The Dance Event of the Summer: Pachanga Latina!

It was another captivating evening of latin dancing at the second Pachanga event of the year hosted by the JW Marriott and Salsalogy Dance Academy. Close to 600 guests packed the International Ballroom at the JW bringing forth the idea that Grand Rapids is very ready to host bigger dance events in the future. Just like the first Salsa Pachanga event in May, this night jam packed beautifully clad dancers
strutting to the beats of salsa, bacchata, merengue and cha cha, compliments of the fabulous Grupo Aye band. 

The highlight of the evening is not necessarily the people watching, but the diversity of those in attendance. Grand Rapids is no longer a homegeneous bunch of white, conservatives it is stereotyped to be. The finalists in the dance competition pretty much sums it up: there was a couple from Mexico City, the third place winners from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the second place winners from Germany and the top dance couple of the evening from Lansing and Dominican Republic. Now, if that's not diverse, I don't know what is.

The JW announced the next Pachanga events - September 17 and December 31 - New Year's Eve. Book your rooms early before the hotel sells out (and the prices go up).