SCOTTISH bar and restaurant El Santo welcomes live entertainment sessions with professional dancers, DJ sets and live music.
The Latin American-themed venue in Glasgow’s Merchant City is working with Glaswegian dancer and choreographer Antonia Giomi to deliver a new dining experience.
She studied for four years in Glasgow at Clyde College, with an additional three years of study in London at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich.
Antonia is responsible for booking and arranging El Santo’s Thursday to Saturday live entertainment sessions as a new way to dine and socialise.
She has formed a strong working relationship with Glasgow-based entertainment agency Ace Tribe, who provide many of the professional dancers & performers for El Santo.
The venue additionally holds regular open auditions where locally based singers, comedians and musicians can perform to be considered for a future slot.
To lend additional support to Scotland’s ballroom community, Antonia has also instigated ‘Salsa Social’ sessions which will be held at El Santo twice a month.
Named ‘Mezclador’, the sessions will take place twice a month on Fridays, providing an opportunity for this growing community of dancers to meet up and dance together.
Open to the general public too, Salsa teacher ‘Salsa with Will’ will be present to stage a short Salsa taster at the start of the night where participants can enjoy a lesson.
They can then try out their newfound dance moves and enjoy drinks with El Santo’s DJ performing until 1am.
After an extremely busy festive season at El Santo, Antonia is now planning for key events in February, including La Vida Es Un Carnaval.
Taking place from 9 to 17 February, the event offers live musicians, interactive performances and dining experiences.
These include Carnival & Samba dancers, dazzling costumes, authentic Brazilian cuisine and cocktails that capture the true Latin American spirit in a glass.
In recognition of International Tequila Day, held on 22 February, El Santo is holding ‘Margarita weekend’ between the 22nd and 24th of the month.
This will feature an exclusive margarita menu, live music from 4pm, and a performance from Latin Dance duo Pawel & Maria.
Antonia said: “I’m really enjoying this role which makes perfect use of my many years of experience in dance and choreography.
“With its vibrant and colourful Latin American theme, live entertainment is an intrinsic part of the customer’s El Santo experience.
“We are giving Glaswegians the tastes, the sounds, and the essence of Latin America.”
