The Costa Rican couple of David Cruz Vargas and Muriel Nicole Lowis Ortega won today in their debut in the competition the category of “World Salsa Open” of the XXI World Salsa Congress held in San Juan.
“We are too happy, this helps us to take more strength, to come next year and not lose track,” Efe Cruz Vargas, 23, also a trombonist, after capturing the competition that was held at Plaza Hilton From the capital.
Accompanied by the orchestra Sin Nombre, directed by Carlos GarcÃa and playing the live song “Plant banner”, which made the orchestra of the late Tommy Olivencia in the voice of Chamaco RamÃrez, the Costa Rican duo exhibited his skills under his routine titled Herself as “Straight”.
“With the live band it was a unique experience and it was my favorite part. I did not change this experience at all,” added Lowis Ortega, 21.
According to the Costa Rican couple, she has been dancing salsa for six years, but it was not until a year ago that they decided to become professional dancers.
And in just this past year, the Central American duo has won other competitions, among them the Euroson Latino Puebla in Mexico and another in Panama.
After participating in the World Salsa Congress in San Juan, Cruz Vargas and Lowis Ortega will compete in a Bogotá event and then at the World Salsa Festival in Cali.
“There is a great team behind that we have been training for several years,” added Lowis Ortega, one of the eight couples who competed in the final of the competition, which started last Monday and had a total of 24 categories .
Meanwhile, of the eight couples competing today in the World Salsa Open final, four were from Colombia, one from Costa Rica, from Italy, Puerto Rico and Argentina.
Second place went to Obrian Hernandez and Idalines Medina of Puerto Rico, and third place was Evelyn Laurido and Juan Carlos Buesaquillo.
The champions of the past two editions were Colombians Adriana Avila and Jeferson Benjumea, while those of 2014 were Puerto Ricans Yeifren Mata and Stephanie Roman, and 2013 and 2012 were Brazilians Rafael Barros and Carine Morais.
The event was attended by dancers from at least 15 countries including India, Romania, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
The musical event will continue tomorrow, Thursday and conclude on Saturday with musical performances by orchestras such as Sonora Ponceña, Don Perigñon, Pete Perigñon, Charanga La Criolla and Sin Nombre, and singers Johnny Rivera, Herman Oliveras, Papo Sánchez, Osvaldo Román, Moncho Rivera, Anthony Cruz, Rafu Warner, Guillo Rivera and Pupy Cantor.
“We surpassed all expectations, both in the artistic part and in the global dissemination of the event.” The increase in categories also brought an increase in participants from outside Puerto Rico, “said the event’s founder, Elà Irizarry.
“Definitely this year we reaffirm our leadership as the most important event of the salsa genre,” added Irizarry about the event, which reached a reach of 3.8 million people in social networks worldwide.
