Ximena Cubillos discusses how Ensálsate promotes Colombian culture and strengthens cultural diplomacy through dance
Following Ensálsate’s performance at the Colombia National Day Reception in Singapore on 20 July 2026, IN Diplomacy interviewed Ximena Cubillos, National Commercial Manager of Ensálsate, on the company’s mission to promote Colombian culture through the performing arts. She reflected on Ensálsate’s international journey, the importance of representing Colombia at official diplomatic events, and the role of dance and music in strengthening cultural diplomacy and fostering greater understanding between nations.
How would you describe Ensálsate to someone who has never been to Colombia?
Ensálsate is Colombia on stage, vibrant, diverse, joyful and full of rhythm. It brings together the speed and energy of Cali-style salsa with live orchestra, extraordinary costumes, and rhythms from across Colombia and beyond. We think of it as a cultural ambassador, something built to showcase the strength, beauty and grandeur of Cali salsa to the world.
But it’s more than a dance show. It’s a journey through our culture and a celebration of the talent, creativity and warmth of our people. For someone who has never visited Colombia, Ensálsate offers a felt glimpse of the country we know and love, not a postcard version, but something you experience in your own body, through rhythm and energy.
What is the story behind the name “Ensálsate”, and what does it symbolise?
“Ensálsate” is a play on words and an invitation. In Spanish, it sounds like a call to immerse yourself in salsa, to let the music, the movement and the celebration take over.
The name represents exactly what happens during the show: the audience doesn’t simply watch from a distance, they become part of the energy. Ensálsate means allowing yourself to experience salsa with all your senses, it’s not presented to you, you’re pulled into it.
What makes Ensálsate different from other salsa shows? What would surprise the audience?
The biggest surprise is that Ensálsate isn’t only about salsa. Cali-style salsa is at the heart of the production, but we combine it with Colombian traditions, international rhythms, live music, theatrical storytelling, costume design and an elaborate visual experience.
Audiences arrive expecting an impressive dance performance and discover a full theatrical production, where orchestra, choreography, costume design and staging work together to tell a story.
They also discover the purpose behind it. Ensálsate generates social impact by creating employment, professional opportunities and international exposure for Colombian artistic talent. Dance becomes more than performance: it becomes a profession, a source of discipline and a way of building a future.
Source: Ensálsate
The show is full of colour, energy and glamour. How much work goes into creating those few magical moments on stage?
An enormous amount. What audiences experience in a few minutes on stage may represent months of research, creation and rehearsal, choreographers, dancers, musicians, singers, costume designers, make-up artists, lighting professionals, producers and a large technical team, all working with absolute precision so that every costume change, formation and musical transition lands exactly on cue.
The goal is for the audience to see only the magic, never the hundreds of hours of discipline, coordination and teamwork behind it.
With over 1,500 performances across five continents, how has international touring shaped the evolution of Ensálsate?
Performing more than 1,500 times across five continents has taught us that rhythm crosses borders without needing translation. It has also challenged us to create a show that can connect with people who may be experiencing Cali-style salsa for the first time.
We have performed throughout the Americas, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and Brazil, as well as across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Turkey, China, Vietnam, Korea, India, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria and Israel, plus major international stages such as Expo Dubai. Each tour introduces us to different cultures, audiences and ways of experiencing music. That exchange encourages us to evolve and explore new fusions while protecting the essence of Cali-style salsa.
Touring has also raised our technical standards. Every venue presents different conditions, and we have learned to adapt without compromising the quality of the experience. Above all, it has made us conscious of the responsibility and privilege of representing Cali and Colombia internationally.
When audiences leave an Ensálsate show, what do you hope they feel on the journey home?
We hope they leave happier than when they arrived, with the music still playing in their minds and the urge to keep dancing.
But beyond the excitement, we want them to feel connected, to the performers, to Colombian culture, and to the joy created when talent, discipline and purpose come together. Behind every performance are artists who have found employment, professional growth and opportunities to carry their talent beyond Colombia. For a Colombian audience, we want them to leave proud of what their culture produced. For an international audience, if they go home feeling more alive, inspired and curious about Colombia, then we’ve achieved what we set out to do “Ensálsate, from Colombia to the world.”
Ensálsate recently performed at the Colombia National Day Reception in Singapore. What did it mean for the company to represent Colombia at such an important diplomatic event?
It was a profound honour and a great responsibility. On that stage, we weren’t only performing as Ensálsate, we were representing Colombia before the world.
Seeing our dancers perform with such talent, professionalism and humanity filled the whole company with pride. They became ambassadors of the creativity, discipline and warmth of the Colombian people, and the positive messages we received afterward, including directly from the embassies, confirmed that the performance went beyond entertainment. It became a way of bringing two cultures closer through music and dance, one of the most powerful forms of diplomacy there is.
The reception was held on 20 July 2026 and featured Colombian culture through Ensálsate’s Cali-style salsa performance and live Colombian music.
For many guests in Singapore, this may have been their first introduction to Cali-style salsa. What aspects of Colombian culture were you hoping they would experience?
We wanted them to experience Colombia’s joy, diversity and creative spirit. Through Cali-style salsa, we shared the speed, precision and distinctive energy of our city. Through the music, costumes and fusion of rhythms, we also wanted to show that Colombian culture isn’t one single expression, it’s a meeting of regions, traditions, colours and influences.
Above all, we wanted the audience to experience our warmth. Colombians have a special way of turning music into connection and celebration, and we hoped every guest in Singapore could feel that, even if it was their first encounter with our culture.
Source: IN Diplomacy Reporter.
