The “Colectivo Manteca” is an initiative that was born in 2017 so that salsa music lovers have spaces to enjoy this Latin genre. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
For seven years, salsa music lovers have found a place in downtown San José where they can be seduced by the sound of timbales and trumpets, releasing stress on the dance floor.
Colectivo Manteca is a cultural group that was founded in 2014 to entertain those who enjoy Latin music through live performances, dance classes and information sessions, thus ensuring that this musical genre lives on in the new generations.
This group is made up of 10 people, including musicians, DJs and dance teachers. A year after the group was founded, in 2018, the so-called “Salsa Thursdays” were created, where people of all ages have a date with the best hits and, to date, every week they manage to bring together dozens of dancers to enjoy an unprecedented experience.
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Roger Madrigal is the director and founder of the collective. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
The Amón Solar cultural center, in the Amón neighborhood, was the epicenter of the “Salsa Thursday” on August 22. The event was from 9 p.m. There, the room is darkened and the dancers give free rein to their movement.
The Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Cheo Feliciano and Cali Flow Latino were part of the repertoire that night. In addition, Nay Yrigoyen, one of the dance teachers, managed to get the fans excited, everyone let themselves be guided by her steps and the blood circulation accelerated with each turn, each basic step, each expression.
Colectivo Manteca was created 7 years ago to work for the existence of salsa music in the country. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
We present to you the ideal space for salsa music lovers
“I feel good”
Julio, a 34-year-old computer engineer, came to Chepe center from Santa Ana to enjoy the mixes of DJ José Salazar, a collector of salsa music vinyls.
This young man discovered “Salsa Thursdays” thanks to some friends and his love for dancing motivates him to participate in this activity, at least one Thursday a month.
“It is an interesting experience, I like dancing salsa and thanks to that I have met people and listened to good music. The truth is that now in Costa Rica there are almost no places where you can enjoy spaces for lovers of Latin music.
“I like the atmosphere, feeling the music, and I have accompanied the group to different places where it is, I feel good,” he said.
Nay Yrigoyen is one of the dance teachers and she infects everyone with her flavor. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
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Roger Madrigal is the director and founder of the collective and is one of the musicians of the group. This music fanatic recalled that he studied at the Castella Conservatory and together with a group of friends began to work with other orchestras and then decided to give life to “Colectivo Manteca”.
“What we wanted was to integrate a salsa orchestra with vinyl collectors, dance academies, for salsa fans, to create spaces that had a bit of everything and, in addition, that there was a cultural component, that people didn’t just go to dance, but to bring information home.
“We also like to show music with high value, with great flavor. We were born in Amón Solar, but we have gone to other places, where they give us the ball with this madness and, at the beginning, maybe 15 people came and sometimes we have more than 100 in one night,” he said.
Julio is one of those who never misses “Salsa Thursdays.” He loves dancing and making friends. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
“And it all began…”
Hazel Monge found in this activity not only a way to enjoy music, but in this space she found the love of her life.
Monge is a resident of Curridabat. She used to come to dance with a friend and thanks to salsa she met Ronald Díaz, her boyfriend and fiancé.
People of all ages enjoy salsa music without regrets. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
Follow the trail. You can find Colectivo Manteca on Instagram and if you want information about their activities you can contact them at 6098-7023.
“On September 14th we will celebrate one year of dancing and we will get married at the end of the year. I came with a friend, we like it because it is a healthy environment and Ronald asked me to dance and between dances we fell in love.
“It was love at first sight and little by little I got to know the kind of person he is. I have a wonderful human being as my boyfriend and the truth is that he dances really well, I love that about him,” said Hazel.
José Salazar composes the music for the LP (Long Play) records. Rafael Pacheco.
(Rafael Pacheco Granados)
Ronald said that he has been attending “Salsa Thursdays” for two years and follows the group wherever they go. He has been to El Balcón, in Zapote, and to the old Key Largo cultural center.
“I love dancing, I get away from the daily grind, I make friends and I can also spend time with my girlfriend. In addition, they take us on a tour of cultural hits, we learn from the artists.
“We share the same passion, I thank God for meeting such a special woman and as the song says ‘And it all began dancing’,” he expressed in love.
Amón Solar is one of the epicenters of salsa in downtown San José. Rafael Pacheco. (Rafael Pacheco Granados)
Community
Madrigal said that they decided to dedicate themselves to this type of music to create a small refuge for salsa fans, to give a place to those who had nowhere to listen to music.
“We also play original music and interpret Costa Rican compositions. We are trying to rescue Costa Rican salsa, which often goes unnoticed.
“The truth is that this has been a really nice experience, because we have seen how a community has been created in 7 years, a sense of belonging is generated and we like to create these experiences for people,” he said.
Hazel and Ronald met at “Salsa Thursdays” and will soon walk down the aisle. Rafael Pacheco.
(Rafael Pacheco Granados)
