HOW do you account for the extraordinary popularity of Latin dance in Canberra?

It’s a question Ecuadorian-Australian sisters Raquel and Andrea Paez have been asking themselves as they embark on the first Canberra Latin Dance Festival.

They’ve been running a dance school called Salsabor for the past eight years, but this venture is not just about them, it’s for all Canberra’s Latin dance schools.

“There’s so much talent in the ACT,” Raquel tells “CityNews”. “Normally we have to travel, so we thought: ‘Why not bring everyone here to unite under one roof?’”

In the first year of the festival, it’s not easy to find sponsorship, but they have found loyal supporters in dance-shoe specialists and a reflexology company that will give massages to tired feet throughout the event.

It’s not a competition, it’s a festival.

There will be simultaneous dance workshops (41 in all) every hour until 5pm on the weekend, ranging from salsa through zouk, reggeaton, bachata, samba, rueda, cha cha, tango, bachatango and yoga.

Then, from 8pm, local dance schools will come alive on the floor.

As well, the Paez sisters together with their friend, IT whizkid Darian Bridge, are bringing in three international guests, Neeraj Maskara from India; Ismael Otero, from the US, and Olesya Sydorenko, from the Ukraine via Singapore.

On the last night of the Festival, “Noche Latina”, the stars will be Canberra’s own Mi Terra, judged Australia’s Best Latin Band 2011.

That’s not all. Interstate guests include Oliver Pineda and his partner Vali Damaskou, specialists in zouk lambada and salsa, the 2006 place-getter in the Mayan World Salsa Competition in Los Angeles, Jaime Jesus, and Bachata dancer Juan Ruiz.

“We had to invest in the visitors ourselves,” Raquel says, but the expectation is that the festival will take off quickly and with it the sponsorship.

For her, coming to Canberra from Bathurst 13 years ago was the best thing that could have happened. Though raised by her parents to love dance and music, it wasn’t until she got here that she could study dance.

“I guess I’m blessed” she says.

So what is it about Latin dance? Is it art? Is it sport? Is it social? To Raquel, most people start with the aim of meeting people and quickly become part of a friendly community. After that, they perfect their skills and that could lead to competition.

Canberra Latin Dance Festival, ANU Sports and Recreational Centre, October 19-21, with late-night dance parties every night. Full program and bookings at canberralatindancefestival.com.au