Salsa page of Andy Clark

Salsa Dancing

What is Salsa?

Salsa is a type of Latin music and is also a type of dance.

Here's a bit from the rec.arts.dance FAQ

Salsa, Mambo

Where did the term Salsa come from? Latin Beat magazine reports that Chano Pozo and some of the others used to call out Salsa (which means sauce as in hot sauce) during the really hot jams. Another story is that like a good sauce, they added more and more ingredients from the jazz influence that it mutated the danzon roots) Remember this stuff was called latin jazz in the 40's & 50's. When Latin music underwent a resurgence, in the 80's rather than reviving a dead horse, the movers and shakers gave it the term Salsa and the dance caught fire.

Because Salsa is a street dance, the best dancer in a club sets the style, creates the moves and everyone copies them.

Salsa dancers invariably break on 1 or 3. Untrained dancers hear the strong beat on 1 and step on it. The more latin they are, the more they break on 3. Why? They usually hear it as SQQ because of the dead 2 beat. If you are dancing SQQ, to dance a slow you don't do Q,hold2,QQ - you would move through the 1, landing on 2, which makes it a slow, and then do QQ on 34. (Yes that puts the feet on 2,3,4).

More detailed analysis

The basic Step

The basic step is fairly simple, this is made more interesting when you start to move your hips and put in spins and turns. The man leads (unless he is a experienced partner, then he justs thinks he is leading) and the woman mirrors the movements. If you can do the "TimeWarp" then you will probably be ok with the basic salsa step!

Position yourselves facing your partner holding hands, not too far away, this is after all a Latin Dance!

Start with your feet together. Stamp your right foot. Keep it nice a close to your left foot
Make a step to the right. Not too far away. At the same time, lift the heel of the left foot.
Drop your left heel.
Bring your feet together.

Now repeat this with the other foot.

Advanced steps

Instead of simple left to right, place your feet elsewhere. This produces spins and turns. Adjust your hand hold to avoid breaking the arm of your partner.

Remember to synchronise this to the music.

Places to dance

London

Also look out for the regular events on the Southbank and at the National Theatre