Salsa is a type of dance with origins on the island of Cuba. Born out of the Cuban son movement of the 1920\’s, this rich dance has elements of mambo, danzon and guaguanco. Over the years, it changed more and more as varied people put their stamp on it when they learned how to salsa dance.

This style of dancing and expression has nearly a hundred years of history, and the dance was shaped over the years by the many political and social influences of the day. This created variations and divergences and led to the emergence of different styles based on ethnicity and geography. The first salsa was danced in Cuba and then taken to Miami by Cuban immigrants. The Cuban embargo prevented much contact with the outside world, so the dance became different between the island and everywhere else. Next, it was taken to New York where it was heavily influenced by Puerto Ricans and jazz, swing and Mambo. Finally, other styles started to emerge in Los Angeles and Colombia.

The most basic step is a three-step combination with a kick. This is usually done forward and then backwards, but it can also be done from side to side. One steps with the left foot, then the right, then the left, then kicks with the right. Then, repeating the steps one goes backward. One takes a backward step with the left foot, then the right, then the left again followed by the kick.

The timing may differ for different styles of salsa. The Cuban/Miami salsa style usually steps first on one and kicks on the 4th beat, while Puerto Rican and New York style tends to step on the second beat and kick on the first.

There are many dips, spins and carries in the dance as well. Many of these maneuvers have origins in the tango or ballroom dancing. Salsa is a word that means sauce in Spanish, and that may be where the name comes from. It is like a stew of many dances.

Dancers shift their weight often, but the upper body rarely reflects these movements. It maintains a relaxed, erect posture. This creates a lot of hip movement.

The man leads, using his arms to communicate his suggestions to the lady, and he may choose to either maintain an open or closed position. As part of the closed position, the man places his right palm on the lady\’s lower back, while in the open position, the arms are left loose to allow spins and turns.

There are several different styles of of this type of movement. Perhaps the most recognized is the Cuban or Miami styles. Slightly different, these two styles both feature a movement where partners are switched. Puerto Rican and New York style features the influence of New York jazz, swing and mambo and created the emergence of salsa superstars such as Celia Cruz, Ray Baretto, Tito Puente and Hector Lavoe. There is also a Los Angeles style and a Colombian style danced throughout South America. Knowing how to dance salsa will help one to dance any of these styles.

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