Good Salsa dancers should have a sense of awareness about where
they are in relation to others on the dance floor. You can
develop this dance awareness by applying the following whether
you are in a dance lesson, practicing by yourself or at a
dance club.
Any step back should be a small one. This applies to the man as
well as the lady. If your step back is large you will have
problems:: You will step on other dancers feet, get stepped on by
other dancers and will not be able to comfortably stay on time to
the music.
You should measure your steps by placing your toe of the back
step (the foot going back, left or right) against the inside heel
of your opposite foot (keeping your weight on the ball of your
back foot and the heel off the floor) then step forward with your
opposite foot (heel to flat).
Date Published: Jan 25, 2009 - 7:28 pm
There are two measures of music, both with four beats or counts
each. On the first count, you tap your left foot, specifically the
front of your foot or the balls of the foot and the toes, in place.
Some salsa styles will merely ask you to hold the first count, but
dancers have found that tapping the foot makes it interesting, and
even activates the first foot so that you’re ready to go. On the
second count, you actually make a step forward with that left foot.
But you can’t go far because, on the third count, you rock back
onto the right foot, transferring your weight backwards. Then, on
the fourth count, you close your left foot to join your right foot
again.
That entire sequence is called the forward basic movement. The
next measure of four counts is the backward basic movement, and
goes backward instead of forward, stepping right instead of left.
So, what happens is you tap your right foot in place on the first
count, then make a step backward with that same right foot. On
the third count, you rock forward to transfer your weight to the
left foot and close your feet together with the right foot on the
fourth count. And those are the basic salsa dance steps. Aren’t
they easy?
These steps outward from the closed position are called breaks.
The breaks are always consistent on the same beat of the music,
no matter what digressions and improvisations of the steps are
made by the dancers. Breaks are usually where the couples turn or
when they try something fancy.
There are many styles of doing basic salsa dance steps, but as
long as you know the basic steps, adapting to the different
styles won’t be difficult. These styles usually vary according to
where the breaks are set, also according to the rhythms played,
and particularly in which location you find yourself dancing. For
example, the basic salsa dance steps are called On 2, because the
break is on the second step, or rather, you step on the count of
two. These are performed all over the US and in most Latin
American countries. But there is a special style On 1 practiced
in Los Angeles where the break is done on the count of one, and
the hold is done on the count of four.
There is also a special Cuban style of salsa that is performed
with the break going On 3, with the first two counts being a sexy
swaying of the body as the weight transfers from one foot to the
other. Other popular styles of doing the salsa dance steps are
the New York style, Venezolana or Dominicana style, the Power 2
or Razz M’ Tazz style, La Ruedo, Salsa Disco, and the Eddie
Romero step, which is his own concoction of a salsified Rumba.
Salsa dance steps are usually performed with a partner, because
salsa is essentially a couple dance. Partners hold each other in
the so-called closed or European position. This means the man’s
right hand is placed on the woman’s back, his arm around her,
while the left hand holds the woman’s right hand. The woman’s
left hand rests on the man’s right shoulder. Another important
point of contact when doing salsa dance steps is the man and the
woman must look into each other’s eyes.
Another reason why this Latin dance is so popular is because the
couples doing the salsa dance steps are not required to travel
around the room. In fact, couples who hog too much space on the
dance floor are seen as rude and inconsiderate show offs.
Performing salsa dance steps is fun and flamboyant on its own, it
doesn’t take too much for any dancer to look fabulous while
dancing the salsa.
Date Published: Sep 02, 2008 - 7:28 pm
Dancing is a fantastic, fun and liberating activity. Regardless of
what you’ve been told, everyone can, and should, learn to dance!
Don’t let the fact you’ve never done it before stand in your way!
Salsa dancing in particular is a vibrant, passionate, fun and
social dance, with music that will move you. Try salsa lessons.
Find a salsa dance lesson in your neighborhood, and give it a try,
you won’t be sorry you did.
If you want to learn how to dance? If you want
to learn to dance quickly and easily,
using step by step proven techniques for even the most two left
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Don’t want to come to group salsa class? Too far for private
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Date Published: Sep 02, 2008 - 7:19 pm
