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What You Need To Learn To Dance Salsa
Pulsating, sensual and fiery! This is salsa, a Latin American dance that is as hot as the spicy relish which shares the same name. If you want to learn to dance salsa, be sure to equip yourself with good lungs, stamina, fast feet, and a good sense of coordination. You can consider this passionate dance as your physical exercise. Do not forget to calibrate the intensity according to your skill and fitness levels.
The Beginnings of Salsa
Salsa originated mainly from Cuban roots. The dance, which is very significant in Puerto Rico and Cuba, is closely associated with Latin jazz, the Cuban mambo and the son orchestras. That is why its music is an explosive concoction of jazz, rock, Latin and Afro-Caribbean beats, pop and R&B.
As red-hot as the sauce, this dance involves graceful movements, with several two-handed turns and movements requiring arms up above the head. One great thing about this dance is that you can improvise. Like adding the spicy sauce in your food, spice up and rekindle the fire a dull relationship by learning to dance salsa with your partner.
Learn The Different Variations of the Dance Salsa
Cuban Salsa. You need to develop a sharp focus on the rhythm and the steps since the moves and steps often shift abruptly. The Cuban salsa is danced with a circle formed where the male dancer is positioned nearer the center of the circle than the female. The male strides forward on the counts of one, two, three, replaces and steps backward. On the other hand, his partner will perform the opposite allowing both of them to go left, right, left, pause or tap, then right, left, right, pause or tap. Take note that the tap, which is often substituted with a pause, is a minor step taken so that the dancer can go along with the rhythm.
Rueda de Casino. This is a favorite type of Cuban salsa that involves a bunch of several couples who frequently exchange dance partners.
Cross Body Style. This variation is performed back and forth following a straight line. This dance mainly involves a duet of dancers, but solo steps, referred to as shines, are also done. Shines allow you the time to shine as you can brandish your body movements and elaborate footwork. These solo parts are popular in this variation of salsa than in the Cuban style.
Quick Tips To Learn To Dance Salsa
1. As you begin to learn to dance salsa, dance instructors often advise that you specialize on one style rather than combining different styles so that you do not get mixed up. Once you become good at the first one, you can then try to learn the other variations for variety and as another challenge.
2. Attentively listen to the music and concentrate on the steps and movements so that you can prepare and move appropriately when the sudden shifts in movements are to take place.
3. Opt for several short classes instead of taking it just over a whole weekend, and make sure that you show up in every class.
4. Practice, practice, practice! You can practice alone at home using uploaded videos and other instructional materials online. Once you have mastered a set of steps, you may want to learn new moves, so make use of both off line and online resources.
With the deluge of videos and other instructional materials found in studios and on the Internet, anyone can now learn to dance salsa fast.
