Dancers will be competing for $ 4,000 in cash prizes during the three-weekend salsa competition

LONG BEACH, Calif.; Apr. 8, 2010 - The Queen Mary will host an unforgettable series of salsa dance competitions beginning with preliminary amateur and professional performances on April 23 and 24. Those who advance through round one will compete in the semi-finals May 7 and 8 and final contestants will show off in the exciting final contest May 21 and 22. Dancers will be competing for trophies and $ 4,000 in cash prizes.

MC Rudy Zalez hosts as the fiesta starts each Friday at 8 p.m. with open dancing and great DJ's and then the floor is cleared at 10 p.m. when the competition begins. After all of the dancers have performed and the winners have been chosen, the floor will once again open up to all for dancing until 2 a.m. Friday's competitions will be for amateur dancers and Saturday's will be for professional dancers only. The judging panel for the final competitions on May 21 and 22 will feature an impressive portfolio of professional dancers and instructors.

The event will take place in the Queen Mary's tri-level Exhibit Hall. Ticket prices at the door are $ 10 per night the first weekend for preliminaries, $ 15 per night for the semi-finals and $ 20 per night for the finals. Discount tickets are available to those who add their name to the guest list via email to special.events@queenmary.com. Those on the guest list will receive off the door ticket price.

Dancers who wish to enter the competition can fill out the registration form found on the website. Hotel rates are available for guests who wish to stay aboard the ship. Visit www.queenmary.com for full details.