It doesn’t matter whether you are a seasoned dancer or new to salsa, there is something for everyone at the “4th Annual Charlotte Salsa Invitational.” The party starts the evening of Friday, Feb. 3 leading into two full days of salsa workshops and professional performances on Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5.

Salsa On1, Salsa On2, Bachata and even the Kizomba styles are all coming together in one location. It could almost be called a “Salsa International” with the different cultural varieties of this dance the event will represent. Yet, all have the common root in the very exciting — and always fun to watch — skillful movement, precision and sexiness of salsa.

World Dance Center is the sponsor of this annual event. Its owners, Rodrigo A. Jimenez and Wendy Jimenez, are well known dancers and educators who are passionate and accessible, in addition to being plugged in to the Charlotte community and greater salsa world. They make dance fun and easy to approach for everyone.

Rodrigo is originally from Chile, where he studied Latin American folklore and Flamenco dancing, which he began performing at an early age. In the United States, he continued his dance studies on International Latin Ballroom (he’s a silver medalist), Latin American Folklore, Flamenco and Capoeira. He performed and toured in the United States, through Europe in 2002 and South America in 2003. He moved to Charlotte in 2003 and has been teaching dance and performing since.

Wendy is originally from El Salvador and has been dancing since 2006. In just a short period of time, she has become a top dancer and performer for Charlotte Salsa. Currently, she teaches beginners, general and intermediate classes along with Rodrigo at their “World Dance Center” and other venues, where Charlotte Salsa is involved. She performs and leads workshops for various Salsa Congresses, as well as special events, Latin festivals and school programs.

What is nice about the weekend of events is you can submerge yourself or take one workshop. You can even just attend one performance. Full weekend event passes are $150, which you can purchase online or at the door. There is even a “beginners” package that includes a four-hour beginners salsa boot camp, plus the Saturday night show and party. Individual workshops are very affordable at only $25 each. (Like most conferences, this Charlotte Salsa Invitational will be held at one venue, the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel.)

The well-known performers will also be the workshop instructors during the day.  They include duos Abel Pena & Zulmara Torres (seen on the video clip above), Christian Oviedo & Alien Ramirez, Junior & Emily Alabi (nine-time world-renowned dance champions) and Luis Gutierrez & Pia Sanz. Other performers are Proyecto Barrio, Mambo Dinamico, Shaka Brown, Paso Fino, Magna Gopal and Griselle Ponce.

If you love salsa or have always wanted to learn more, this is going to be a memorable event and great opportunity to work with some of the best salsa dancers in the United States. For more details, check out the website.

“4th Annual Charlotte Salsa Invitational” Sponsored by World Dance Center Held at Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel Friday, Feb. 3 through Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012