Salsa is definitely one of the most romantic dances out there. It’s a dance of seduction and passion, characterized by very sensual movements and a lot of hip action.
It’s also a terrific dance for beginners. It’s a great choice if you want to start learning Latin American Dances. It’s easy to learn, it’s fun, and it doesn’t involve too much technique. Basically, it can be learnt by anyone. If you can walk, you can definitely learn how to dance Salsa.
In this article we’re going to take a brief tour through the history of Salsa. The history of this Latin-American dance is not easily defined. We can say it’s a fusion of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances that has evolved significantly over time. Some say it originated in Cuba, other say Puerto Rico. We’ll probably never know. What we do know for sure is that it’s very popular all around the world and still remains one of the main dances in both Cuba and Puerto Rico.
What about the word “Salsa”? That’s an interesting question. The word means “sauce” in Spanish language. In 1930s when Cuban composer Ignacio Pinerio wrote the song Echale Salsita, this word became a popular nickname for many dances of Latin American origins, including rhumba, cha cha, mambo, danzon, merengue, guaracha, and others.
We could say that many of the above mentioned dances were definitely strong influences. They actually played a big role in its evolution. If we take a closer look, we’ll quickly discover how similar Salsa is to Mambo. They both have six steps danced over eight counts of music and they share many of the same moves.
Today, there are many different styles of Salsa. Usually, they’re named after the geographic area in which the individual style was developed. For example: New York Style, LA Style, Cuban Style, Colombian style, Puerto Rican style, Miami style, and so on. They are all Salsa, but they have different timings, step patterns, turns, moves, and so forth.
Regardless of the style, Salsa is one of the most popular Latin dances with well established communities all over the globe. It’s great for beginners and one of the easiest dances to learn. This is actually the main reason why it’s so popular.
