RISE — Ritmo Institute for Salsa Education is a nonprofit organization based in San Antonio, Texas, dedicated to preserving, teaching, and elevating salsa music, dance, and the Afro-Caribbean cultural traditions that shaped it.

Salsa is one of the most influential cultural movements of the last century—bridging music, dance, migration, and identity across generations. Yet in the United States, there is no national institution devoted to its long-term preservation and advancement.

RISE was created to help change that.

Rooted in nearly two decades of community-building through The BIG Salsa Festival San Antonio, RISE represents a natural next step: formalizing cultural preservation, expanding access to education, and creating pathways for artists, dancers, and communities to engage with salsa beyond the social floor.

Our work focuses on three core areas:

• Cultural Preservation — documenting histories and honoring tradition
• Education — creating accessible learning experiences and future curriculum pathways
• Community & Well-Being — fostering connection through movement and culture

Through local programming and global partnerships, RISE is building a foundation for something that has never fully existed in the U.S.—a long-term cultural home for salsa.

This is not just about dance.
It is about culture, history, and continuity.


RISE San Antonio

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Teams

Offices

RISE San Antonio

Org chart

Teams

Offices

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