From June 18 to June 20, 2026, the Underdog Dance Corp. hosted their first Waterloo Salsa Bachata Festival. The event included workshops on different styles of dance—including salsa, bachata, dancehall and Afro-Cuban—led by instructors from Underdog; as well as from different studios from Halifax, Toronto, Oakville, Montreal and Spain; performances; and three socials. It was attended by approximately 300 dancers.
Raquel DiazGranados Monroy is the studio manager at the Underdog Dance Corp. and one of the key organizers of the festival. After attending her first dance congress last year, she was inspired to have one in the region. Emily Peat, owner and director of Underdog, was supportive of the idea.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity of being able to work together with [Emily] to make this event happen,” DiazGranados Monroy said.
The festival took place across four venues—it kicked off at the weekly Salsa in the Square social at Waterloo Town Square, then migrated to the Underdog studio, Maxwell’s Concerts and Events, and finished at the Delta Hotels Waterloo. DiazGranados Monroy said they wanted to encourage attendees to also support local businesses.
“We wanted to be able to support different local businesses in the area, so we wanted the people who were coming to visit Waterloo to travel around Uptown Waterloo and support different local businesses,” she said.
Zheng Li is an aircraft mechanic from Halifax. When he first moved to Canada, his English needed improvement, so he decided to join dance classes to connect to people without having to talk as much.
Li said that the festival was well-organized, and the workshops taught transferable dance skills rather than just combinations of moves.
“I felt it was very well organized. I enjoy the classes a lot,” he said.
“[…A] lot of times, they teach you a combo [of moves] and you practice and I never use them and I forgot them…[a concept] not a certain move that I have to remember, but it’s an idea that I can constantly work on, like energy, the weight transfer,” Li said.
In Halifax, the annual Halifax Salsa & Bachata Festival is a major community event.
“It’s something that everybody in the community looks forward to,” Li said.
DiazGranados Monroy said she hopes the festival is something that can put Waterloo on the map.
“In the future, I hope a lot of people come and visit us,” she said.
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