The Programme

The flagship category, staged in two divisions so dancers compete against their own level rather than a single open field.

Qualifying teams prepare a choreographed piece over six to eight weeks, with two mentorship checkpoints from professional partner masters, then perform at the finals in front of the international jury against a fixed rubric.

Awards include Gold, Silver and Bronze in both salsa and bachata, plus special awards for Best Creativity, Best Partnering and Best Innovation.

Its own separate performance show — not a segment of the Professional Show and not an interlude between competitions.

Folkloric culture of Latin America and the Caribbean staged as professional performance in its own right: grounded folkloric technique, traditional costume, live cultural expression and the music it belongs to.

Not judged — a performance show in its own right.

A separate concert-format performance show built around eight professional live bands, with professional artists dancing alongside them.

Every evening carries two hours of live band music in each hall, with daytime band sets as well. Not judged.

Master-level teaching in both performance and pedagogy, delivered by the same national and international professionals who form the jury and perform on stage.

Particular focus goes to developing the Stargate division toward the Professionals standard — so that competing at Latin Fire raises the level of the scene year on year rather than only ranking it.

Masterclasses run through day three in the Cuban Salsa and Bachata halls, open to festival visitors as well as competing teams.

Co-creation is a playful live performance made entirely on the spot. Artists meet on stage without choreography or rehearsal and create the show together in that moment.

The music is not disclosed beforehand — sometimes a live band creates it with them. Dancers, culture artists and musicians respond to one another in real time. One hour every evening, on one of the three stages.

A show to enjoy — not a competition and not judged. There is no sign-up: the festival selects and invites the artists.

Dance schools bring their students and groups to the stage across all three festival days — from beginner classes to advanced teams, in their own exhibition slots.

Not judged and no competition pressure: it is the moment students perform in the same arena as the professionals they came to watch.