The Salsafestival in Sønderborg took place the first time in 2001.
The first Salsafestival was a cooperation between i DGI-Sønderjylland,
IHS Idrætshøjskolen i Sønderborg and the salsa associations in Aarhus and Sønderborg.
...Read more under SALSAFESTIVAL 2001 at the bottom of this page.
Since then the salsa associations in Odense and Aalborg has also joined the Salsafestival.
The festival takes place at the sports folk high school "Idrætshøjskolen i Sønderborg" in Denmark.
Below you can find info about the individual festivals during the years:
Teachers
Mechteld Sterk & Brian Libier (Holland)
Leonardo Osorio & Lianne Lamar Valdes (Cuba)
Thomas Kupczok (Germany)
Knut Leiß & Christine Tschirren (Germany)
Leobel Abreu (Cuba)
Live band Saturday night
Ocho Punto G (Barcelona, Spain)
DJ
DJ Salsani (Denmark)
DJ Leo (Cuba)
Theme party Saturday
"Under the Water"
Teachers
Madeline Rodriguez and Mario Charon (Cuba)
Zaimy Rivero Falcón & Michel Ramirez Nápoles (Cuba)
Mechteld Sterk & Brian Libier (Holland)
Knut Leiß (Germany)
Erodys Castillo Borrero & Tenna Qvist (Cuba/Denmark)
Yuleisy Collazo Rojas (Cuba)
Live band Saturday night
Salsa Loca (Denmark)
DJ
DJ Salsani (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Beach Party"
Teachers
Maykel Fonts & Kirenia Cantin Diaz (Cuba/Italy)
Mechteld Sterk & Brian Libier (Holland)
Wim "El Guapo" & Barbara Belgium)
Thomas Nygaard & Johanna Andersen (Denmark)
Christian Rantzau Rozet (Denmark)
Ricky Hansen (Denmark)
Diana Meldgaard (Denmark)
Erodys Castillo (Cuba/Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Son Real Orchestra (London, UK)
DJ
DJ Salsani (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Golden Galla"
Teachers
Mechteld Sterk & Brian Libier (Holland)
Wim "el guapo" & Barbara (Belgium)
Erodys Castillo & Tenna Qvist (Cuba/Denmark)
Louise Houlberg (Denmark)
Ricky Hansen (Denmark)
Candido Muñoz Contreras (Cuba/Italy)
David & Gemma (Barcelona, Spain)
Thomas Nygaard & Maja Hansen (Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Salsa Loca (Denmark)
DJ
Micheal Martina aka DJ Klandestino (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Western dreams"
Teachers
David Navarro & Gemma Bosch (Barcelona, Spain/Holland)
Marina Prada (Venezuela/Stockholm, Sweden) & Ibirocay Regueira (Stockholm, Sweden)
Mechteld Sterk & Brian Libier (Holland)
Alain Morales Feito (Cuba/Italien) & assistant Kamilla Pedersen (Denmark)
Erodys Castillo Borreros (Cuba) & assistant Tenna Quist (Denmark)
Candido Muñoz Contreras (Cuba/Sicily, Italy)
Ricky Hansen & assistant Kristina Jørgensen (Denmark)
Louise Houlberg (Denmark)
Live Saturday night
Sexteto Chanchullo feat. Maire from Havana (Cuban, from Hamburg)
DJ
Micheal Martina aka DJ Klandestino (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Goes Caribic"
Teachers
David Navarro & Gemma Bosch (Barcelona, Spain/Holland)
Eliecer & Yamira (Cuba/Barcelona, Spain)
Marina Prada (Venezuela/Stockholm, Sweden) & Ibirocay Regueira (Stockholm, Sweden)
Fernando E. Riofrio & Camila Viancos (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Juan Armand (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Louise Houlberg (Aarhus, Denmark)
Diana Meldgaard & Søren Frølund (Aarhus, Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Grupo Danson (Denmark)
DJ
Micheal Martina aka DJ Klandestino (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Fiesta Flamenco"
Teachers
Andrea Stewart (UK)
David Navarro & Gemma Bosch, (Barcelona, Spain/Holland)
Diana Meldgaard (Aarhus, Denmark)
Reynold Prieto (Cuba/Malmo, Sweden)
Ricky Hansen (Aarhus, Denmark)
Jazzy & Anita (Guatamala/Norway)
Ardelis Cabrera (Cuba/France)
Live band Saturday night
Jorge Cordero (Denmark)
DJ
Leonora (Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"1001 Night"
Teachers
Angel Ortiz (USA)
Candido Contreras (Cuba/Sicily, Italy)
Diana Meldgaard (Aarhus, Denmark)
Esben Berger (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Jazzy &Lisa (Norway/New York, USA)
Reynold Prieto Aguilera (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Ricky Hansen (Aarhus, Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Little Havana (Aarhus, Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Strictly Ballroom"
Teachers
Aceo (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Anh & Sabine (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Candido Contreras (Cuba/Sicily, Italy)
Diana Meldgaard (Aarhus, Denmark)
Morry (Holland)
Reynold Prieto Aquilera (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Ricky Hansen (Aarhus, Denmark)
Robert Charlemagne
Live Saturday night
Latin Danceband (Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Gangster"
Teachers
Morry Krispijn (Holland)
Homero Gonzalez (London, UK)
Stephen Ball & Jette Rosendal (London, UK/Aarhus, Denmark)
Reinaldo Mirabal (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Trine Louise Koch (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Thomas Nygaard (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Søren Frølund (Aarhus, Denmark)
Henrik Normann (Aarhus, Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Candela (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Theme party Saturday
"Masks" – the theme party was introduced for the first time with a huge succes!
The Salsafestival was arranged by the salsa associations in Aarhus and Aalborg
in cooperation with Idrætshøjskolen and DGI-Sønderjylland.
Teachers
Susana & Mario (London, UK)
Candido (Cuba/Sicily, Italy)
Reinaldo Mirabal (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Lazaro & Line (Cuba/Copenhagen, Denmark)
Søren Frølund (Aarhus, Denmark)
Carola Alvarado (Aarhus, Denmark)
Live band Saturday night
Latin Dance Band (Aarhus, Denmark)
The Salsafestival in 2002 had the largest number of participants – approx. 180.
This was the year the dormitory was introduced to make room for everybody.
The first Salsafestival was held in 2001.
The idea to make a festival was born during the summer of 2000,
when a couple of members of the salsa association in Aarhus was attending
a summer course on the sports folk high school in Sønderborg. Salsa was on the program.
One of the teachers, Marianne Nielsen, was also teaching salsa in Sønderborg's salsa association,
and during the week long summer course the idea began to grow.
The folk high school was the ideal place to to set a salsa festival.
The idea makers kept in touch and with support from DGI-Sønderjylland (Danish Gymnastics and
Sports Associations) the idea to make a salsa festival in Sønderborg was a reality.
The first Salsafestival was an instant success with approx. 130 participants.