What SB1070? In Canada, They're Handing Out the 2011 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards

What a difference a 49th parallel makes.

As immigration experts in the U.S. spend today digesting the meaning of Georgia’s new immigration law—the toughest of the state laws that have recently passed in the country—some in our northern neighbor, Canada, are getting together to celebrate the third annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant awards, given to foreign-born citizens who have contributed the most to their new land.

“The immigrant population in Canada has been doing quite well for itself in the last 10 years, and we wanted to highlight that,” says Sanjay Agnihotri, editor of Canadian Immigrant magazine, which administers the award. “This year we garnered 450 nominations, and 25,000 voted on the finalists.”

Among the award winners are a former member of Parliament, a football coach, a city councilor, several activists, and successful business people, including an optometrist and an electrician.

Two of them are American-born, with the rest spanning the globe from Colombia and Mexico, to the U.K., Croatia, China, Grenada, Iraq, India, and half a dozen more countries.

It’s a people’s choice,” says Camon Mak, Director of Newcomer and Multicultural Markets at RBC, the parent company of the Royal Bank of Canada, which is the awards’ main sponsor. “We asked for nominations and then go through a pretty thorough vetting process. Canada is a country of 33 million and immigrants have made a tremendous contribution; we wanted to showcase that.”

A division of the same company that owns Canada’s largest newspaper, the Toronto Star, Canadian Immigrant magazine has articles devoted to such topics as helping the unemployed stay positive (“Hope is the only thing jobless newcomers can cling to”), parenting (“Now that you’re in a new country, how will your relationship with your children adapt?“) and, for one final Toto-we’re-not-in-Kansas-anymore example, “Hijab fashionistas.”

It’s an online contest, so do they ever get any backlash for celebrating the foreign-born?

“No, not really,” says Agnihotri, sounding a bit quizzical. “We mostly get people contacting us who have missed the cut-off for the nominations. We tell them to wait until next year.”

image getty images
source foxnews latino

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Posted in 2011 immigrants canada , canada immigrants 2011 , FAT Canada , SB1070 , top 25 canadian immigrant awards , toronto canada

"Amanda LewKee Collection- LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011"

Amanda Lew Kee is a women's wear designer born and raised in Toronto, Canada. At a young age, Lew Kee discovered her love and passion for innovative design and further established her talent at Ryerson University, where she graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Design in Fashion. Amanda Lew Kee's collection was premiered at the exclusive Mass Exodus 2010: In Bloom's Press and Media showing at Ryerson University.

The designs have also been displayed at Holt Renfrew's annual showcase of selected Ryerson graduates, as well as winning Flare Magazine's student editiorial competition featured in the August 2010 issue. Straight out of University, Amanda hosted her industry debut (May 2010) at the Great Hall in Toronto and later was invited to show her SS2011 collection at Toronto's LG Fashion Week (October 2010).

Soon after, Amanda was invited by The Fashion Collective and the FDCC to show at Toronto's LG Fashion Week, October 2010. Amanda's showing was the most anticipated collection of the season. As the audience arrived additional seating had to be arranged to accommodate the large attendance.

Montreal's Ka Magazine also extended the invite to Amanda Lew Kee to show her Spring'11 collection at the first annual Ka Best Of Canada 2010 Benefit Event that was hosted in a 35,000 square foot private jet hanger at Starlink Aviation, in Dorval, QC.

Amanda has worked on many projects aside from building her brand, currently she is working on custom wardrobe for HBO's TRUE BLOOD, she dressed Shenae Grimes of 90210 for the 2010 MMVA's, Keri Hilson for various red carpets and photoshots, was the muse and wardrobed a music video for Fritz Helder.

She has been featured in Teen Vogue, Nylon Magazine Sept 2010 issue as one of the Top Canadian Designers, The Globe and Mail's quarterly Lifestyle Magazine as Canadian Designer to Watch, WeAr Magazine's January 2011 issue as 'Designer to watch', the TorontoStar as one of 2010's best dressed, EyeWeekly's 2010 Most Powerful People, LOOK Magazine UK Sept 2010, and featured on segments of Fashion Television's In Fashion.

At age 21, Amanda had already had attracted the attention of industry heavy weights Lisa Tant, Derek Blasberg, Glen Baxter, Adrian Mainella, and Derick Chetty to name a few.

Source Amanda Lewkee
Images Salsa Circuit

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Posted in 2011 women fashion , Amanda Lew Kee , dance salsacircuit , fashionista , LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011 , toronto canada , toronto hispano

"SHAN Collection- LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011"

Born in Montreal, Ms. Chantal Levesque is president and designer of SHAN, a company specializing in creating and designing couture swimwear, lingerie and accessories ready-to-wear for men and women.

Ms. Levesque founded the company in 1985. Her creative insight and business acumen have assured the success of SHAN and enabled it to carve out an enviable place on the international stage in less than a decade.

 

SHAN now manufactures and exports its collections in over 20 countries including France, Britain, the United States, Russia and Australia.

 

SHAN has a network of their own 5 shops(Miami, Toronto, Montreal, Laval and St-Sauveur) and its collections are also available in over 400 prestigious boutiques internationally. 

SHAN is a luxury brand known for its style, its quality and unique designs. SHAN is a Canadian corporation whose head office, the production and distribution center are located in Laval, Quebec.

Chantal Levesque

Source SHAN
Canadanewsreports

Images Salsa Circuit

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Posted in 2011 women fashion , Chantal Levesque , fashionista , LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011 , SHAN , toronto canada

"JUMA collection- LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011"

Kenya, Russia, Los Angeles, Montreal – those are just a few of the places Jamil and Alia Juma have lived over the years. The brother-and-sister team behind the Juma label have admittedly “moved around a lot” according to Jamil, but their globe-trotting backgrounds have combined to make their apparel label appealing to stores around the world.’ – WWD In 2003, the pair set out to create contemporary clothing, which evolved into a unisex line. The idea was to design clothes that they can both share, while being inspired by their individual and mutual experiences of their lives across four continents.

JUMA creates unisex, progressive ready-to-wear and accessories inspired by art culture and travel for the creative professional.

Founded in 2003 and based in New York, the eponymous label JUMA developed by brother and sister team, Alia Juma (Design Director) and Jamil Juma (Creative Director), can be found in various locals around the world including Canada, United States, Israel, China, UK and Japan. Recently, a JUMA shop @ Eva was opened in the Bowery district; an area known for directional fashion, music and street culture.

Their line is carried in coveted retailers including Harvey Nichols (Hong Kong), Bloomingdales (Dubai), Revolve (LA), Post 26 (LA), Eva (New York), Kaight Boutique (New York), Life Curated (Brooklyn), By Definition (Austin), Tenth & Proper (Vancouver), Vered (Israel), Bella (Guatemala), Simons (Montreal), Serpentine (Toronto) and many others worldwide.

They have been featured in such international publications as WWD, New York Magazine, Another Magazine, Interview Magazine, Businessoffashion.com, Elle Canada, Flare, Fashion Magazine, Sportswear International, National Post as well as Fashion Television, Etalk and Life Network.

Source Juma

Images Salsa Circuit

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Posted in fashionista , juma , juma collection , LG Canadian Fashion Week 2011 , salsacircuit , toronto canada

Renovated Latin Fever

The popular nightclub in Toronto back to our night with a totally new.Because the party do not stop the dance floor and waits for no man, I have prepared a very good news, Latin Fever Nightclub, a popular nightclub in our town located at 2220 Highway 7, returns with a totally renewed from Friday April 1, and begins to gear with Touch Fridays nights by Samuel Perez.


"The idea is to bring to Latino audiences a different option than what is currently in the national clubs. We offer varied entertainment, faces new artists and we are focusing on the musical genres that are making waves in the youth "She says Samuel, who also adds that" We want to focus on a younger clientele while giving due prominence music in English. "

In terms of musical genres will be present on Friday April 1st and all Fridays Touch Friday, we mentioned Samuel rhythms like reggaeton, bachata, urban music, latin pop and dembow among others, thus giving the final touches to a space promises to be a favorite for our community will celebrate every Friday.

But that's not all because Samuel Perez also made a very interesting announcement for all DJ's of our city, it tells us "The idea is to have several DJ's. They do not have a fixed share going to give the national DJ's all have a day. We want to bring other local DJs to take charge of encouraging the parties. " A unique offering for those looking to continue growing in this world of mixing.

Well we could talk with Connie Caruso, owner of the club who gave us a few words about this great change in the appearance of local "I feel very good about this renewal, imagine, after 14 years of having Latin Fever and to be renewing little by little, this has been a total change. There never was a renewal of this magnitude. " If you think that this change everything will be different, Ms. Caruso can confirm this, but always be a change for the better: "You can expect a more modern, more comfortable environment and more space, with a much better service."

Finally, and to invite everyone to visit this newly renovated Latin Fever on opening day, hand in hand with the Touch Fridays, Samuel Perez leaves us a few words "If you're tired of the monotony of going to a disco and stay the night stand, why not spend the bachata or merengue you like, if you feel that the promoters do not give you the attention and respect they deserve and are looking for a classy and affordable prices, then Friday is the Touch perfect for a Friday night. " See you there!

Source Torontohispano

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Posted in dance salsa , dance salsacircuit , dance steps , dj mixer , global salsa events , toronto canada , toronto hispano

Maria Aragon’s Duet with Lady Gaga in Toronto

Maria Aragon  the 10 year old half Filipina youtube star born  and newest singing sensation have already achieved one of her lifetime dream to do a duet with her idol Lady Gaga. It was a performance of a lifetime for YouTube star Maria Aragon on Thursday night. The 10-year-old singer joined Lady Gaga on stage at her concert in Toronto to perform 'Born This Way' live in front of thousands of people.

Aragon rose to YouTube fame after a video of herself singing the anthem went viral. Lady Gaga got wind of the young girl's video and tweeted a link to it, writing, "Can't stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future."

The singer got in touch with Aragon, who lives in Canada, and invited her to perform the song with her onstage during her Toronto concert.

"I'm really excited Maria is here today because Maria represents what this song is all about. It's all about the next generation of the future," Gaga told the crowd before the song. Watch the video inside.

"I just wanted to say I'm really grateful for all of you. I just want to thank all of you for all your support," Aragon told the roaring crowd after the duet, with Lady Gaga watching with tears in her eyes. "I want to shout out to all my friends back in Winnipeg, and my family, and all you guys -- thank you so much."



The invitation from Lady Gaga was made possible through the effort of a local radio station in Canada. They even perform a duet while having an interview. Tears rolling down the eyes of Maria Aragon after she found out that her idol was on the other line.

Maria Aragon while on stage was quoted as saying “I’m just really grateful for all of you. I just want to thank you for all of your suppport. And I’m actually from Winnipeg and I came over here to sing to you guys. And I want to say a shout out to all my fans and family in Winnipeg. And, after a while, I’ll be up here again, so stay tuned!”

Lady Gaga was on tears while introducing the young Maria Aragon. She said, “Maria’s here tonight because Maria represents what the song is all about,” referring to the Born This Way single. Your salsa circuit team witnessed the spectacular concert in Toronto, Canada with DJ Mixer click here to see more .



Souce: Kelly Fisher /popeater[dot]com
ehdumbao

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Posted in czarina canlas , dj mixer , filipina , lady gaga , Lady Gaga in Toronto , manny alvarez , maria aragon. Born This Way Lady Gaga , toronto canada

Why Do 40% of Latinos Drop-Out of Toronto Schools?

getty images

Pedro, a 10th grader whose family emigrated from Colombia a few years ago, was labeled a slow learner because he didn’t speak English. Rita, a high school student, said that when she arrived from Mexico, she was shunned and berated by her peers for not knowing English.

Both are students in the Toronto school district, which, with over 250,000 students and 600 schools, is both the largest in Canada and the one with the most Latin American students. And both were part of a study released last month which examined Toronto’s high Latino drop-out rate: About 40 percent of these students—nearly double the number of the overall population—fail to finish high school.

Compared to generations of Latin American migration to the U.S., large numbers of Hispanics started settling in Canada relatively recently. The first wave came in the 1970s, as political asylum seekers fled South American dictatorships. The largest wave, however, came after 2000, when the immigration debate in the U.S. became most heated.

About 350,000 Latin Americans are now in Canada, where the overall population is about 32 million. The largest concentration – a little more than a third – have settled in Toronto. But some say that the Canadian school system was not prepared for a sudden influx of Spanish speakers – which now total about 5,200 – and the young Latinos who migrated there have paid the consequences.

Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernández, an education professor who headed up the University of Toronto’s years-long study, said many students told researchers scarce resources for Spanish speakers and economic stress impacted their performance.

They also said teachers and their peers had such negative stereotypes about them, that it bred low expectations.

“In the U.S., depending on where you live, all the stereotypes about Latinos tend to be bad, but at least there are a lot of stereotypes,” said Gaztambide-Fernández, whose final report, released this month, was 103 pages long. “What we found in Canada was that everyone assumes that because you are Latin American, you are Mexican. And because you are Mexican, you are poor, lazy and you belong to a gang. That was it.”

Gaztambide-Fernández believes the narrow view may be due to Latinos’ relatively recent arrival. “The only images many Canadians consume of Latin Americans are those that come from Hollywood movies,” he said.

A Puerto Rican Harvard University graduate, Gaztambide-Fernández moved to Toronto from Boston in 2006, around the time the Toronto school district began collecting demographic information about its students.

It was the first time the city was able to look into student success based on race and ethnicity, which turned out to be a long and arduous task. But when the results came in, the school district realized Latin Americans were dropping out at double of rate of the rest of the student population. No one knew why, so a group of Hispanic Torontonians decided to find out.

Sixty students from six Toronto high schools filled out surveys and were interviewed in focus groups or alone. Over and over again, Gaztambide-Fernández said, the students complained about not having enough Spanish-speaking support or ESL classes. Many reported they had to work to help their families, and said juggling those hours with school was affecting their class work. They also said the negative stereotypes sapped them of academic motivation.

“It is like a little burlap sack, you throw in discrimination, you throw in work, you throw in that you have no money, you throw in that, well, you don’t like school, you throw in this and you throw in that, and the burlap sack gets heavy,” said Mercedes, a 12th grader who was interviewed for the study, which published only first names. “It is not just one factor that leads you leave school.”

The 250,000-student Toronto school district, the largest in Canada, acknowledges that Latino students have struggled there. Members of the school board say they have tried to address the group’s problems in the past but nothing has worked. But now, following the University of Toronto study, the school board plans to launch a more far-reaching program.

The school board will adopt a series of recommendations in the study and has already reached out to the community, universities – and even school officials in New York – to address the issue.

“It is very clear to us that in order to help specific students improve their achievement we have to have innovative approaches,” said Jim Spyropoulos, Coordinating Superintendent for Inclusive Schools at the Toronto District School Board. “If we keep doing the same things, we are going to keep getting the same results.”

As part of its efforts, the district will kick off a pilot program in February that will offer cultural sensitivity classes to teachers so they could understand the Latin American culture, offer support programs for newcomers, and give low-income students part-time jobs at the school. Latin American history courses will also be part of the curriculum.

If the pilot program is successful, it will expand to all schools.

“What our kids keep telling us is, 'they don’t get us',” said Spyropoulos of the school board. “This is our best attempt to try and support them.”


Source: Carolyn Salazar | Fox News Latino

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Posted in fashion latinas , toronto canada , toronto hispano

Babies Dancing to Salsa Music

photo credited to salsababies[dot]com.

You couldn’t believe it but there is  a Salsa Babies Company where both mommies and little angels will enjoy the fun while dancing salsa. You can check out the Salsa Babies company Jennifer Torres  , the founder who is based from Toronto, Canada.

Their philosophy, Salsa Babies™ believes in strong family values, and respects the fact that in today’s world a “family” can be comprised in many different ways. Salsa Babies™ encourages creativity in finding a work/family balance, and fully supports its own licensees and instructors in scheduling work to accommodate their families’ needs as well.

Salsa Babies™ believes in forming positive, co-operative relationships with other businesses in the same industry, and in giving back to our community. They added that there is no discrimination believes that bringing women of different backgrounds together to share in a common interest at a special time in their lives, creates its own special flavour and brings a richness to all involved.

When it comes to their mission they want to provides  a unique and enjoyable dance experience to new mothers and their babies in a safe, welcoming, and baby-friendly environment. Through our classes we strive to offer consistent, high-quality, yet affordable programs for people from all walks of life.

You can visit  their website for more details at salsababies[dot]com.

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Posted in Dance , dance salsa , salsa babies , salsa circuit , toronto canada

Aventura Live in Toronto (Canada)

The much awaiting Live Concert of Aventura will surely make a big wave for 2011.Aventura features a blend of several different music genres including hip-hop, R&B and reggaeton. They are unlike any other group currently on the scene and you will want to see them live onstage!It will be held on February 11, 2011 at Powerade Centre 7575 Kennedy Road South Brampton, ON, L6W 4T2, Canada.
 Buy your tickets now at ticketmaster.com.

 

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Posted in aventura , dance salsa , salsa circuit , toronto canada , toronto hispano

Upcoming Events in October 2010

 Welcome to Salsa Circuit.com. Visit the following events and experience the live dance music of the hottest Salsa events with a world class spectacular shows. Lots of participants with full of fun and exciting from all over the world will take place to share dance lessons, live salsa bands and great entertainment!

Events in October 2010

01 - 03 Oct Berlin Salsa Congress (Berlin, Germany)

01 - 03 Oct Crystal Salsa Festival (Krakow, Poland)

01 - 03 Oct 1st Annual St. Louis Salsa Congress (St. Louis, United States)

01 - 03 Oct Brazil Central Zouk Lambada Congress (Brisbane, Australia)

01 - 04 Oct Salsa Weekend in Jersey (Jersey, Jersey)

01 - 03 Oct TuSalsa (Tudela, Spain)

01 - 03 Oct Freestyle Salsa Fest (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation)

01 - 03 Oct 2. Evento ZoukLambada Bcn (Malgrat de Mar, Spain)

01 - 03 Oct Salsa Festival Pforzheim (Pforzheim, Germany)

01 - 03 Oct NYC Blues Blaze (New York, United States)

01 - 03 Oct NZ Balboa & Blues Exchange (Auckland, New Zealand)

01 - 04 Oct Sydney Lindy Exchange (Sydney, Australia)

01 - 03 Oct Cosy Balboa Weekend (Berlin, Germany)

01 - 03 Oct Lindy on the Edge (Stavanger, Norway)

02 - 03 Oct KIZ...ME Kizomba Hits Finland (Tampere, Finland)

07 - 10 Oct Linline Salsa Holidays - Vietnam (Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam)

07 - 11 Oct Canada Salsa Congress (Toronto, Canada)

07 - 10 Oct Punta Cana Caribbean Salsa Congress (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic)

07 - 10 Oct Carthago Salsa Congress (Carthago, Tunisia)

07 - 10 Oct Choco Tango Festival (Perugia, Italy)

07 - 11 Oct Portland TangoFest (Portland, United States)

07 - 10 Oct Provence Swing Festival (Saint-Cannat, France)

08 - 10 Oct Salsa Weekend (Helsingborg Municipality, Sweden)

08 - 10 Oct Angoulême Salsa Festival (Angoulême, France)

08 - 11 Oct Festivalito con Amigos (Saarbrücken, Germany)

08 - 10 Oct F R E S A Birthday Weekend (Kiev, Ukraine)

08 - 10 Oct Vienna Hot Swing Jam (Vienna, Austria)

08 - 10 Oct Free'Style Swing Camp (Châtillon, France)

08 - 10 Oct Lip Hop (Lippstadt, Germany)

08 - 10 Oct Cuba stala bliжe (Odessa, Ukraine)

09 Oct Salsa Gala Twente (Oldenzaal, Netherlands)

09 - 10 Oct Solar Salsa Festival (Manchester, United Kingdom)

09 Oct Salsa Revelation Festival Ghent (Ghent, Belgium)

14 - 17 Oct Mallorca Tango Festival (Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

15 - 17 Oct Tromso International Salsa Congress (Cancelled!) (Tromso, Norway)

15 - 17 Oct Salsa Power Festival (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

15 - 17 Oct International Tr Dance Festival (Istanbul, Turkey)

15 - 17 Oct 2º R-Style Salsa Festival (Bormujos, Spain)

15 - 17 Oct Salsa Dance Festival (Velden am Wörther See, Austria)

15 - 16 Oct Australian Salsa Classic (Sydney, Australia)

15 - 17 Oct Salsafestival Düsseldorf (Dusseldorf, Germany)

15 - 17 Oct Lindy Diversion (Denver, United States)

15 - 17 Oct Church City Blues (Adelaide, Australia)

16 - 17 Oct Conexão-Dance-Festival (Bremen, Germany)

20 - 25 Oct Big Band Festival (Christchurch, New Zealand)

21 - 24 Oct Hallesche Tangotage (Halle, Germany)

22 - 24 Oct Haarlem Salsa Festival (Haarlem, Netherlands)

22 - 24 Oct Sexy and Sensual Latin Dance Festival (London, United Kingdom)

22 - 24 Oct Festival de Cuba (Stuttgart, Germany)

22 - 24 Oct International Salsa Festival in Valbonne (Valbonne, France)

22 - 24 Oct SalsaFest Brno (Brno, Czech Republic)

22 - 31 Oct Palermo Tango Fest (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

22 - 24 Oct Tango Fiesta Praha (Prague, Czech Republic)

22 - 24 Oct TangOtoño - Tangofestival Innsbruck (Innsbruck, Austria)

22 - 24 Oct Be-lindy Zena Camp (Genova, Italy)

22 - 24 Oct Menari Di Bali Lindy Camp (Bali, Indonesia)

22 - 24 Oct Korea Balboa Weekend (Seoul, South Korea)

22 - 24 Oct Automne Swing (Orleans, France)

22 - 24 Oct Prague Salsa Festival (Prague, Czech Republic)

23 - 25 Oct Natural Tango Festival (Denver, United States)

23 - 24 Oct Festival de danses Swing (Courbevoie, France)

27 Oct - 2 Nov Congresso Mundial de Zouk do Brasil (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

28 - 31 Oct World Bachata Festival (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

28 Oct - 1 Nov 1st Bachata Vacation Festival in Hawaii (Honolulu, United States)

28 - 31 Oct Hot Salsa Festival (Postponed to 2011!) (Oslo, Norway)

28 - 31 Oct Swing City Chicago (Lombard, United States)

28 - 31 Oct Vilnius Tango Fiesta (Vilnius, Lithuania)

28 - 31 Oct Halloween Swingthing (Irvine, United States)

29 Oct - 2 Nov Congresso Mundial de Salsa do Brasil (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

29 - 31 Oct SalsaFeverDays Festival (Cancelled!) (Dusseldorf, Germany)

29 Oct - 1 Nov Halloween Salsa Weekend Festival (El Perello, Spain)

29 - 31 Oct Salsa Convention St. Gallen (St. Gallen, Switzerland)

29 - 31 Oct Balkan Salsa Congress (Borovetz, Bulgaria)

29 - 31 Oct The Dublin Sensual Dance Festival (Cancelled!) (Dublin, Ireland)

29 - 31 Oct Salsa Mania Festival (Brussels, Belgium)

29 - 31 Oct 2nd Annual Philadelphia Salsafest (Philadelphia, United States)

29 - 31 Oct Malta Salsa International Congres (Malta, Malta)

29 Oct - 2 Nov Lindy Shock (Budapest, Hungary)

29 - 30 Oct Cambridge Halloween Weekender (Cambridge, United Kingdom)

29 - 31 Oct Bordo-Mambo-Festival Salsa de Puerto Rico (Bordeaux, France)

29 - 31 Oct Byron Latin Fiesta (Byron Bay, Australia)

29 Oct - 1 Nov Halloween West Coast Swing (Paris, France)

29 - 31 Oct Stir It! (Zurich, Switzerland)

29 - 31 Oct Salsalegría Dance Festival (Zurich, Switzerland)

30 - 31 Oct Japan Salsa Congress (Tokyo, Japan)

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Posted in Dance , salsa circuit , Salsa Congress , salsa dance , toronto canada