Join CLAS, Cuyahoga Community College and Columbus State Community College for a screening of La Salsa Vive.
A Q&A will be led by Dr. Irvin Manuel Gonzalez and Celia Benvenutti (Department of Dance) after the screening.
If you cannot attend the screening in person, you can click the button below to register to receive access to a streaming link for the film.
New this year is that CLAS will offer $20 gift cards for the first three students who have a review of each of the films below published on Pragda's Student Critic's Corner. Click here for more information and eligibility.
Synopsis
This electrifying documentary traces the music’s journey from its gritty, migratory roots in 1960s New York to its modern-day home in Cali, Colombia—the city where salsa found its ultimate devotion, celebrating its legacy and power to unite cultures.
Director Juan Carvajal offers a vibrant journey through a genre born from Afro-Cuban rhythms—mambo, guaracha, guaguancó—fused with the energy of New York jazz, and which found its second home in Cali, Colombia.
The film traces with historical rigor the musical round trip between Havana, New York, and Cali, showing how salsa became a shared language across cultures. It delves into everyday life in Cali to portray dancers, collectors, young enthusiasts, and veteran masters who keep the tradition alive in cabarets, competitions, and streets. Featuring rare archival footage and intimate reflections from icons like Rubén Blades, Henry Fiol, and Willie Rosario, it celebrates the popular resilience of a genre that remains identity, passion, and community.