Salsa Dance Classes

The word 'salsa' is a Spanish word for 'sauce' or 'spicy flavour'. It is a partner dance, and known to be passionate and fiery, with a natural flowing hip movement. Couples dancing may dance slowly or fast, with the man always leading and the lady following his turns and spins, each partner mirroring and complementing each other in this beautiful dance.

History of Salsa

Salsa music and dance did not originate with one person or in any one country; rather it has evolved over time through a number of different cultures, roots, meanings, sounds, and creative people.

In particular the African and Spanish mix of ancestry in Cuba; and the Puerto Rica, Colombia and Dominican Republic musical cultures are most noted as having influenced the development of what we now know as Salsa. Musical bands from these countries took their music to Mexico and New York, and from the 1960's the nickname 'Salsa' was widely used to describe the new styles of music with a Hispanic base (e.g. son, rumba, cha cha cha, mambo, merengue, and cumbia). Salsa popularity and culture has ever since continued to grow and develop, today spreading throughout the Hispanic world and even wider.

These origins make Salsa really intriguing, being a hugely complex and diverse mixture of sounds and dance forms which vary and change across time, place and people. Listening and dancing to salsa today taps you into both old melodies, rhythms and styles along with modern beats and forms giving a rich cultural experience which certainly lives up to the 'spicy flavour' definition of Salsa!

Salsa Styles

Cuban Salsa

Here the pattern of dancing involves the couple dancing in a circle around each other, and movement of the hips. More social and relaxed, dance is about enjoying the music, dancing with a partner, having fun.

New York Salsa

Technique is a priority in this style which tends to focus on precise execution of moves, strict control, and performance. This style displays 'shines', where individual dancers in a couple perform solo flourishes as part of the dance. The timing is 'on two', and the pattern of steps involves the couple passing each other in straight lines.

Los Angeles (LA) Salsa

LA Salsa is perhaps a toned down version of New York Salsa, but keeps the focus on technique, control, performance and 'shines'. Couples using this style of dancing also use a step pattern of passing each other in straight lines. This style is danced 'on one.

Colombian Salsa

In Colombian salsa the pause beat is always used as a foot tap or other move, in fact this style is probably best distinguished by the (usually very fast!) continuous and complicated patterns of food movements by both partners in the dance.