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These are some songs that help me get inspiration, some of it goes to my cultural background as a way to incorporate my own identity on my material.

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Willie Colón - Talento De Televisión (Audio)

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This one is very old, is reminiscent of my parents' generation

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This one is very old, is reminiscent of my parents' generation

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SONIDO BESTIAL-  RICARDO RAY & BOBBY CRUZ

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I am a Pokemon fan, so I like incorporating video game tracks for inspiration

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Battle! Dialga   Palkia   Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Music Extended HD

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Some soundtracks are not full on battle music

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Some soundtracks are not full on battle music

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Mt. Pyre (Summit) - Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Music Extended

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Dragonspiral Tower - Pokémon Black & White Music Extended

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I love the concept of partnering work, applied in any kind of style. Here is a more traditional example in ballet

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The Sleeping Beauty - Bluebird and Princess Florine pas de deux (The Royal Ballet)

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Rebelión - Joe Arroyo (La Banda Sonora Cover) | Delirio Hecho en Cali

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For more modern ideas, I like leaning into more electronic music

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Wintergatan - Marble Machine (music instrument using 2000 marbles)

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I enjoy more "slow tempo" electronic than "party music"

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I enjoy more "slow tempo" electronic than "party music"

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Bella Figura. Jiri Kylian. Netherlands Dance Theater.

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Bright Colors - Reminiscent of Colombian festivities and Folklore

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Bright Colors - Reminiscent of Colombian festivities and Folklore

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You've seen them on the front of every Colombia travel guide. You'll find them painted on thousands of souvenirs. They've even become Colombia's most popular business logo. If you visit Cartagena's historical old town, you'll soon spot the palenqueras: black women in colourful dresses expertly balancing bowls of tropical fruit on their heads. Today, they make their money posing for photos, but this wasn't always the case. Who are these women? Where did they come from? And how exactly have they become the symbol of not just Cartagena, but of Colombia?

A town just south of Cartagena makes history

It's 1691, and San Basilio de Palenque - a small village located in the southeast of Cartagena ruled entirely by runaway African slaves - signs a Royal Decree stating the town's independence from Spanish colonial powers. The very first free town of the Americas is born, and so are the first free men and women of the New World: Palenqueros and Palenqueras.

Free women go in search of income

Although Palenque had achieved what no other town of its time had yet managed to achieve, it still had its problems. Cut off from the rest of society and with limited access to resources, the town was (and still is) extremely poor.

The women of Palenque decided to exploit what they had around them in abundance: fruit. The Palenqueras would pack their hand-woven baskets full of ripe tropical fruits, put on their traditional African dress and make the long and exhausting journey into the bustling city of Cartagena by foot.

Here they would sell the fruit under the hot sun to passing Cartageneros until their baskets were empty. As time passed, and the selling of fruit became a steady income for San Basilio de Palenque, more and more women made the journey into the city on a daily basis, unknowingly ravelling themselves into the history of Cartagena and transforming the Palenquera into one of the biggest Colombian icons.

From fruit seller to national symbol

Today, the Palenqueras sell less and less fruit and instead make their money from posing for curious tourists, photographers and journalists. And it's easy to see why: their beautiful smiles, stunning traditional dresses and colourful hand-made jewellery set against Cartagena's crumbling mustard walls make for a stunning photo. However, very few people know that they're not really from Cartagena at all, and there is much more behind these smiling women than meets the eye.

Being direct descendants of the world's first free African slaves, the Palenqueras represent an incredible feat of human resistance, the respected figure of courageous, hard-working mothers, and a still living and thriving Afro-Caribbean heritage. What better symbol to represent Colombia?

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How Palenqueras Became the Symbol of Cartagena

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You've seen them on the front of every Colombia travel guide. You'll find them painted on thousands of souvenirs. They've even become Colombia's most popular business logo. If you visit Cartagena's historical old town, you'll soon spot the palenqueras: black women in colourful dresses expertly balancing bowls of tropical fruit on their heads.

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Your Guide to the Barranquilla Carnival | Colombia Country Brand

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The annual Feria de Cali or Cali Fair in Colombia has grown into one of South America's most important salsa festivals with fireworks, colourful parades, free music concerts, culture & art events, beauty pageants and more, starting on Christmas Day until the end of the year.
Colombia's third-biggest city is already a mecca for salsa lovers where you can dance in salsa clubs at night while during the day, wandering its streets, you'll hear salsa, cumbia and vallenato tunes coming out of shops and homes. It's perhaps no surprise then that every year Cali starts its Cali Fair with Colombia's biggest salsa event called the Salsódromo parade.

But it's not only salsa you can enjoy here. During the six days of the Feria de Cali, the city bursts with cultural celebrations ranging from other major parades, such as the carnival and vintage car parades, to sports events, music memorabilia fairs, lots of local street food and a whole range of music concerts many of which are free.

Celebrated since 1957, the Feria de Cali now attracts some two million visitors and showcases the cultural and musical diversity of the region's majority Afro-Colombian population. It has turned into what is widely regarded as the country's most important cultural and traditional event.

What to expect at La Feria de Cali 2022?

Usually there's a big firework display on Christmas Eve, but the official start of the Cali Fair is the day after, on Christmas Day. The opening concert ( concierto inaugural) on the 25 th marks the start of many other concerts to follow during the Feria de Cali, yet the most important event that day - and of the entire week - is the salsa marathon called Salsódromo.

For Colombia's biggest fiesta, visit its Barranquilla Carnival in February.

The Salsódromo is a spectacular salsa parade over a length of one kilometre where spectators on tribunes can watch demonstrations of hundreds of national and international salsa dancers. This is a five-hour event which takes half a year to prepare. Only the best salsa dancing schools and other renowned dancers and dancing groups are invited to take part.

On Boxing Day you can literally taste the Afro-Colombian culture during the Feria Artesanal y del Emprendimiento or Fair of Artisans and Entrepreneurs, with plenty of food stalls and handicrafts. That day there's also the Cali Grand Prix sports fair, while in the evening music concerts by the best local bands make sure you end the day on a swinging note.

Although the Feria de Cali is called a salsa event, music lovers can also enjoy performances by famous musicians of different musical styles including cumbia, vallenato and other typical Colombian styles. The Súperconcierto or super concert on the 27 th in the football stadium Pascual Guerrero is the music highlight of the Cali Fair. Some of the world's biggest Latin names have performed here including the American all-time top selling salsa artist Marc Anthony with two Grammy and six Latin Grammy awards under his belt; Mexican singer Ana Gabriel with her different music styles of Spanish rock, Latin pop and Mexican ranchera; and the American salsa singer Victor Manuelle, alongside many home-grown Colombian stars.

Another prominent part of the Feria de Cali is its not-to-be-missed Carnaval de Cali Viejo on the 28 th, a number of carnival parades under different themes. You can watch here the beautiful mix of the different traditions and artistic expressions of the Spanish and Afro-Colombian cultures with stunning costumes, rousing music and an explosion of colour.

Other notable events include the Desfile de Autos Clásicos y Antiguos on the 27 th, a classic and antique cars parade where car lovers from all over the country descend to Cali in their old Mustangs, Corvettes, Cadillacs or even older automobiles; and the Encuentro de Melómanos y Coleccionistas, held over several days, where old music records, instruments and souvenirs of the biggest names in salsa's music history are sold and bartered.

La Feria de Cali programme 2022

The Cali Fair's programme will appear here.

History of La Feria de Cali

The Feria de Cali dates back all the way to 1957, the year after a big explosion rocked the city claiming the lives of hundreds of people. The city officials decided then to plan a big fair for the next year in order to lift the spirits again of its mourning citizens and to inject new life in the local economy. Even though the origins of the Feria de Cali may have been tragic, it hasn't at all prevented its participants to revel in its exuberant and fun festivities.

La Feria de Cali 2022 dates

The annual Cali Fair always starts on Christmas Day, running from 25 to 30 December over six days.

Other things to do in Cali, Colombia

December to March is the driest period of the year in Colombia with pleasant temperatures and the best time for visiting the country. As many Colombians take holidays then, this is also the liveliest time of the year. Whilst visiting the Cali Fair, other things to do in Cali include exploring the city through its many themed walking routes, including:

Ruta Histórica, Cultural, Patrimonial y Religiosa, lasting about 2.5 hours and taking you past Cali's most important churches, theatres, boulevards, monuments and other buildings and sites of interest;

Ruta de Naturaleza Urbana Rio Cali, or Cali's urban nature route, which takes about an hour and a half;

Ruta de la Salsa y el Sabor, where you can learn basic steps during a brief salsa dancing class in combination with a historical salsa route that includes the Jairo Valera Museum;

Ruta MIO Cable, which takes you on a two-kilometre-ride by urban gondola transport with panoramic views above the poorer parts of the city where, as a tourist, you would and perhaps should otherwise not venture, in addition to visiting the MULI Museo Libre de Arte Público de Colombia containing some 230 art murals and photos of which some were found at the gondola's terminal and three stations.

For more details, visit one of the tourist information points in Cali (see below).

La Feria de Cali photo gallery

Cali Colombia hotels

If you are looking to book a hotel in Cali, enter your dates in our flights and hotels comparison engine to search hundreds of sites for the best deals:

For more information on La Feria de Cali 2021:

If you speak Spanish, visit its official Spanish-only website or use Google translate to retrieve some of the information.

Once in Cali, you can also visit the city's tourist offices or Puntas de Información Turistica at: Centro Cultural (Plazoleta Jairo Varela), Terminal de Transporte, and Bulevar del Rió.

Alternatively, browse the official Colombia tourism website.
All images courtesy of La Feria de Cali, unless mentioned otherwise.

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La Feria de Cali 2022 (Cali Fair), Colombia - Travel Begins at 40

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The annual Feria de Cali or Cali Fair in Colombia has grown into one of South America's most important salsa festivals with fireworks, colourful parades, free music concerts, culture & art events, beauty pageants and more, starting on Christmas Day until the end of the year.

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One of my favorite artists, I like drawing inspiration from her aesthetic in her music videos and musical concepts

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My favorite visual artist. The only modern visual artist who I can actually feel some expression coming from his paintings

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Andy Warhol, original name Andrew Warhola, (born August 6, 1928, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.-died February 22, 1987, New York, New York), American artist and filmmaker, an initiator and leading exponent of the Pop art movement of the 1960s whose mass-produced art apotheosized the supposed banality of the commercial culture of the United States. An adroit self-publicist, he projected a concept of the artist as an impersonal, even vacuous, figure who is nevertheless a successful celebrity, businessman, and social climber.

The son of Ruthenian (Rusyn) immigrants from what is now eastern Slovakia, Warhol graduated in 1949 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), Pittsburgh, with a degree in pictorial design. He then went to New York City, where he worked as a commercial illustrator for about a decade.

Warhol began painting in the late 1950s and received sudden notoriety in 1962, when he exhibited paintings of Campbell's soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles, and wooden replicas of Brillo soap pad boxes. By 1963 he was mass-producing these purposely banal images of consumer goods by means of photographic silkscreen prints, and he then began printing endless variations of portraits of celebrities in garish colours. The silkscreen technique was ideally suited to Warhol, for the repeated image was reduced to an insipid and dehumanized cultural icon that reflected both the supposed emptiness of American material culture and the artist's emotional noninvolvement with the practice of his art. Warhol's work placed him in the forefront of the emerging Pop art movement in America.

As the 1960s progressed, Warhol devoted more of his energy to filmmaking. Usually classed as underground films, such motion pictures of his as Chelsea Girls (1966), Eat (1963), My Hustler (1965), and Blue Movie (1969) are known for their inventive eroticism, plotless boredom, and inordinate length (up to 25 hours). Other movies include Poor Little Rich Girl (1965) and Lupe (1966), both of which featured Edie Sedgwick.

Flesh© Factory Films; photograph from a private collection

In 1968 Warhol was shot and nearly killed by Valerie Solanas, one of an assemblage of underground film and rock music stars, assorted hangers-on, and social curiosities who frequented his studio, known as the Factory. (The incident is depicted in the 1996 film I Shot Andy Warhol.) Warhol had by this time become a well-known fixture on the fashion and avant-garde art scene and was an influential celebrity in his own right. Throughout the 1970s and until his death, he continued to produce prints depicting political and Hollywood celebrities, notably Marilyn Monroe. He also involved himself in a wide range of advertising illustrations and other commercial art projects. His The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975) was followed by Portraits of the Seventies and Andy Warhol's Exposures (both 1979).

Warhol's work is featured in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. In his will, the artist dictated that his entire estate be used to create a foundation for "the advancement of the visual arts." The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Amy Tikkanen.

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Andy Warhol | Biography, Pop Art, Campbell Soup, Artwork, & Facts

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Andy Warhol, original name Andrew Warhola, (born August 6, 1928, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.-died February 22, 1987, New York, New York), American artist and filmmaker, an initiator and leading exponent of the Pop art movement of the 1960s whose mass-produced art apotheosized the supposed banality of the commercial culture of the United States.

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As someone who resonates more with Classical Ballet, I always struggle with the concept of age and how I started dancing "old." Artists like help me feel more validated as a dancer despite my fewer number of years of experience and help me believe I ay actually have a future in dance.

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