The Salsa dance originated in the 1970s in New York City, with
strong Latin American influences (Cuba and Puerto Rico) and is a
lively, sensual dance with basic steps that make it easy for beginners to pick
up. Read on for some tips that will keep you moving on the dance floor.
Mastering the
Basics
Start in the closed dance position. The leader takes his partner's right hand in his left
and places his right hand on her left shoulder blade. The follower should keep
her left hand on his right shoulder, with her arm over his.
- Or
start in the hand-in-hand position. The leader has his palms facing
upwards, and the follower takes his hands with her palms down. This allows
for more freedom of movement.
Have good posture. When dancing, you should always keep your spine straight, your chin up
and your shoulders back. Your chest should naturally then puff out a bit. Your body
should be held with strength at all points.
o
Always look up. Keep your head held up or tilted to look at your
partner. Do not look at your feet or your partner's. Looking at your feet is a
dead giveaway that you're nervous and not sure what you're doing.
o
Keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle from the
elbows. In this position, your hands are most easily accessible to your
partner. Your arm should rest on horizontal plane.
Move your hips. Most of the movement in the Salsa
comes from the hips, so you will want to keep your hips loose. Don't be afraid
to sway your hips. Even if you're just moving your foot, know that a slight hip
movement goes along with it. If you move your right foot out, your right hip
juts out a bit, too.
Choose a salsa song that has a 4/4 beat (four beats to the bar)
and a fast tempo. You'll want music that lies
somewhere between 160-220 beat per minute. Before you start a song, make sure
that you can keep up with the speed and identify the beats for your steps.
·
Count as you listen to the song. If you count out the beats in
the music, you will be able to find the Salsa beat and identify which steps go
with which beat. If you can't keep count while you're listening to the song,
it's best to choose a different one.
·
4/4 time is counted in 8-counts. You'll be doing one standard
Salsa step in 8 beats. so what will happen is on the count 4 and 8 there will
be a pause. If you are having trouble hearing where the pause is you can try
counting out loud but saying the 4 and 8 inside your head.
Easy songs to try this is cha cha music rather than salsa as it
is similar rhythms but much slower.
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