About Us
Salsa Retreat was founded by Alice Kupcik — globetrotter, dancer and music aficionada, yoga enthusiast, software engineer and project manager, and now our Retreat Director. After travelling and dancing around the world for many years, she noticed that there is not one good travel destination for learning to dance Salsa from professional dancers. Europeans go to Cuba, but that's not really the style of Salsa danced predominantly in the US. Ecuador and Colombia also have world-class Salsa, but they too have their own unique dance style and the big cities are not travel destinations where you can relax. Dancers can also travel to Salsa congresses in the US, but that doesn't include the vacation experience, nor can you really afford a series of private classes, which is usually needed to take your dancing to the next level. With no particularly appealing option to choose from and a surplus of project management energy, in 2007 Alice had the idea to create a dream vacation called Salsa Retreat: Yoga in a lush garden setting in beautiful and sunny Mexico, Salsa lessons with professional dancers, healthy and tasty food enjoyed in a small group, and excursions to cultural and archeological sites. After a three week research trip to Mexico, Oaxaca was selected as the perfect location for a Salsa and yoga retreat.
Oaxaca resident Alosja Van Leeuwen is teaching the restorative yoga course at our group retreats. A certified yoga instructor with over 10 years of teaching experience in Holland and Mexico, Alosja has been practicing and studying yoga for over 14 years all over the world: She has studied Asthanga Vinyasa and Iyengar yoga during a visit to India, she has studied with Brigitte Longueville of Solstice Yoga in Zipolite, Mexico and with Oscar Velazques of Mukta Yoga and Jñandadakini of Yoga Espacio in Mexico City. In Holland she has studied with Gert van Leeuwen at the Bharata Yoga Institute in Amsterdam since 1997, where she completed teacher training in 2003. And most recently she studied Anusara Yoga in Seattle, WA. A Salsa enthusiast with many years of dance experience herself, Alosja has developed the restorative yoga series she teaches at our group retreats especially for Salsa dancers.
Oaxaca native Beatriz Melina is the director of the Salsa Retreat dance program. One of the first Salsa dancers and performers in Oaxaca, in 2003 she founded the dance school Academia Tumbao and the Tumbao Dance Company. In addition to managing two dance schools in Oaxaca, Beatriz teaches Latin Dance at the University of Oaxaca, the university from which she obtained a degree in Spanish as a Second Language. Her dance education started with classic ballet as a child and later included Jazz, Argentine Tango, Flamenco, Polynesian dances and last but not least Salsa with all the other Latin dance flavors. Beatriz has performed and competed in Salsa congresses nationally and internationally for many years. As part of her performance tours she has taught Salsa workshops in the U.K., Germany and Italy and continues to participate in international Salsa competitions in Mexico. You can see one of her performance videos on YouTube under Tumbao Oaxaca.
What matters?
What really matters? What makes a significant experience? When the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. When we are able to give even as we are receiving. These are things that make a difference.
Sustainable Tourism
Our retreat was created with the principles of sustainable tourism in mind. By employing and partnering solely with Oaxacan businesses and individuals for our dance and yoga instruction as well as tour and transportation needs, we are supporting the local economy. The 10 hours of dance instruction we receive provide great value for us as dance students and a good source of income for the local dance stars who teach us--most of whom perform at national Salsa competitions.
You can see a principle of reciprocity at work in this--where the visitors and the locals both gain from their involvement with each other. As you gain through the rich cultural experience of Salsa dancing, the local dance instructors and performers also gain as they see how much their culture and tradition of dance is valued through your appreciation and enthusiasm.
On the environmental responsibility side, our hotel management operates a recycling program. On the environmental impact side, we will try to keep our own footprint small. One practical way to do this is by offering you the simple option of bringing your own water bottle. You will be able to fill your own water bottle from the hotel’s ample supply of clean, filtered drinking water. This will greatly reduce the number of empty plastic water bottles we leave behind as trash for the local landfill.
Salsa Retreat is a member of the International Ecotourism Society:
Giving the Gift of Education
In spite of its immense beauty, tragically Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico. Probably due to its secluded location in the south of the country, historically the Spanish influence in Oaxaca was less significant than in other parts of Mexico. This may be the reason for the rich culture and variety of traditions in the area - which take the form of music, dance, cuisine, festivals, handicrafts, and art.
Unfortunately, poverty is a reality in Oaxaca. We believe that education can help to improve the situation over the long-term: We transfer 2% of our net sales (as opposed to profits) to a local non-profit organization dedicated to educate children that otherwise wouldn't attend school. We encourage you not to hand out money to streetchildren, but instead help them in a more meaningful way by donating directly to an organization such as Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. This organization currently sponsors the school education of over 500 children and adolescents.