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Well, I don’t know about you, but my weekend was busy! Couture Dance Alliance, directed by Luis Aguilar, performed 4 times over the past weekend! Friday we performed at the The Beat Studio for the Afinkao Social in Berkeley, Saturday we performed at the Roccapulco Supper Club in San Francisco, and Sunday at the Jain Temple in Milpitas and finished it off for a second performance of the night at the Glas Kat for our fundraiser. The team so pumped to show our new choreography! I’m so proud of all our members! On to the San Francisco Salsa Congress! Check out this video!

Last night was like a dream! My partner, Mikko Kemppe of Finland, and myself competed like pros at the Hot Salsa Friday On2 professional division in the Semi-Finals. We performed to a very musical piece, Triton by Tito Puente and it felt like dancing on silk. I was so proud of our partnership as it is new and blossoming. Take a look and see for yourself our interpretation of Mambo. Now we prepare for the big stage at the San Francisco Salsa Congress at the Oakland Marriott City Convention Center.

Ashanti Altovese Griffin & Mikko Kemppe – Pro On2

Halloween was a party that lasted for a whole week. I had such a great time and really enjoyed my first Halloween experience here in the Bay area. Salsa Mania, one of the premier dance teams in San Francisco, threw a Wicked Social and Couture Dance Alliance performed Oye Mi Quinto and dedicated it to the deceased mother of one of the team’s dancers. It was touching, moving, and the team gave a fantastic performance. I’m proud of the dance as it was my third performance of the routine, =) So, here is a look at the CDA dedication. Enjoy!

I love this team and have made a great bond with the city of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Let’s keep Salsa alive and well for generations to come!

The Salsa Socialite - Ashanti Altovese

So my dance partner and I are working really hard to prepare for the semi-final round for the Professional On2 Division at Hot Salsa Friday in San Jose. HSF is sponsored by Ricardo and Michelle, the directors of the pro dance team Pretty Boys & Girls. The competition will be awesome and we are looking to dance well, show good technique, and fun styling. As my partner and I are on the Couture Dance Alliance pro team, we will perform our routine for them first to get good feedback and work out the first show jitters. I’m so excited and really want to do well and have fun. Here is a look at what we did for the first round which was a free dance.

As 3 couples will qualify for the finals on Sunday, November 22nd at the San Francisco Salsa Congress, we are looking to grab a spot and get the opportunity to show our stuff on stage. Here we go!

OK, so Saturday was an awesome night at the Mambo Romero Halloween Social in San Francisco!  Studio Gracia on Heron Street hosted Couture Dance Alliance along with other hot teams in the Bay Area that threw down for a packed house of ladies and gentlemen dressed up like goblins and ghouls. Latin Symbolics directed by Ava Apple, Kanondonga directed by Katie Maloney, Afinkao directed by JC & Tellina, and Mambo Romero directed by Gabriel Romero were a few of the teams who performed and enjoyed the beautiful October night. Dj El de la Clave dropped beats all night long until the $100 Halloween costume contest which ended with drunk Snow White taking the prize. I myself was a Playboy Bunny but my white fuzzy tail wasn’t enough to win over the crowd to bring home a cool Benjamin bill. Awe, maybe next year, =) No worries! Luis Aguilar stood proud as his pro team performed Oye Mi Quinto dressed as Sailors, a Greek Goddess, a Playboy Bunny, and a Japanese Empress. What a night!  Now I prepare for Hot Salsa Friday in San Jose for the SF Congress Pro On2 semi-finals on November 6th!

Video: Couture Dance Alliance at the Mambo Romero Halloween Ball

The Salsa Socialite - Ashanti Altovese