Film Review: La Salsa Vive 2026 Spanish & Latin American Film Festival

★★★★½

The Scoop La Salsa Vive Spanish Latin American Film Festival

Directed by Juan Carvajal, La Salsa Vive is a pulsating and insightful documentary that tells the story of two cities that share a common bond – the rhythm of salsa – from its roots in New York City to its current location in Cali, Colombia.

Through more than five decades of stories, anecdotes, interviews and profound transformations, La Salsa Vive portrays how this music and dance genre, despite declining in its city of origin, has found a new life in Cali, where it continues to vibrate in dance schools, nightclubs, orchestras and popular neighbourhoods.

Loosely translated, La Salsa Vive means “Salsa Lives,” and the film proves that claim from its opening moments.

This vibrant genre in music and dance had its origins in Spanish Harlem, New York City, during the 1970s. Through a series of insightful interviews and real footage, the film introduces viewers to the lively street parties and packed nightclubs in New York City where renowned salsa maestros and their orchestras performed.

Singers Rubén Blades and Henry Fiol, percussionists Samuel Formell and Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez, and orchestra conductor Willie Rosario, pioneers of salsa music, reminisce fondly about their humble beginnings in New York City and how the popularity of salsa grew from a deep cultural connection shared by the local Latino population.

The Scoop La Salsa Vive Spanish and Latin American Film Festival — Vinyl records were the alternate option to live music

Bold fashion statements were the norm while vinyl records were the alternative option to live music. These records were often played at a faster speed (45rpm or more) to encourage dancers to accelerate their rhythm while simultaneously accelerating their intricate footwork. This innovative approach resulted in unique choreography and the emergence of a new dance style, the Boogaloo.

Carvajal effectively contrasts the vibrant energy of 1970s New York with the emergence of salsa culture in Cali. Archival footage from New York’s golden era is skilfully juxtaposed with grainy black-and-white images of Cali as the genre began taking root there.

Percussionist and musical director of Los Van Van, Samuel Formell, recounts his experience visiting Cali in the 1980s and the strong support salsa received from the locals. In spite of the gang violence of the 1980s and 1990s, Cali soon became recognised for its steady influx of renowned maestros and orchestras and eventually emerged as the new epicentre for salsa.

An interview with Carlos Molina, photographer and director of the Salsa Museum in Cali, revealed that the people believe that music isn’t just fun, it’s more like food for the spirit. Molina attributes this spirit to salsa’s popularity in Cali.

At the peak of the drug trafficking years in Colombia, coupled with the slowdown of the economy, salsa in Cali started to suffer and decline.

The Scoop Smiling couple dancing close together at a crowded party; man wears a newspaper-print shirt and cap, colorful lights in the background. — La Salsa Vive pulsates with boundless energy irrepressible joy and undeniable passion

Despite that unsettling period, music continued to flourish with the emergence of Jairo Varela’s Grupo Niche and all-female orchestra D’Cache founded by Francia Elena Barrera (director and singer).

Dance schools, nightclubs, salsa festivals, and even the Melomanitos Collective, targeted at educating the youth about salsa, have all survived and continue to thrive in Cali.

Salsa now takes pride of place, where street parties are dedicated to its irrepressible rhythm and groove, and age is not a limit to dancing the night away.

Vinyl records have re-emerged, resulting in a deeper connection of music between the younger generation and the founding members of salsa. New York City also now boasts an Old Timers Festival, dedicated to the salsa musicians and the deceased, fifty-five years on!

La Salsa Vive pulsates with boundless energy, irrepressible joy and undeniable passion. Juan Carvajal has unequivocally captured the true essence of this exuberant genre that continues to put community front and centre of its creation. The result is an immortal ode to dance and music in all its authenticity and rawness.

The 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival takes place nationally from 10 June to 12 July (dates vary) in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Byron Bay and Ballina.

Tickets are now on sale at the website. Downloadable program is here.

Website: https://spanishfilmfestival.com/

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/spanishfilmfest/