Salsa Sam dances to the top
SYDNEY dancer Samuel McOnie has become Australia's salsa champion, after winning the title at the annual national competition.
SYDNEY dancer Samuel McOnie has become Australia’s salsa champion, after winning the title at the annual national competition held in Sydney recently.
McOnie, 24, of Double Bay, was awarded the honour in the solo male category in the championships that were held at Bondi Junction on August 27-29.
The salsa and Latin dance championship attracts entrants from around Australia to show their skills in a variety of energetic dance styles, including salsa, cha-cha-cha, samba and Latin hip hop.
In the finals, each contestant was required to perform a two-minute routine containing 70 per cent salsa and 30 per cent of any other dance style.
“It was a great thrill to win, but was also a bit of a shock,” admitted McOnie, who is a former student at the Emanuel School in Randwick and has been dancing for the past four years
“It’s my first win in a national dance competition,” he said ¬≠excitedly.
McOnie won a $1000 cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to next year’s Adelaide Salsa Festival. Part of the prize is a chance to perform at the event.
A highlight of this year’s salsa championships were two three-hour master classes to help budding dancers develop their skills.
Salsa originates from Cuba in the 1920s, and today it is a rich blend of Latin-American, African and western influences, especially from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia.
It is popular throughout Latin America, the United States and Europe.
DANNY GOCS
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