Salsaterapia
About Sahara Borja and Scarlet Macaw Trips
Sahara Borja spent the first three years of her life in Cali, Colombia with her extended family. Much later, after teaching in Cali and completing a research grant in Cartagena, she began to further connect with her roots through her brand, a social purpose travel effort: Scarlet Macaw Trips. She has curated trips to Cartagena, Medellin, Salento, Jardin, and more. The trips find mutually beneficial ways for travelers, local artisans, NGOs, local organizations, schools, and women’s groups in the region to work together within the broader, more well-known travel experience. TL has collaborated with Sahara in the past to create our successful trip to Salento, Quindio “Conexion Latinx” with 11 inspiring Latinas on the cusp of their own passion projects who wanted to connect to their ancestral roots.
Pequeña Sahara with her father Lalo Borja outside of Cali, Colombia in the early 1980’s
Sahara and her parents lived in Cali a bit after she was born in 1980 until 1984.
SMT
a social purpose travel effort by Sahara Borja & Brayan Muñoz Crizon
La Familia Borja in the early 1980’s - Cali, Colombia
From left to right, abuelo Luis Eduardo, abuela Marina, mama Borja with Baby Sahara on her lap, papi Lalo, tia Sabina, and tio Beto. May abuelos and tio Beto rest in peace.
Abuela Marina and Tia Sabina in Cali
Sabina will be supporting Scarlet Macaw Trips as the local on-the-ground, connection.
Despite a few visits to Cali to see family throughout her life, Sahara was really able to dig her heels in and reconnect with her roots while on a Fulbright research grant in Cartagena in 2014, where she worked with women and youth impacted by internal displacement via photography and interviews at the University of Cartagena. While there, she connected with a professional tour guide, a native of Cartagena, Brayan Muñoz Crizon. A couple of years later, they began to create and curate social purpose travel experiences to Colombia. This is the first trip to Cali curated by Scarlet Macaw. Familia Borja members on the ground will be helping to facilitate the trip, making this an absolute passion project full of love and care.
Brayan & Sahara started dating in 2014, and got married in 2020. Photo from left to right: Bogota; Cartagena; Valle de Cocora - all in Colombia.
ABOUT THE TRIP EXPERIENCE
WHAT: Salsaterapia is a trip tailored for avid dancers who want to celebrate and honor local Colombian traditions via movement and Salsa classes in the heart of Cali.
Known as the Salsa capital of the world, this trip will take place during La Feria de Cali, the most famous Salsa celebration known internationally taking place Christmas Day until the day before New Years Eve. Best suited for active folks who find energy in learning new styles of dance and/or for those who’ve always wanted to learn more about Salsa Caleña. This trip offers moments of rejuvenation through dance classes, cultural experiences, and local guides. Join us to learn more about what gives Caleños their famous chispa and cultivate physical movement with amazing music during the holidays while energizing your body, mind, and soul.
WHERE: Hotel El Peñón, Barrio San Antonio, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
WHY: To learn the history & roots of Salsa in Cali, learn Colombian Salsa Caleña techniques considered intermediate to advanced in the Latin Dancing world, and celebrate la Feria de Cali in the International Salsa Capital of the World
DATES: December 25th to the 30th, 2023, best for Latines who mostly celebrate Navidad on the 24th with their families. 4 days and 5 nights in total.
History of “La Feria de Cali” and the “Salsódramo”
Considered a mecca for Salsa lovers, Cali is Colombia’s third biggest city. In 1957, La Feria began the year after a big explosion impacted the city claiming the lives of hundreds of people. In order to uplift its mourning citizens and to jumpstart the local economy, City officials decided to plan a big celebration. Even though the origins of the Feria de Cali may be tragic, it hasn’t prevented participants from reveling in its fun and exuberant festivities. Sometimes music and dancing can help to alleviate the greatest of sorrows.
There are plenty of Salsa clubs open at night, while during the day Salsa, Cumbia and Vallenato music plays throughout the city. La Feria starts with the Salsódromo parade to kick-off the 5-day event.
But, there is more than just Salsa during this celebration. During the six days of the Feria de Cali, the city bursts with other major parades, such as the carnival parade, vintage car parade, sporting events, music memorabilia fairs, lots of local street food and a wide range of free music concerts.
The Salsódromo is the venue that demonstrates a spectacular Salsa parade over one kilometer in length, where spectators can watch hundreds of national and international salsa dancers. It takes half a year to prepare for this event that has a duration of 5 hours. Only the best Salsa dancing schools, other renowned dancers, and dancing groups are invited to participate in the parade. It involves at least: 2,000 artists, 250 dancers, 36 dance schools, 6 troupes and 3 orchestras.
History and Evolution of the World Renowned Salsa Caleña Style in Colombia
Located on the Colombian Pacific coast, Cali is 2,000 miles away from the cradle of Salsa that was originally born in New York after crucial cultural developments in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and even Mexico. In 1968, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz, a pioneering Puerto Rican Salsa duo, were invited to play at the Feria de Cali, when Salsa physically and permanently found a place in the city and for the increasingly musical annual fair. This is where Caleños added their own flair to Salsa, because Cali’s DJs did not care whether a music was to be played at 33RPM or 45RPM. If a song proved more danceable by local crowds at a faster speed, DJ’s would play the music at nearly twice the speed as initially intended by the recording artists. Richie Ray didn’t like the speeding-up of his music because it made his voice sound high pitched. Thus, creating the pulsating, marathoning, advanced style of dance that is world renown internationally. This article “Cali salsa; a history of slaves, Cuban bands and Mexican cinema” by Juan Pablo Acevedo does a great job of explaining the historical roots from slavery in Colombia, the influences of the low-income or working class in Cali, up until the 1968 event that changed everything.
Travel Latina’s Role
Our founder, Alexandra “Alé” Tracy Chavarriaga will be working in tandem with Scarlet Macaw lending her expertise as a professional dance performer and dance teacher (IG: @dancing.healer). She will be taking classes alongside trip attendees, and will lead a meditative and restorative session with the group. Ale will be present to encourage healing through movement, connecting to ancestral roots through the arts, and cultural immersion. There will be group and individual photos and videos taken of the trip experience that will be shared on our platforms, for those who give permission to be featured with their Instagram profiles highlighted. Salsaterapia kicks-off a series of “Danzaterapia” dance-related trips with Ale, with more to come like “Carnavalterapia” Barranquilla edition and “Sambaterapia” as an example. Danzaterapia derives from the Rumbaterapia cultural practice of dance-related aerobics classes that exist all over Colombia, also known as the precursor to Zumba (the creator being Colombian Beto Perez).
Ale dressed in her “Guacamaya Roja” Carnival fantasia during Carnaval celebrations in Dibulla, La Guajira, Colombia in the left photo. Ale performing Puerto Rican salsa at the University of Michigan Latino Cultura Show in 2012 in the right photo. Check out more of her dance experience through this Youtube Playlist.
Galeria Alameda
There will be a Gastronomy tour with a famed Afro-Colombian Chef in the fruitful and colorful Galeria Alameda
What’s Included in this Trip Experience:
-4 days and 5 nights in Cali
-Two travelers per room in their own double bed
-Private transportation to and from all classes during the day, cultural excursions and tours, and events at night
-Security detail when recommended for certain activities
-Airport pick-up/drop-off to Cali’s international airport (Alfonso Bonilla)
-All breakfasts
-For those arriving early on the 25th, dinner will be provided
-For those arriving later on the 25th, dinner voucher at hotel will be provided
-Four 2-hour salsa classes with professional dancers from Swing Latino Cali a.k.a Mulatto Cabaret
-Four group experiences while in Cali:
1) Gastronomic tour with famed Afro-Colombian Chef in the Galeria Alameda
2) History of Salsa tour with local ethnomusicologist
3) Night out at Mulatto Cabaret!
4) Entry to certain Feria events and local top-notch recommendations to choose between the best of free events to attend
-Assistance with booking and recommendations for traveling to and from Colombia with Sahara at SMT
-On-site concierge services with SMT team available for free afternoons and evenings
-Extended concierge services with SMT team for those staying through the new year as a courtesy given the dates
$1350 - Early bird registration through August 15, 2023
$1500 - Normal registration from August 16 - November 30, 2023
*Deposit of $300 to reserve your spot, payment plans available.
Payments available through Scarlet Macaw Trips’ website or via Paypal
Reach out to Scarlet Macaw Trips to book your Salsaterapia experience! info@scarletmacawtrips.com
