Pōwhiri
60 min
Windsor Reserve (Harmony Hall if it's raining)
All Welcome
Festival Timetable
Workshops by day, parties by night. Plan your perfect weekend across all venues.
Masterclasses
Small groups, limited places. $35 each. Not included in your festival pass.
Saturday
Registration
45 min
Devonport Community House
Afro-Cuban - Contemporary
Open · Afro-Cuban · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Break the Rules. Find Your Flow. Express yourself, explore new movement and discover what happens when Afro-Cuban energy meets contemporary dance. Ready to shake things up? Get into the groove with Vivio and explore the powerful, expressive movement of Afro-Cuban dance through a contemporary lens. Expect rhythm, body movement, attitude and a few surprises as Vivio brings his Cuban folkloric and contemporary dance experiences together. Forget about getting every move perfect, this is about feeling the music, freeing up your body and having fun with movement!
Cuban Salsa - Zero but Enthusiastic
Absolute Beginners · Cuban Salsa · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Join Lofty for your first Cuban Salsa workshop. Two left feet? No problem! Lofty will get you up and dancing in no time. Know someone who would like to give Salsa a try? Bring them with you!
Casino Body Flow
Open · Casino · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Rumba, Despelote & Partnerwork techniques and variations. Take your Casino beyond the figures. Explore Cuban body movement, Rumba-inspired movement and Despelote, then bring it directly into partnerwork. Discover how body flow, isolations, rhythmic accents and playful movement can transform familiar Casino figures into something more expressive, musical and distinctly Cuban.
Cuban Salsa - New & Social
Absolute Beginners · Cuban Salsa · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Adrian
Join Adrian for your next steps into Cuban Salsa. Can you walk? And count to 8? This workshop is for you! Building on the previous workshop, Adrian will get you moving, and laughing, to the music. Know someone who would like to give Salsa a try? Bring them with you!
Masterclass - Son Cubano: Find Your Cadencia
Improvers to Intermediate · Son · 45 min
Devonport Community House
Go beyond the steps and deepen the qualities that make Son unmistakably Cuban: elegance, musicality, grounding and cadencia. This masterclass invites you to refine how you inhabit the music, styling and the subtle conversation between movement and instrumentation. We'll play with the contratiempo, the rhythm within the rhythm, allowing greater freedom, expression and sophistication in your dance. If you already dance Son and want to enrich your Cuban movement vocabulary, this is an opportunity to explore the nuances that transform technique into feeling. Limited to 4 leads and 4 follows. Grab your pass early.
$35 (not included in festival pass)
Cuban Son - Improvers
Improvers · Son · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Join Pablo and Hadassa for a workshop exploring the flow, flavour, and musicality of traditional Cuban Son. We'll work through classic Son combinations, sequences/paseos, and travelling patterns while developing a stronger understanding of timing, connection, and musical interpretation. The focus will be on how movements connect naturally and how to make your Son feel more fluid, grounded, and expressive. A great opportunity for improvers to deepen their understanding of traditional Son and take their dancing beyond individual steps into the feeling and flow of the dance.
Casino con Tumbao
Open · Casino · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Partnerwork variations and styling for both followers and leaders. Great Casino isn't about showing off, it's about connection and making each other look good. Explore Tumbao (sass) for both followers and leaders, musical accents, and the art of creating space for your partner to shine. Learn how to support your partner's styling, add your own flavour, and turn simple Casino moments into effortless-looking social dancing. Low-key aura farming encouraged.
Rueda Beginners+
Beginners+ · Casino · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Ready to take your Cuban Salsa to the next level? Join Kate and the team for the ultimate "Foundation" workshop! This session is custom-built for dancers who already know the absolute basics of Cuban Salsa and Rueda but want more confidence in the wheel. Kate will kick things off by smashing through a quick review of your key moves. Once the cobwebs are cleared, the team will help build your skills with some seriously fun, high-energy combinations. Expect pure group energy, plenty of laughs, and synchronized chaos. Come tighten your basics and bring the fun back into your foundation!
Cubaton
Open · Cubaton · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Cubaton is Cuban flavour on a reggaeton beat. Born on the dance floors of Cuba in the early 2000s, it takes the dembow groove and dances it with Cuban sabor, swagger and plenty of attitude. This is a style that lives in the upper body: body rolls, chest and hip pops, and sharp isolations that land right on the accents of the music. Playful, confident and made for the party. Open to all levels. Come comfortable and let the music move you.
Rueda - The Evolution of "Dedo" - Improvers
Improvers · Casino · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Dive into the evolution of the move "dedo" with KD Dance. Starting with the core concept we will build and layer complexity throughout the class. An improver level understanding of Rueda/Cuban Salsa is recommended to get the most out of this workshop.
Sunday
Yemaya - Afro-Cuban Dance
Open · Afro-Cuban · 60 min
Windsor Reserve (Harmony Hall if it's raining)
Where better to embody Yemayá, Universal Mother Orisha of the Ocean, than beside the sea? Through traditional Afro-Cuban movement, rhythm (and song), we'll explore the flowing yet powerful qualities of Yemayá - the maternal force associated with the vastness, depth and ever-changing nature of the ocean. Feel the rhythm of the ocean, connecting breath and intention. More than choreography, this is an invitation to experience the cultural stories held within the dance and embody the elemental power of water.
Registration
45 min
Devonport Community House
Palo Congo - Afro-Cuban Dance
Open · Afro-Cuban · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Dive into the powerful and energetic movement of Palo Congo, a Congo/Bantu-rooted Afro-Cuban tradition preserved and transformed in Cuba. This workshop explores traditional steps, grounded locomotion, sharp accents, and the powerful, percussive quality of Palo. We'll work with the whole body, neck, torso, arms, legs, developing coordination and the ability to layer and alternate movements while responding to the rhythm. Expect strong, staccato movement, dynamic changes, and plenty of physicality as we explore the intensity, musicality, and distinctive movement vocabulary of this powerful Afro-Cuban dance.
Afro-Cuban - Chango
Open · Afro-Cuban · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Unleash Your Chango Powerful movement, explosive energy and plenty of sabor. Bring your energy, Chango is coming! Dive into the powerful movement of Chango with Cuban dance maestro Vivio Ramos Mediaceja of The Cuban Groove. Discover the attitude and energy behind one of Cuba's most dynamic Afro-Cuban traditions, with strong movement, rhythmic play and plenty of sabor. Come ready to sweat, have fun and unleash your inner Chango!
Reparto Cubano
Open · Reparto · 60 min
Harmony Hall
Reparto Tumbao
Reparto is Cuba's own raw, high-velocity street invention, born in Havana's barrios and driven by frenetic, footwork-heavy energy you won't find anywhere else. Grounded in Timba shapes, Despelote and Afro-Cuban isolations, then pushed to an urban, playful edge. Learn the foundations, the groove, and the signature moves, then put them together with your own flow. No experience needed. Bring your energy and get ready to move.
Masterclass - Casino Cubano: Connection, Flow & Musicality
Improvers to Intermediate · Casino · 45 min
Devonport Community House
A focused and dynamic Casino Cubano masterclass for a small group of dancers, where quality, connection and musicality take centre stage. We'll work on a flowing sequence built around simple, practical patterns that can be easily incorporated into your social dancing, while adding styling, variations and musical details to give them more flavour and personality. With a strong focus on partner connection, fluidity and attentive lead-and-follow, we'll explore how small changes in timing, energy and body movement can make familiar figures feel smoother, more connected and more expressive. Perfect for dancers looking to expand their Casino repertoire while developing a stronger connection with their partner and dancing more comfortably with the music. Limited to 4 leads and 4 follows. Grab your pass early.
$35 (not included in festival pass)
Masterclass - Advanced Rueda
Improvers to Intermediate · Casino · 45 min
Harmony Hall
Sharper Moves. Smoother Flow. Next-Level Rueda. Use this session to refine your technique, master challenging combinations and bring greater precision and confidence to your dancing. Ready to take your Rueda to the next level? Join Cuban dance maestro Vivio Ramos Mediaceja from The Cuban Groove for an exclusive, small-group session packed with advanced combinations, and personalised tips and techniques to refine your dancing. Focus on body movement, timing, precision and partner connection to bring more flow, confidence and Cuban sabor to every move. Restricted numbers means you get personal attention with a serious Cuban flavour! Limited to 5 leads and 5 follows. Grab your pass early.
$35 (not included in festival pass)
Rumba
Open · Rumba · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Ever wonder how top dancers add that effortless, magnetic flavor to their movement? The secret is Cuban Rumba. Born in the streets of Havana and Matanzas, Rumba is the rhythmic heartbeat of Cuban dance. To stop just counting steps and start truly feeling the music, you must connect with these Afro-Cuban roots. In this open-level workshop with Kate, you will master the absolute essentials. Dive deep into authentic body isolations, grounded styling, and the rich, traditional rhythms that define sabor. Drop the rigid patterns, connect with the drum, and discover the true soul of Cuban folklore.
Afro-Cuban Roots
Open · Afro-Cuban · 60 min
Devonport Community House
This workshop explores foundational movement principles that bring greater depth, texture and authenticity to your dancing - grounded weight, polyrhythmic body movement, torso articulation, coordination and rhythmic expression. Drawing from different Afro-Cuban folkloric traditions, we'll explore how rhythm lives through the whole body and how these movement qualities continue to influence Cuban popular dance today. Whether you dance Casino, Son, Rumba or other Cuban styles, deepen your movement vocabulary, musicality and understanding of where the movement comes from.
Rueda Con Todos
Open · Casino · 60 min
Devonport Community House
Rueda with Full Cuban Sabor. A high-energy celebration, this is Cuban Rueda turned all the way up! Join Vivio from The Cuban Groove for the Afro-Cuban Rueda finale. Vivio will mix his unique Afro-Cuban sabor into moves you all know and love. Expect musicality, improvisation and plenty of laughter as everyone dances together. Bring your Rueda skills, your energy and your sense of fun, and get ready for a seriously Cuban finale to the festival!
Ready to Dance?
Get your festival pass and access every workshop, party, and performance across all venues.
SALSA TUMBAO 2026
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Saturday
| Time | Devonport Community House | Harmony Hall | Windsor Reserve (Harmony Hall if it's raining) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Pōwhiri () | ||
| 10:30 | Registration () | ||
| 11:15 | Afro-Cuban - Contemporary (Vivio) | Cuban Salsa - Zero but Enthusiastic (Lofty) | |
| 12:15 | Casino Body Flow (Zita, Julio) | Cuban Salsa - New & Social (Adrian) | |
| 13:15 | Masterclass - Son Cubano: Find Your Cadencia (Christina) | ||
| 14:00 | Cuban Son - Improvers (Pablo) | Cuban Son - Beginners (Rafael) | |
| 15:00 | Casino con Tumbao (Zita, Julio) | Rueda Beginners+ (Kate) | |
| 16:00 | Cubaton (Pauly & Gina) | Rueda - The Evolution of "Dedo" - Improvers (KD Dance) |
Sunday
| Time | Devonport Community House | Harmony Hall | Windsor Reserve (Harmony Hall if it's raining) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Yemaya - Afro-Cuban Dance (Christina) | ||
| 10:30 | Registration () | ||
| 11:15 | Casino - Moves for the Social Floor (Gonzalo & Natalia) | Palo Congo - Afro-Cuban Dance (Pablo) | |
| 12:15 | Afro-Cuban - Chango (Vivio) | Reparto Cubano (Reparto Tumbao) | |
| 13:15 | Masterclass - Casino Cubano: Connection, Flow & Musicality (Pablo) | Masterclass - Advanced Rueda (Vivio) | |
| 14:00 | Rumba (Kate) | ||
| 15:00 | Afro-Cuban Roots (Christina) | ||
| 16:00 | Rueda Con Todos (Vivio) |