Gerardo Rosales presents: Roda de Salsa
Music at Laaktheater in The Hague: Gerardo Rosales presents Roda de Salsa, an interactive salsa concert where four musicians play around a table and the audience soon finds itself singing, dancing and joining in.
One table, four musicians and an audience that won't stay still for long. That is the essence of Roda de Salsa, a concept Gerardo Rosales is bringing to the Netherlands for the first time. The idea is rooted in the Brazilian Roda de Samba, a tradition in which musicians and audience share the same space. Here, salsa takes centre stage, and the music travels through Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Brazil.
Gerardo Rosales and his band in The Hague
On stage: Nando Vanin on vocals and güiro, Randy Winterdal on bass, Lauriane Ghils on bongo and vocals, and Gerardo Rosales himself on congas, vocals and cassettes. Those cassettes are no gimmick: Gerardo brings his own tapes and weaves them into the performance. The result is an unusual blend of live rhythm and analogue sound, alongside congas, bongos, maracas and güiro, in a set that keeps moving in new directions.
Joining in is the point
Roda de Salsa is not a concert where you sit back and watch. The musicians play around the table, the audience stands and sits nearby, and anyone who wants to dance is welcome to. Those who prefer to listen can do that too, but the rhythms have a way of getting people on their feet. The event is open to everyone, regardless of language: Language no problem is the motto.
