Crazy 4 La Timba

The workshops, the main parties and the conference all sit within walking distance in central Lisbon. That is the opposite of the resort model, and it changes the weekend: you are in a city, with its bars and its beach, rather than inside a hotel that happens to be somewhere. Live Cuban percussionists play for the workshops themselves, not only at night, and a Rumba del Solar opens the circle to anyone who wants to step into it. Around thirty-five workshops across four days with more than twenty teachers, covering son, rumba in its guaguancó, yambú and columbia forms, Afro-Cuban roots, casino and the timba and urban side. A conference on the history of the dance runs alongside, with questions taken from the floor. Five parties, opening with a beach kick-off on the nearest stretch of sand to the city and closing with a Tumbakin concert. Some nights are held at the Time Out Market. The pass structure repays reading. The VIP carries a bootcamp, a shirt and drinks at the market parties; the standard full pass covers workshops, parties and the conference, with bootcamps sold separately. Three-hour masterclasses for advanced dancers are new this year.