The stage at Hamilton's storied and historic Tivoli Theatre came to life Saturday with - not vaudeville, not film, but, Salsa!
Hamilton's Canadian Ballet Youth ensemble staged iCaliente!, an annual Salsa competition. for amateur and professional Salsa dancers.
Hamilton's Tivoli Theatre opened in 1924 as a combination vaudeville and movie house.
The competitors included Latin Energy's Raymond & Gen.
Latin Energy's Raymond & Jenalyn won the amateur division and the first prize, a trip to Cuba.
Tania & Steven won the professional division and a trip to Cuba.
Flying Dance Company's Nico & Naiomi, Jessie & Karen; placed runner-up.
Flying Dance Company's Nico and Kelly performed a bachata.
Notes About The Tivoli Theatre
The site was originally a carriage factory that was built in 1875. The Tivoli Theatre, a grand luxurious full working theatre, opened in what was the carriage factory in 1908. The Princess Theatre, part of the same site, closed in 1923 and became part of the Lobby of the Tivoli and re-opened as a vaudeville and movie house.
The Tivoli closed as a movie house in 1990. The building is currently a historic site under the Ontario Heritage Act.
The front part of the building, the Pronnguey block, partially collapsed in Augst 2004 and the City of Hamilton demolished the rest of what was the lounge and lobby. The Tivoli has been idle since that date.
The Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble bought the building from the Sniderman family of Sam the Record Man fame for one dollar in 2006. That temporarily saved the Princess block and main auditorium and theatre from demolition.
In 2009, The Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble launched an ongoing $15-million capital campaign to restore the Tivoli Theatre, Hamilton's last fully working theatre.
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