Salsa is a partner dance form that corresponds to salsa music,
however it is sometimes done solo too. The word is the same as the Spanish word
salsa meaning sauce, or in this case flavor or style.
According to testimonials from musicologists and historians of music, the name
salsa was gradually accepted among dancers throughout various decades. The very
first time the word appeared on the radio was a composition by Ignacio Piñeiro,
dedicated to an old African man who sold butifarras (a sausage-like product) in
Central Road in Matanzas. It is a song titled Échale salsita. Wherein the major
refrain and chorus goes "Salsaaaaa! échale salsita, échale salsita." During the
early 1950s, commentator and DJ "bigote" Escalona announced danceables with the
title: "the following rhythm contains Salsa." Finally, the Spanish-speaking
population of the New York area baptized Celia Cruz as the "Queen of Salsa."
Salsa is danced on music with a recurring eight-beat pattern, i.e. two bars of
four beats. Salsa patterns typically use three steps during each four beats, one
beat being skipped. However, this skipped beat is often marked by a tap, a kick,
a flick, etc. Typically the music involves complicated percussion rhythms and is
fast with around 180 beats per minute.
Salsa is a slot or spot dance, i.e., unlike Foxtrot or Samba, in Salsa a couple
does not travel over the dance floor much, but rather occupies a fixed area on
the dance floor. In some cases people do the Salsa in solo mode.
History
Salsa music is a fusion of traditional African and Cuban and other
Latin-American rhythms that traveled from the islands (Cuba and Puerto Rico) to
New York during the migration, somewhere between the 1940s and the 1970s,
depending on where one puts the boundary between "real" salsa and its
predecessors. The dance steps currently being danced on salsa music originate
from the Cuban son, but has influences from many other Cuban dances such as
Mambo, Chá, Guaracha, Changuí, Lukumí, Palo Monte, Rumba, Yambú, Abakuá,
Comparsa and some times Mozambique even. It also integrates swing dances. There
are no strict rules of how salsa should be danced, although one can distinguish
a number of styles, which are discussed below.
Steps
The basic movement occurring in the dance patterns of the various salsa styles
is the stepping on the beat of the music. Salsa is best grouped in pairs of
4-beat patterns counted "1-2-3-...-5-6-7-...". The leader starts on count 1 by
stepping with the left foot. On count 2 and 3, they step with right and left,
respectively. On count 4, the lead pauses or makes an optional tap with the
right foot. On counts 5, 6, and 7, they step with right, left, and right,
respectively, again followed by a pause on count 8. As a standard, every step
must be taken with full weight transfer. The follower part is identical, but
with left and right reversed. In all patterns and styles, the leader starts with
the left foot and the follower starts with the right foot.
Basic Step
The term "basic step" normally refers to a forward-backward motion. On counts 1,
2, and 3, the leader steps forward, replaces, and steps backward. On count 5, 6,
and 7, they step backwards, replace, and step forward again. The follower does
the same, but with forward and backward reversed, so that the couple goes back
and forth as a unit. This basic step is part of many other patterns. For
example, the leader may dance the basic step while leading the follower to do an
underarm turn.
The following variants of the Basic step may be used, often called breaks.
Forward break: Starting from any foot, step Forward, Replace, In-place, counting
1,2,3 or 5,6,7.
Back break: Starting from any foot, step Backward, Replace, In-place, counting
1,2,3 or 5,6,7.
Side break: Starting from any foot, step Sideways, Replace, In-place, counting
1,2,3 or 5,6,7.
On One and On Two
Salsa danced according to the above description is called Salsa on One, or
briefly, "On One", because it starts on the first count of the 8-beat rhythm. If
first step (with the left foot) occurs on count 2 or 6, it is called "On Two".
This Basic Step pattern and timing are known also as "Power 2", "Palladium 2" or
"Ballroom Mambo" style. This creates a distinction from another step pattern
known as "NY Style 2" or "Eddie Torres Style".
Some consider dancing "On Two" to work more closely to the clave rhythm, the
most basic rhythm of salsa music, as the steps start on the first tick of a 2-3
son clave. However, dancing "On One" hits just as many beats in the clave and
hits the first tick if the music is using a 3-2 style son clave. In short it's a
matter of personal preference which counting to use, and most people prefer the
counting of the style they were taught first when they began dancing salsa.
Salsa styles
There are many characteristics that may identify a style. There may be different
step patterns, different timing of steps, particular movement on the dance floor
(eg: slot, circular), dancer preference of turns and moves, attitude and others.
The presence of one or more of particular elements does not necessarily define a
particular style. For example, many styles can be danced "On One" or one style
may be danced "On One" or "On Two". The following are brief descriptions of
major "recognizable" styles.
Cuban style
Cuban-style salsa is "on one". An essential element is the "cuba step" (also
known as Guapea), where the leader does a backward basic on 1-2-3 and a forward
basic on 5-6-7. The follower does the same, thereby mirroring the leader's
movement. Another characteristic of this style is that in many patterns the
leader and follower circle around each other.
The cross body lead is an essential step in this style too and is referred to as
Dile que no. The LA style is a later derivative of this, the difference again
being that the dancers rotate a quarter turn around one another in the process.
This move also becomes essential in the more complex derivative of Cuban Casino
leading to the many moves of Rueda, or wheel dance. Here multiple couples
exchange partners and carry out moves syncronised by a caller. (see examples
here:http://www.salsatap.com/salsatap-videos/rueda-video/rueda-video-information1.htm
)
Colombian style
This style is common in Latin-American countries. The leader and follower do
most of the movements while standing in place. It stems from the Cuban style. As
such in many patterns the leader and follower turn around each other.
Los Angeles style
The two essential elements of this dance are the forward/backward basic as
described above, and the cross-body lead. In this pattern, the leader steps
forward on 1, steps to the right on 2-3 while turning 90 degrees
counter-clockwise (facing to the left). The follower then steps forward on 5-6,
and turns on 7-8, while the leader makes another 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
After these 8 counts, the leader and follower have exchanged their positions.
LA style salsa is also known to be the most flashy style commonly danced.
The Vazquez brothers are widely credited with developing the LA style of salsa.
Luis still teaches in LA. Here is a link to his bio:
http://www.massalsabrava.com/bio.php
New York style or Eddie Torres style
The "NY Style" is a combination of the "On 1" and "On 2" systems. The timing of
the steps are on the 1-2-3,5-6-7 as in "On 1" but the breaks (where the body
changes direction) occur on the 2 and 6 as in "On 2". NY instructor Eddie Torres
developed this step pattern around the late 70's and the 80's and it's
definition is quite clear since he is still alive and his followers are keen to
keep the style intact. This is their description of the step: Description of "On
Two" on salsanewyork.com
Power 2 / Palladium 2 / Ballroom Mambo
This style is similar to Los-Angeles style, but it is danced "On Two". The basic
step timing is 2-3-4,6-7-8 with the breaks on 2 and 6.
It is important to note that although this style is also known as dancing "En
Clave", the name is not implying that the step timing should follow the rhythm
of the Clave as in 2-3 or 3-2. It only means that you take the first step (and
break) on the second beat of the measure.
On Clave
This does indeed follow the 2-3 or 3-2 pattern of the clave, e.g. for the 2-3
clave the leader steps forward with the left on 2 and with the right on 3, then
does the other 4 steps of the basic on 5-8 (synchronizing with the clave on 5 and
8). It's a traditional form and it's less known/used outside some latin
countries.
Puerto Rican style
This style can be danced as "On One" or "On Two". If danced as "On Two", it is
always danced on count 2, and not on count 6 as in Ladies-style NY.
Rueda style
Main article: Rueda de Casino. In the 1950s Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was
developed in Havana, Cuba. Pairs of dancers form a circle (Rueda in Spanish),
with dance moves called out by one person. Many of the moves involve rapidly
swapping partners.
Shines
Normally Salsa is a partner dance, danced in a handhold. However advanced
dancers always include shines, which are basically "show-offs" and involve fancy
footwork and body actions, danced in separation. They are supposed to be
improvisational breaks, but there are a huge number of "standard" shines. Also,
they fit best during the mambo sections of the tune, but they may be danced
whenever the dancers feel appropriate. They are a good recovery trick when the
connection or beat is lost during a complicated move, or simply to catch the
breath.
The source of this article is
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