John “Choco” Knight

In 2000 I attended the Los Angeles Salsa Congress. This was my second congress ever, and I was excited to be able to dance On2 with dancers that were to be there from New York. I was having some trouble with the timing for turns, and riding the shuttle back to the hotel I got clarification from a guy sitting next to me. He introduced himself as “Choco”, and a friendship was formed.

Choco told me that he had big plans, and wanted to expand an idea that he was developing, and would keep me informed. The next year I started seeing shirts that said “On2”. One here, another there, it was like a secret code. Folks wearing the shirts were letting the world know that they were ready to dance Mambo. I ran into Choco at party in NY and he reached into his bag;

“For you my brother”, handing me a shirt. I opened it up. On2.

Choco went from hustling shirts out of a bag, to setting up booths around all the major congresses in the world.

Choco came to our house parties in DC and set up a table to sell shirts.

He came to the first Capital Congress in 2005, and has been a supporter every year since.

When David Melendez was looking to hand the biggest salsa congress on the east coast to someone else, he chose Choco. He had plenty of options, and plenty of promoters that were eager for a chance at owning the New York Salsa Congress. Yet he handed it to a guy that had never done a Salsa Congress. Choco took the ball and ran with it, putting the same work ethic to making a salsa congress as he put into everything else. He grew the congress significantly, packed the house every year. He continued to bring Salsa artists, dancers, musicians together and never made it about himself.

At the 2015 NY Congress, things didn’t go according to plan. Everyone knows that. No one knows that more than Choco. That was Labor Day weekend. A month later I got a call from Choco, asking me how I was doing. He asked me about my health. He asked me about my mother. He asked me about my congress. Asked if I heard about NY, and I told him I heard that it was kind of a mess.

“Yeah, things were crazy. I thought I’d be able to make it work in this new space, and it didn’t. Gonna make it right next year.”

Choco was able to be accountable, shake it off, and know that a loss doesn’t make him a loser.

Everything he went about doing, he gave his all. Choco took the cards life dealt him and made it work. He believed that the only time you are a failure is when you stop trying.

2 weeks after that phone call, Choco passed away. It’s not a shock. It was apparent that he was dealing with a lot. His health was failing, though his heart was always giving 100%.

The body has to rest, and that rest has finally come for Choco.

Choco, I’m glad to call you my friend, for the past 15 years. I keep you as an example of what it takes to make things happen. Here’s to the best hustler I’ve ever met. Thank you for your contribution.