Salsa dancing is a dance style associated with the salsa music genre, which is now widely popular around the world. Salsa music dates from the 1950s to the 1970s, with the truly distinct salsa style emerging in the 1970s from New York. The music incorporates a variety of Cuban styles, particularly the son, as well as other Latin American musical styles.
Salsa dancing is done to eight-beat music, with dancers moving three beats, pausing for one beat, dancing three beats, pausing for one beat, dancing three beats, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one beat, pausing for one Left-right-left-pause, then right-left-right-pause is the movement style. In most dances, a flourish is used during the pause, whether it’s a stomp of the foot, casting out the hand, or kicking the lower leg. This is a mostly stationary style of dancing, with little movement around the dance floor. Dancers instead use the subtle movement of their legs and upper bodies to convey the dance’s energy.
Dancers may incorporate solo breaks known as shines into their routines in addition to the partnered movements of salsa dancing. These are a way for salsa dancers to relax after an exhausting routine or to re-group if their rhythm has been disrupted. Shines feature a variety of ornate movements and body demonstrations and are intended to allow a dancer to demonstrate their full range of abilities. While shines are improvisational in theory, there are many standard shines that dancers can learn and rely on.
The style is known as on one if a dancer begins salsa dancing on the first beat of the phrase (left-right-left-pause). The style is known as on two if the dancers begin their movement on the second beat of the phrase (pause-left-right-left). While proponents of one style may have reasons to believe that one is superior to the other, it ultimately comes down to personal preference.
There are several major schools of salsa dancing style, in addition to the basic stylistic variations of on one and on two. LA style, Colombian style, and Cuban style are the three main on-one styles. Ballroom mamba, en clave, and palladium two are the main two styles. Eddie Torres’ style combines the on one and on two styles using the on one style’s starting and pausing points while having the body switch position where the on two style’s would normally switch.
Salsa dancing is extremely popular in Latin America and the United States, and it is growing in popularity in Europe and other parts of the world. Many clubs specialize in salsa music, and salsa dancing classes are available in almost every town. While it is not the easiest dance form, it is not particularly difficult due to its high tempo, and dancers of all skill levels should be able to gain proficiency in a matter of months.