Saturday Night - "T-Dot" - Back to TO

Note: This gallery is so big, it is split into two parts for ease of navigation.

The buzz was in the air all day throughout the workshops

The show the show the show.

Even those who stayed up all night and still made the 11:00am workshops perked up when "show' was mentioned.

Salsa transcended the dance floor and morphed into an art form with the evening shows and Saturday was a climax.

Costumes, choreography, imagination and the dancers themselves used salsa as a medium to reach new places.

Without any fanfare, Frankie Martinez walked on stage and gave a sizzling solo performance to open the evening.

DC's Art-in-Motion continued the night with a spectacular display of art coming to life to defend itself against black clad thieves. Parrying to and fro with turns, leads dips and lifts, the two sides battled to a peaceful conclusion.

Da Big TO came to the rescue with local performer and instructor Pawel learning replacing one of Art-in-Motion's members. Viewing a video for the very first time on Wednesday, running through only two practices, two hours on Friday and two hours on Saturday, Pawel lept where angels fear and gave a performance that even the pros could not find fault with!

TO's United Salseros staged Mambo Mosiac, a dream sequence - all in salsa.

A pajama clad Teddy was watching TV as the sound of late night static filled the house. As Teddy Fell asleep, ghostly Indians came and picked up his bed or travois as the routine started. Working since June, nine professionals and 28 amateurs carried the show.

Teddy will have to pay bug bucks to have this pix taken down!

A 70's psychodelic show brought the house down in gales of laughter as the glasses clad, silver jacked afro haired, purple velvet, and geometric clad troupe brought a fashion nightmare laughingly to life.

Stepanie Guron's Mambo Tribe broke through to another level with their outstanding Saturday night performance.

Juan Calderon's Cultural Explosion's Virtual Salsa made computer games obsolete. Masked in silver, two couples - almost like robots - ran through a complete salsa routine of dips, spins, turns and x-body leads - no hands or anything touching.

Argh! Enough of this! Salsa is touching and connecting!

The masks flew off as sizzling salsa wowed the crowd.

More coming in Part 2!