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Different ways to dance 'Salsa'
The way to dance salsa varies enormously
depending on the dancer’s place of origin and how he or she learned to dance. For example,
the salsa danced in the Caribbean and in Latin
America is developed like a paseo (walk), which results in a much more circular
movement with much slower turns.
Similar to those styles
are the Cuban and Colombian prototypes. The first dance includes movements that dig more deeply into the floor
and the othe r one requires less contact..
In the U.S., although, the dance’s foundation
involved the basic Latin step, many early combinations
contained right turns.
How to dance Salsa
In order to dance salsa in its most elementary form, the
four beats of the music are followed but only
three steps are taken, each step lasting for one
beat. The remaining beat can be added to the previous
step (which makes the count quick-quick-slow)
or an ornamental movement is added. The steps
can include displacement or can be made on the
spot; it is like walking for three steps and pausing after each three. If you walk in this
way on time to the music, you'll already be dancing
salsa.
It's this simplicity that makes dancing Salsa very flexible; you can walk in any direction,
you can even dance salsa on the same spot, moving
around or turning.
The remaining beat can be dressed
up with a bump of the hips, a small kick or a
pause. You must keep on mind that giving a step
involves placing your foot on the ground and shifting
your weight on to it.
In many Latin American countries
couples can even choose what downbeat they wish
to dance to, and this doesn't necessarily have
to be the first one. This can seem to be total
rhythmic anarchy, and it would be if it were not
for one very important aspect: salsa and its antecedents
have always been intended as dance music.
Dancing in couples
Another feature to be taken into account when
it comes to dancing
salsa is who leads and who follows. Social
dancing in couples is a phenomenon of western
culture; it is regarded as a structured
dance but is not executed in a routine-like way.
There are basic rules that
allow two people to dance together even if they
have never seen eachother before. This flexible attitude requires
that each element of the dance has a unique and
identifiable starting signal.
When the couple takes the dance floor, both cannot lead or follow the dance at the same time, .Therefore, one must lead and the other
has to follow.
Traditionally, the leading role has
always been taken by the man, with the woman following.
This however, began to change. The indication (also known as a mark in tango) for a certain
movement can take on a variety of different forms.
Normally it involves a change in pressure in the
places of contact with the partner, or in the
position of the leader with regard to the follower.
The most elegant indicators are those which, while
clear and considerate to the partner, are unobvious
to the spectator. The challenge for the following
partner is to find a way to express him- or herself
with the music.
Learn more afro-carebbean dances
One last thing to keep on mind. Salsa
music could preserve its agility because of absorbing other
influences, and the dance itself did the same. Apart
from other Latin dances such as the merengue or the cumbia (sometimes included under the term
salsa), salsa shows many similarities with the lindy-hop, the swing and the hustle, and has even
been shown as capable of absorbing elements typical
of Latin salon dances and tango.
On the following pages, you will find some basic
guidelines on how to learn some of the most well
known Afro-Caribbean dances:
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