The word "Salsa" led to great controversy since its creation in the beginning of the 70’s. Many Cuban musicians insisted that salsa didn’t exist and that it was actually the Cuban Són dressed up for commercial purposes. But salsa ended up creating such a worldwide impact that it was finally given legitimacy. However, it must also be kept in mind that Puerto Rican musicians (and musicians from other Latin American countries) had a considerable hand in the preservation and development of this music in the U.S. and that their interpretation actually created something new and different to what was being played in Cuba.

José A. Santamaría (Of. J.A.S. DANCE PRODUCTIONS) was born in El Salvador then moved to the Bay Area with his family. José has been dancing choreographing and performing hip-hop since 1984. José has been teaching various forms of aerobics on and off since 1992. Six years ago while in South America José discovered the beautiful style of the Caribbean soul “Salsa” proud of his heritage José immerse himself into this dance and began Salsa dancing and performing. For the past four years José has been teaching salsa, Salsaerobics, Merengue, Cha-Cha-Cha and his currently directing and performing with local salsa teams, Salsa Fresca and Sangre Latina. José and his Dance Companies have performed at many local venues as well as multiple Salsa Congresses around the USA and Canada.