How a guy from Guatemala and a gal from Austin, Texas changed entertainment in Boise Idaho.
Originally from Guatemala, Giovanni Giron has loved all kinds of music from the time he was young. When he moved to Los Angeles he discovered that he had talent as a DJ. There he met many DJ’s and learned how to play the right combination of music to entertain the audience and keep them on the dance floor.
Giovanni moved to the Meridian, Idaho and began playing at parties, events, clubs and local radio stations. Giovanni gained a reputation as a DJ who played the best music and packed the house. He particularly loved Salsa along with other tropical Latin music. He also introduced to his audiences to up and coming music.
Laura Johnston is from Austin, Texas and experienced first hand the variety of music Austin inspires. Also, she never missed an opportunity to go country and western dancing at the Broken Spoke in Austin.
In college she played fútbol on the men’s team and started the women’s team. On weekends they had tropical Latin parties where people brought Latin food, talked about world events and danced. At both the Broken Spoke and the college Latin parties the music was good, people danced with old and new friends and everyone was welcome.
When Laura moved to Boise she missed those kinds of social events. One night she and a friend discovered Salsa dancing and soon she got involved in helping it grow at a local cafe which is where she met DJ Giovanni.
She also wanted to produce a bigger Salsa event but was unsure how to make it happen. Fate stepped in and she was invited to the 10th anniversary of the Puerto Rican Salsa Congress! She learned the event was centered on the quality of the Salsa orchestras even though they also offered other activites.
When she returned to Boise she started working on the first Idaho Salsa Congress. She asked DJ Giovanni to help her. Laura chose the Knitting Factory Concert House because she wanted to work with people who had experience with concerts and events.
The Idaho Salsa Congress was a success and Laura went home to visit family. She got a call from the manager of the Knitting Factory who asked her if she would like to try a DJ Salsa event on a regular basis. That was not in her plans but she knew who to call, DJ Giovanni and he thought they should try it which turned out to be a good idea.
Salsa Idaho is their brand, and they have presented tropical Latin music and dance events at the Knitting Factory since 2007. They have grown from having events once in a while to presenting two monthly events. They have seen their audiences grow to capacity (1,000).
Salsa Idaho events are unique because they attract people from all over Idaho and the world. The music is invigorating and encourages people to engage (without a cell phone). They strive to always be welcoming.
Please visit www.salsaidaho.com and Salsa Idaho on facebook for more information. We hope to see you at our next event!
