What is Salsa Dancing? The short answer is a style of dance specifically danced to salsa music. The origins of salsa dancing are constantly argued as there are many influences historically from Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico and many other neighbouring countries. Origins aside the style of salsa that is most recognised today originated in New York sometime around the 1970s. In this article we will explain the difference between the different forms of Salsa Dancing and all aspects of the dance.
What we will go through in this article
- Different styles of Salsa
- Social Dancing Events Overview
- Salsa Lessons Overview
- The Dancing steps
Different styles of Salsa
The most recognised styles of Salsa dancing today are LA (Los Angeles) salsa, New York salsa, Cuban style, Rueda casino and Colombian style. Each of these dances has particular footwork and popular rhythms. Selecting a style is a matter of personal preference, no one is better than another. The arguments are similar to that of which brand is better when purchasing a product.
Social Dancing Events Overview
One of the great things about salsa is that it can be danced to live salsa music. During the 1970s many salsa bands came out of New York bringing together the sounds of music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia and a few surrounding countries. Today there is a huge range of salsa bands in most cities that come with a following of salsa dancers. You can generally find a mix between live bands and DJs playing classic and modern salsa songs for dancing events. See our Salsa Dancing Events pages for a listing of events in your city.
Salsa Lessons Overview
One of the easiest ways to learn salsa is to take salsa dancing classes. Most cities have a range of different schools and salsa teachers to learn from. When taking classes you need to choose from group classes, private classes and these days there is also the option of online dance lessons. We list a range of dance schools in Salsa Dancing Classes pages for many cities around the world. If you are not sure which style of class you would prefer check out our Dance Class Comparison page to help you choose the right dance class for you.
The Dancing steps
Salsa is danced over 8-beats of music, generally the dancer moves on three beats, pauses on one beat, moves on another three beats and makes a pause on the last beat. The style determines which foot matches with which beat.
What next?
Latin Dance Calendar offers information about all the aspects of Salsa and Latin Dancing around the world. Check out one of our pages in your city today and join the fun world of salsa dancing. Enjoy.
