Salsa dancing

Perhaps one of the most well known styles of Spanish dance, Salsa continues to grow in popularity, particularly within Western culture. Originating from the Spanish-speaking communities of the Caribbean, Salsa is a sensual blend of European and African dance styles, performed to a unique mixture of predominantly Cuban music.

Description of Salsa Dance Style

Widely considered a very passionate style of high tempo dance, Salsa is traditionally performed by a couple, with the male partner leading; however, there are often solo breaks throughout the dance called ‘shines'. Salsa dancing does not require a large space and most dancers will remain in one spot for an entire performance. Due to this, Salsa is heavily reliant on hip movements and sensual energy to convey the dance's passion.

Salsa, however, is not all about hip swaying and body shaking - there is also some basic timing to follow. Put simply, Salsa is six dance steps over eight counts of music. The steps are performed in groups of three, so the eight counts are step, step, step, pause, step, step, step, pause. The steps can also be counted as left, right, left, pause, right, left, right, pause or quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow (with the slow covering the pause). The steps should be small and on average no more than one foot apart.

Provided that dancers keep to the correct timing, Salsa also allows for freestyle body movements such as body rolls, spins, shoulder shimmies and kicks. These types of moves should, however, be used in moderation and not take over the dance.

Different Types of Salsa Styles

Salsa dancing is believed to be derived from numerous Cuban and Latin dances such as the Rumba, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, Guaracha, Palo Monte and several others. Since its creation, between the 1950s and ‘70s, numerous variants of Salsa dancing have been adopted in certain areas. The following are the most popular forms of the dance:

• New York Salsa - This Salsa style makes more use of freestyle movements and is similar to the Mambo.
• Puerto Rican Salsa - More technical footwork is involved in Puerto Rican style Salsa.
• Cuban and Miami (or Casino) Salsa - This dance style makes use of spins and arm hooks and is one of the more complex branches of Salsa dancing.
• Columbian (or Cumbia) Salsa - Cumbia style involves the performers dancing side by side.
• Los Angeles Salsa - This is an extravagant form of Salsa that utilises many dramatic dips and spins.

Salsa Dance Lessons

The popularity of Salsa dance lessons has grown immensely in recent times, especially within Australia. It's not hard to see why - Salsa is fun and provides both fitness and mental benefits to the body. In fact, some studies have found that Salsa dancing can reduce signs of depression.

Beginners have been known to struggle with timing at first, but once it sinks in Salsa is a relatively easy style of dance to learn and the environment is very conducive to meeting new people.

Australian Salsa Events

There is a number of exciting Salsa events on the Australian calendar each year. Some of the most famous include:

• Sydney Salsa Congress - This four day Salsa spectacular includes performances by 80 teams of professional Latin dancers. Held at Sydney's Olympic Park, there are also over 70 dancing workshops across three days.
• Adelaide Salsa Festival - South Australia's largest Salsa event includes three days of Salsa performances, workshops and amazing parties. Held at various Adelaide locations, the festival will also feature prominent Latin DJs.