Taking a Break is Good

Sometimes taking a break is beneficial. It helps your brain let go of all the frustrations of learning how to dance.

I have been teaching a student for the past few months. Every now and then we each have to take a week or two off for personal reasons. However, I must say that once we are back from the break everything goes smoother.

After a break the brain is fresh. The brain is ready to absorb more information.

Try it and you will see what I am talking about!

Chagne of URL

My new blog address is:
http://learntodancesalsa.blogspot.com/

Basic Salsa Steps for Beginners

If you are new to Salsa here is a short video clip from Addicted2Salsa.com.

This video shows how to perform the basic step and simple right turn footwork.



What to keep in mind when learning Salsa:
1. Each bar of salsa music is split into 4 beats.
2. Salsa is danced on 2 bars (ie. beats 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, 6, 7, 8)
3. A step (transfer of weight from one foot to the other) is made on beats 1, 2, 3, and 5, 6, 7.
4. A brief pause is made on beats or counts number 4 and 8.
5. The pace of the beats are "quick, quick, slow... quick, quick, quick, slow..." Which corresponds to "1, 2, 3..., 5, 6, 7...)
6. Be patient

The Different Styles of Salsa - On1, On2, LA, NY, Miami, Cuban, Casino. You name it, you got it!

Here is a quick draft of the more popular type of salsa styles you may encounter.

L.A. Style or On1
This style of salsa dancing is very linear. Dancers use lots of dips, flips, drops, tricks and arm styling. L.A. style dancing is a pleasure to watch and a pleasure to dance and is usually danced on 1 (breaks are done on count 1 and 5).

Super Mario (www.millionmovesman.com)


N.Y. Style or On2
This style of salsa dancing is also linear and more like mambo. It is more focused on the use of body movements and free style footwork. N.Y. style is also very pleasurable to watch and usually danced on 2 (breaks are done on count 2 and 6).

iMambo.tv


The L.A. and N.Y. styles are very similar but some of the main differences are their approach to body movement. If you watch New York dancers, you will notice they are more elegant and have a smoother look and feel at dancing. Los Angeles dancers will be more crisp in their movements.

Casino Rueda Style
This style of salsa originated in Cuba and involves a group of dancers dancing in a circle. It is very lively and up-beat. There is always a “caller” that calls out the moves to be danced.



Cuban Style
The Cuban style of salsa dancing will seem to be more of a male-dominated dance. The rhythm danced to is much faster and the feet, arms, and body movements are quick-paced.

Other styles are Colombian Style, Cuban Style, Miami Style, and Puerto Rican Style.

Salsa Dancing Etiquette

Just like eating, dancing has its own “manners” at the dance floor. Follow these tips and you will make the Salsa dancing experience much more enjoyable.

Leads / Men
1. Introduce yourself (if taking lessons)
2. Ask politely for a dance, if you are turned down don’t give up
3. Wear deodorant and remember hygiene is important.
4. Take a towel to wipe your sweat
5. Lead the follow into smaller steps if the dance floor is too crowded
6. Test the level of the follow before attempting very complicated moves.
7. Dance at the level of the follow and throw in a few new moves for her to learn and enjoy

Follows / Women
1. Don’t turn down a dance, if possible say YES!
2. Smile and enjoy every dance
3. If no one is asking you to dance, ask them instead
4. Be patient with the lead if they are less experienced than you
5. No handbags while dancing
6. Wear deodorant and remember hygiene is important.

At the Dance Floor
1. Be aware of the other dancers and people around you
2. Adjust the size of your steps and moves according to how crowded the dance floor is (smaller steps for more crowded dance floors)
3. Protect your partner if you see they are about to be knocked down by another dancer
4. Avoid walking through crowded dance floors
5. No drinks – if it spills, it will ruin the dance floor

Here is a pretty good Salsa website with more Salsa etiquette tips from Toronto Dance Salsa:
http://www.torontodancesalsa.ca/articles/Salsa-Dancing-Etiquette.php

What should I wear for Salsa?

Good question. What do you wear for salsa lessons? When I first started I didn’t even bother. I wore flip-flops, casual shoes, and even running shoes at time. This is totally normal for beginners – who really don’t know what to wear or aren’t too sure how serious they are about the dance.

Before you start spending any money on shoes or clothes. I would suggest, go dancing with something you already have. This applies for both men and women – wear shoes with smooth soles (no tennis shoes), something that will allow you to slide through the dance floor properly and will not slip off (no flip-flops). But, most importantly, wear something comfortable.

Clothing would be a personal choice. Wear whatever you feel comfortable wearing.

If you are a little more serious about dancing but don’t want to spend too much money on a pair of shoes, I would suggest buying some cheap dance sneakers. I got my first pair (Block Stealth) here http://www.allaboutdance.com/ under $30 but you can practically find anything online these days. The Block Stealth are pretty nice and “stealthy” since the heels are much lower than the normal dance sneakers.

I recommend dance sneakers over jazz shoes for dance lessons because they last longer and are good for beginner, intermediate, and advanced dancers. They will last for a while– or at least 5 years so they are an extremely good investment.

Ladies, if you insist on getting heels as a beginner/intermediate dancer. I would recommend Stephanie Dance Shoes (http://www.stephaniedanceshoes.com/) – something on the lower end (around $60).

Now, if you are asking, “What do you wear at Salsa clubs?” then that would be totally different. Of course, you will have to dress to impress or enough to get passed the entrance.

Shoe-wise- ladies, wear your dancing heels but take them in a dust bag and change once you are in the club. Gentlemen, wear your dancing shoes if you want, or just a pair of nice leather shoes with smooth (non-rubber) soles – I prefer the latter. At some clubs you will even see dancers wearing jazz shoes, which is also perfectly acceptable and looks cool.

Why Salsa Dancing?

Have you ever thought of starting to learn how to dance? Are you having a hard time deciding what style of dance to learn?

Perhaps you have thought about tango, waltz, samba, and other forms of ballroom and you have already started taking classes. However, if you are looking for a fun social dance that is popular and fun to learn then you should be learning how to SALSA!

Salsa along with Merengue, are the two most popular forms of Latin social dancing. If you go to a Latin dance clubs, you will definitely be hearing these tunes – no doubt about it.

I started learning Salsa L.A. Style (on-1) in 2003 after asking myself the same questions. Why Salsa and not ballroom? The answer is simple: I didn’t want to be bogged down by form and technique (don’t think there is no form or technique in Salsa). I also wanted to have some freedom of expression (sorry, but I felt ballroom dancers all moved the same). But most importantly, I did not want to shake my hips the way male ballroom dancers did.

After a year of lessons I started helping the organization to teach beginners and intermediate dancers and also performed publicly with the team. Teaching has helped me understand and also perform the movements of leads (males) and followers (females).

In this blog I want to share my experiences and knowledge as a student as well as an instructor to those looking to start and improve their Salsa dancing. I will be addressing some of the most common topic such as:
- basic footwork
- timing
- proper hip movement (very common question)
- home exercises

I will also provide valuable tips, guidance, observations from my students, and videos I think will be helpful.

To learn more about the history of salsa check it out in wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsa_(dance)