Cali¶
This is the focused block — see Personal context & goals for why consolidating Cali style matters for this trip.
Ricardo Murillo — Salsa en Conexión¶
Referred to Ricardo Murillo, who runs Salsa en Conexión in Cali. Referral chain: teacher Sabine (Cali Swing, London) → Ricardo (good friend, excellent teacher). Message sent, reply received — still waiting on a full answer about scheduling.
Official site (works): salsaenconexiondancestudio.com · Instagram @salsaenconexion · phone listed on Salsa Vida: +57 311 703 5227 (same channel as the WhatsApp thread below).
Conversation so far
Me: Hola Ricardo! Soy Alessio y estoy de visita en Colombia por turismo, soy italiano pero vivo en Londres. Sabine from London Cali salsa me habló de ti y Salsa en conexión!
Ricardo (auto-reply): Gracias por comunicarte con Salsa En Conexión. Los cursos regulares ofrecen una clase semanal de una hora y veinte minutos, enfocadas en el aprendizaje del baile social (caleña, línea, cubana, bachata, bolero) desde la conexión. Los cursos se desarrollan por niveles y comprenden un espacio de práctica los días lunes (no festivos), con el objetivo de reforzar las temáticas vistas en clase.
Me: Tienes alguna clase a la que pueda asistir cuando esté allí? O solo tienes cursos?
Ricardo: Hola cómo estás? Ya te envío las clases y horarios ❤️
Me: muchas gracias!
Status: in conversation — likely course-based, not drop-in
The regular offering is weekly leveled courses (1h20m/week + Monday practice sessions) — a multi-week progression, not a single drop-in class. I've directly asked whether a single class is possible; Ricardo said he'd send the schedule but hasn't yet confirmed a drop-in option. Todo: follow up once he sends the schedule, and ask explicitly if a one-off class or the Monday practice session alone is bookable for a short visit.
Prices & courses (published on salsaenconexiondancestudio.com — checked Aug 2026):
Group
| Offering | Price |
|---|---|
| Single class | 35,000 COP |
| 10-class pack | 250,000 COP |
| Monthly adult | 120,000 COP |
| Monthly 2+ courses | 102,000 COP each |
| Monthly couple | 216,000 COP |
Private (per package total; site also shows effective COP/h)
| Hours | Price | ≈ /h |
|---|---|---|
| 1h | 100,000 COP | 100k |
| 5h | 450,000 COP | 90k |
| 10h | 800,000 COP | 80k |
| 20h | 1,400,000 COP | 70k |
Regular courses: social dance focus (caleña, línea, cubana, bachata, bolero), leveled, ~1h20m per week + Monday practice (not holidays) — from WhatsApp auto-reply above.
Goals with Ricardo:
- Get a straight answer on whether a single drop-in class or the Monday practice session is bookable for a short visit.
- If yes: arrange 2–3 days of classes (private or small group).
- Ask for recommendations for beginner-friendly socials where I can practice live but feel supported.
- If no: fall back to one of the other Cali leads below.
Other leads (if Ricardo doesn't work out)¶
Sondeluz Dance Academy (working site — contacted; reply logged)
- Live site: sondeluz.co · book: sondeluz.co/#book · classes: sondeluz.co/clases-de-baile
- Address: Carrera 28 No. 9–68, Champagnat neighbourhood, Cali.
- WhatsApp: +57 324 819 1388 / +57 310 377 9586
- English-speaking instructors; no partner required (per site FAQ).
Currency on the brochures — $ here is COP, not USD
Colombian price lists often use $ for pesos. The brochure writes
$85.000 with a dot as thousands separator (= 85,000 COP), not “eighty-five
US dollars” and not “eighty-five thousand USD”.
Their own site labels the same packages Price (COP) and converts them, e.g. Dicha
$85,000 ≈ $21 USD —
clases-de-baile (checked 12 Aug 2026). FAQ:
prefer paying in local currency.
GBP read (soft ~5,000–5,300 COP/£): staff 1h ≈ £16–17; Luz 1h ≈ £34–36; Luz 20h ≈ £610–650. For a London visitor that is cheap private instruction — the raw COP numbers look scary until you convert. Luz is still ~2× staff, but both tiers are fine value in hard currency.
WhatsApp brochures (12 Aug 2026)¶
Staff private 1:1 (right brochure — “clases personalizadas / profesores del staff”; same numbers as site COP table):
| Package | Hours | Brochure | ≈ USD (site) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dicha | 1h | $85.000 COP | ≈ $21 |
| Fortuna | 5h | $395.000 COP | ≈ $98 |
| Encanto | 10h | $735.000 COP | ≈ $183 |
| Amor | 20h | $1’370.000 COP | ≈ $340 |
“Maestra del detalle” (Luz) — clases magistrales (left brochure — not on the public site table above; ~2× staff COP/h):
| Package | Hours | Brochure | ≈ USD (soft, same ~4k COP/USD as site) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libre | 1h | $180.000 COP | ≈ $45 |
| Auténtico | 5h | $870.000 COP | ≈ $215 |
| Fantástico | 10h | $1’680.000 COP | ≈ $415 |
| Poderoso | 20h | $3’240.000 COP | ≈ $800 |
Rough GBP (soft ~5,000–5,300 COP/£): staff 1h ≈ £16–17; Luz 1h ≈ £34–36; Luz 20h ≈
£610–650 — cheap by London private-lesson standards once you remember $ ≠ USD.
Couples / semi-private (site only — Cariño / Ternura / Chévere / Amor): clases-de-baile.
Status: reply received 12 Aug 2026 — trip cancelled; do not book
8 Aug 2026: Contacted via sondeluz.co/#book about daily courses / short-stay options.
12 Aug 2026 WhatsApp reply (paraphrase + quotes): sent the two 2026 brochures above — staff “one to one” vs “clases magistrales” with maestra Luz; said you can choose who teaches; hours flexible / “se ajustan al tiempo del cliente”; closed with “Es importante que nos confirme la reserva!” and “Quedamos atentas.”
Read for this trip: First glance felt “expensive” because of the $ + big COP
digits — after converting, staff and Luz are good value from the UK. Remaining
caveats are sales tone (“confirme la reserva”) and post–10 Aug quake capacity
(unverified). Not booking — Aug 2026 Colombia trip cancelled —
Final plan.
Context: Prices & cost of living.
Note
Full reply text kept for reference (12 Aug 2026):
Y éste es el brochure de precios con clases impartidas por la maestra Luz, reconocida Internacionalmente como la maestra del detalle, sus horarios son flexibles y se ajustan al tiempo del cliente ! … Puedes elegir, con quién te gustaría hacer las clases!!
Será un gusto atenderte ! … Éstas son las clases impartidas por profesores del staff de la escuela !
Es importante que nos confirme la reserva ! … Quedamos atentas
Mariana — Sabor de Cali Salsa (working site)
- learnsalsacali.com · hours 10:00–18:00 · WhatsApp +57 317 579 9408
- Address: Cra. 23a #1-90, Miraflores, Cali
- Styles marketed: Salsa On 1, Salsa Línea On 2, Bachata Sensual, Lady Style, Heels.
- Site offers a free first class form for newcomers.
Prices & courses (USD on site — Aug 2026):
| Offering | Price |
|---|---|
| Single private | $15 / 1h |
| Group (3–4 people) | $8 / person / 1h |
| 5h private package | $65 |
| 10h private package | $125 |
| 20h private package | $220 |
SalsaPura
- salsapura.com/en · dance classes / gallery with prices · WhatsApp +57 310 493 9660 · Calle 4 #6-61, San Antonio, Cali
- Group: social focus, levels from basic to advanced, two teachers splitting the room.
- Private: personalized; packages of 5 / 10 / 20 hours; group classes included in private packages (per site). Styles: salsa, bachata, kizomba, others.
- Cash prices below; card adds tax (stated on site).
Prices & courses (gallery page — Aug 2026):
| Offering | Price (COP, cash) |
|---|---|
| Group — per class | 25,000 |
| Group monthly — 2×/week | 110,000 |
| Group monthly — 4×/week | 140,000 |
| Group monthly — 6×/week | 170,000 |
| Group monthly — 8×/week | 220,000 |
| Group monthly — 10×/week | 260,000 |
| Private — 1 class | 100,000 |
| Private — 5 classes | 475,000 |
| Private — 10 classes | 880,000 |
| Private — 15 classes | 1,260,000 |
| Private — 20 classes | 1,600,000 |
Manicero Sabor Academia de Baile
- Salsa Vida listing (Aug 2026): Mon–Fri salsa (afternoon/evening blocks); Sat bachata, multiple levels.
- Price listed: 12,000 COP / class.
- Address on listing: Calle 5ta #39-71 (frente estación Tequendama del MIO) — confirm before going.
Todo¶
- Sondeluz — reply 12 Aug 2026 logged (staff vs Luz brochures); not booking (trip cancelled).
- Follow up with Ricardo — N/A unless a future Cali trip; thread may still have schedule pending.
- Contact Mariana / Manicero / SalsaPura — N/A for Aug 2026; prices kept for reference.
See also: Cali · Social & language → Cali · Prices & cost of living · Dance opportunities overview · Final plan