Artist of the Month, Miss Ruby Rivera!

This month we are featuring Miss Ruby Rivera, an HISD teacher by day and fierce salsa dancer by night. I had the pleasure to ask Miss Rivera a few questions about the Texas Salsa Congress and her involvement in the arts.

What got you involved in the arts? 

For as long as I can remember I loved dance, music, painting etc. I lived in a single parent home most of my life and thankful that my mother put me in many after school programs in Houston. These programs introduced me to the arts and gave me a foundation that would just continue to grow as I got older.

How did you get started with the Texas Salsa Congress? 

Although I was born in Houston I went to college at The University of Texas at Austin. I was living in Austin and moved to Houston to work in admissions for UT in 2000. Shortly after I moved to Houston, I went to my first salsa club in and fell in love with the dance, and knew I wanted to be part of doing something to contribute to the salsa/mambo dance community.

What challenges  and success have you encountered with the Texas salsa congress ? 

Challenges, you might need a book not a newsletter!  In general, the salsa community was small compared to what it is now so one of the challenges was to build the community. In the beginning it was very grass roots to clubs to want to support salsa nights or work with someone who was female in a very male dominated industry. In addition, a huge challenge was to sell Houston, Texas to the world since we compete against cities like Miami, Chicago, New York which people don't need a lot of convincing to travel to those cities. I had to work on highlighting Houston as a city and also our wonderful dance community here in Texas!

Success-in 2016 we will celebrate our 12th Anniversary of the Texas Salsa Congress! We are now one of the oldest salsa congresses in the US. Also, in general to see all the dancers who have come to Houston from all over the globe see what Houston is all about and also provide great shows and instruction for our community to grow as been very rewarding.


What ways can the community support the Texas Salsa Congress? 

As an organization we are always looking for support with anything to can help our growth as an organization and event.  We continue to support Houston through organizing events such as Latin Beats at the Downtown Aquarium which provides a free night over the summer for families.   We can always use donations, sponsorships, volunteers for the event or volunteers that can offer help with marketing, website, or any areas of expertise that might help with the Texas Salsa Congress.

The Texas Salsa Congress is honored to be able to host event that showcases Texas and the arts. We can't wait to see all of you on the dance floor at the Westin Oaks-Galleria March 10-13, 2016!