Spartan Mambo takes the court at Chase Center
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SJSU Spartan Mambo, the salsa dance team at San Jose State University, returned to the NBA stage on March 25 with a halftime performance at the Golden State Warriors game against the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center.
The performance brought 48 college dancers onto the court during a high-energy night in San Francisco, where the Warriors defeated the Nets 109-106. Dressed in blue and yellow costumes matching both the Warriors’ colors and San Jose State’s school colors, Spartan Mambo delivered a salsa medley that celebrated both classic mambo and salsa’s current cultural moment.
The team opened with “Mambo de la Luz” by Orquesta de la Luz, a piece previously performed at the San Francisco SBK Congress, before expanding into a broader medley that included “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Baile Inolvidable”, and “La Mudanza” by Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
The routine also featured a timely nod to Benito’s recent Super Bowl halftime show. Spartan Mambo dancer Nicholas Urdaneta performed a lip-sync moment from Benito’s spoken interlude before the team transitioned into “Baile Inolvidable.” Urdaneta had also recently been featured as a finalist in a San Francisco Benito lookalike contest, adding another playful connection between salsa, pop culture, and the Bay Area.
“This performance was special because it brought together so many parts of what salsa represents right now,” said Takeshi Young, coach and director of SJSU Spartan Mambo. “We had college students performing New York-style salsa On2 on an NBA court, in front of thousands of fans, at a time when salsa is reaching new audiences through artists like Benito. It was a powerful moment for our team and for the visibility of salsa dance.”
The halftime routine was choreographed by Takeshi Young, Dipanwita Ray, Alexis Ng, Piero Miranda, Carolina Sandoval-Bardo, Jesus Jimenez, and Isabel Landeros, combining work from Spartan Mambo’s coaches and student captains.
Founded in 2010, SJSU Spartan Mambo has become one of the most visible collegiate salsa teams in the United States, representing San Jose State University at competitions, community events, congresses, and major performance stages. The team dances New York-style salsa On2 and gives students the opportunity to train, perform, compete, and connect through Latin dance.
The Warriors halftime show adds another major performance credit to the team’s growing resume and reflects salsa’s continued movement into mainstream entertainment spaces, from college campuses and dance congresses to professional sports arenas
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contact@spartanmambo.com
SJSU Spartan Mambo is the salsa dance team at San Jose State University. Founded in 2010, the team trains students in New York-style salsa On2 and performs at university events, dance congresses, competitions, community showcases, and professional sports halftime shows. Through performance and training, Spartan Mambo helps students build confidence, community, and a deeper connection to salsa dance.
This release was published on openPR.