Saltimambo - Vraiment Quebecois!
Only Montrealers could cook up a movie scene, cast characters from the entire city, and put it to salsa. Chaos in the guise of a movie set floated about the stage, from the pimp and his lady, to the country club refugees with their tennis rackets, to the construction workers, to the office crowd. Effortlessly, just like life, they moved and they danced.
Pawel & Dora brought a new dimension to Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. But isn't that the whole source of the tension and the attraction that has bound men and women together from day one? Their spectacular aerobatics would give Dave Paris pause, bringing another dimension of entertainment to salsa.
Seabreeze samba'd through the audience in dazzling color.
"We know what' you've recorded... [pause]...[smile]", David Melendez said as he announced a lost-and-found video camera. "Tell us what's on the tape, and we will return it." He continued as the crowd snickered.
Sunday's show ended with more chaos.
"Instructions? Hah! We need no silly instructions!" Got their owners into trouble as Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots - aka Al Liquid Silver Productions Espinoza took the stage, broke loose from their joysticks. "How do we turn those things off?" Came the plaintive cry as their owners were salsa'd spun and dipped three ways to Sunday.
All too soon, it was over. The last notes died away, David Melendez invited everyone back for the same week-end in 2006 and opened the Sunday night party.
Jennifer took a few moments to thank everyone from the DJs to the performers, to the local instructors who promoted the Congress, to the Sheraton Centre, and the sponsors.
Jennifer also acknowledged her army of volunteers that made the 2005 Canada Salsa Congress the success it was. From running the ticket counter to the pre-paid pick-up to the workshop monitors who played the music and kept the instructors on time to fixing all the little glitches that somehow crop up, Jennifer's volunteers did it all.
Even the hardest job of all, Stage Manager was a volunteer. Monica spent the entire week-end herding cats -- oops -- the performers and the dancers, finding some order in the delightful chaos that a show is.
