Dance for a paw-sitive cause  

CHENNAI : Vanessa loves pets and Afro-Latin dance. She has decided to combine both for her upcoming event. Salsa for Strays was started by expats Vanessa Hidalgo and James Martenson last year. This year, they will raise money for Blue Cross. “When we began, we had no clue about any of the organisations that work with pets here. I came across Blue Cross and visited them recently. It was a mind-boggling and an emotional experience to see the puppies. This year’s money is for the betterment of the needy dogs,” says California-based Vanessa, who is also a teacher and a storyteller. 

The fundraiser, which will be held today, will have two sessions. The afternoon session from 1 pm to 5 pm at K4C Academy, Padur will see performances by the local artists. There will also be a baking sale, colouring contest, henna and face painting. The event in the evening, for adults, will be held at The Sports Lounge, Metroplace Hotel. “This will also be a space for budding dancers to showcase their talent. We’ve eight performances lined up. There will be a special performance by my salsa team (class 6 kids), and one by an amateur ladies group,” she says.

A fund amount of `30,000 collected from their first edition will be given to an animal activist Shibu. He feeds around 600 dogs daily  in Chennai and Bengaluru. Vanessa has been in Chennai for two years now. She has rescued two dogs so far — a mongrel named Jerry, and a pug named Chuchu. “I saved Jerry from an accident and now he runs as fast as a horse. Chuchu, the other one, was left behind by a Korean family. Now he is in a safe place,” she shares. Coming from a family of animal lovers, she has eight dogs, five cats and one turtle, Shelly. 

She is currently working on a book You Don’t Have To Be Afraid Of Dogs. It’ll be available in Tamil, English, and Hindi. It’ll have stories based on personal experiences of people whom she has interacted with. “I will be leaving the city this year. I want the readers to get inspired by dogs and develop a compassion for animals. And, yes I have a World Latin Dance Hunt show back in California,” she says.