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In recent emails announcing his congress, Boston promoter Olaf sought to clear up a confusion by saying:

we’re having a bit of naming confusion on account of the “1st Annual Boston International Salsa Congress” that was put on by New York promoters at the Logan Airport last April, but this is the 4th annual real thing.

It’s reasonable to want to clear up any confusion people might have about which event is which, but calling one the “real thing” suggests the other isn’t – some sort of copy or cheap imitation. Better to promote one’s events on their own merit without taking swipes at others’. People who attend can make up their own mind about each.

Here’s my take on the name confusion. As any long time Boston salsa dancer knows, Olaf called his congress in its 3 prior years the “SalsaBoston mini-congreso”, the “2nd Annual New England Salsa Congreso”, and the “3rd Annual New England Salsa Congreso”. For whatever reason, he didn’t call it the “Boston Salsa Congress” those years. It’s only after April and David Melendez adopted that name for their congress and web site (BostonSalsaCongress.com) that Olaf wants to use that name. Seems to me an attempt to create confusion rather than clear it up.

I don’t mind there being two or even three congresses in Boston (e.g. Olaf’s New England Salsa Congress and April/David’s Boston Salsa Congress), but I would like to see organizers do their own thing without sniping at or swiping from each other.

In mid-July, Jeff organizer of Havana Club nights, announced on the SalsaFrenzy Forum a weekly Tuesday night at Ryles. I had learned of this a couple of days prior and also learned how it had come about. Jeff had approached Ryles with the interest in moving his Friday night there (after it didn’t work out at the Greek Ballroom in Central Square) without informing Suzanne and April, respectively organizers of Temporada Latina on Thursdays and Wepa Sundays. I thought it was an unfriendly move on his part and wrote to him privately pointing out that he had built his nights in part with the support of fellow local promoters and for him to move against their interests was problematic and that the success of any salsa night is ultimately a function of the goodwill extended to it by the community. (more…)