For many people getting along to a Salsa Club on a regular basis is a logistical nightmare. We all have such busy lifestyles nowadays, and we are working more hours than ever before. It's no wonder people struggle to stick to a hobby or interest which requires regular attendance.
Another major reason people struggle to drag themselves out their front door to get along to a Salsa Club in their local area is nerves or alack of confidence...
Many people are very self conscious and don't want to show themselves up or make fools of themselves. They imagine everyone at a Salsa Club will be better than them and will judge them or even laugh at them.
Of course nothing could be further from the truth!
So, what's the answer for people like these?
Simple... 'Online Salsa Classes'.
With the growth of sites like YouTube it is possible to give and receive information and training in video format. We no longer have to gamble our money away on expensive DVD' not knowing if they are any good or not... now you can just search for a subject and up pops a list of short video clips (of varying quality).
This is a great way to get a taster of what you are interested in, but to really learn it properly you need a dedicated website with professionally produced videos with clear instructions. In the world of Salsa Dancing one website stands out head & shoulders above the rest.
'SalsaBootCamp.com'
Run by San Fransisco based, Salsa Teacher and Club organiser Evan Margolin, the website is very professionally run with a vast array of high quality Salsa Lessons along with a wide range of lessons for Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Merengue, and more...
Evan is a very charismatic Salsa Teacher, who takes a lot of pride in what he does and goes to great lengths to explain everything in great detail in his lessons. He has a great belief in what he does, always offering Full Money Back Guarantees on his Salsa Dance DVD series and offering a Full 3 Day FREE Trial membership of SalsaBootCamp.com.
I would urge anyone to give his website a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You never know, one day you may find the time or pluck up the courage to go along to a Salsa Club near you.
Click Here for more info about 'SalsaBootCamp.com'
Good Luck!
Monday, 17 August 2009
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Is Salsa Enough?
In the early days of Salsa Clubs in the UK there were only 2 dances you had to learn, Salsa & Merengue. In fact these were the only dances taught in most salsa clubs.
However it was not uncommon for the odd Cha Cha Cha track to be played, but unless you had taken Ballroom & Latin classes you tended to sit out and just watch those that had.
How things have changed...
Salsa Dancing has started a revolution in social dancing, and now a bunch of other Afro-Cuban styles of music and dance have sprung up wherever salsa is danced.
We now have, as well as the two main Salsa styles - New York & Cuban (inc. La Rueda), we have Merengue, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha and Reggaeton all becoming very popular in the UK and throughout the world.
The good news is that there are a few clubs that teach all of these dances, at least at introductory level, including our own club - 'Salsa SOS', and they are all contributing to the growth in popularity of partner dancing... especially the Latin & Afro-Cuban styles.
Other dances are benefiting too - Ballroom & Latin and Modern Jive, the most well known being 'Ceroc', and Belly Dancing classes have all seen increases in numbers in the last couple of years. There are even 'Pole Dancing' classes springing up everywhere - no comment!
Whatever you are into - Long live the Dance Revolution!
However it was not uncommon for the odd Cha Cha Cha track to be played, but unless you had taken Ballroom & Latin classes you tended to sit out and just watch those that had.
How things have changed...
Salsa Dancing has started a revolution in social dancing, and now a bunch of other Afro-Cuban styles of music and dance have sprung up wherever salsa is danced.
We now have, as well as the two main Salsa styles - New York & Cuban (inc. La Rueda), we have Merengue, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha and Reggaeton all becoming very popular in the UK and throughout the world.
The good news is that there are a few clubs that teach all of these dances, at least at introductory level, including our own club - 'Salsa SOS', and they are all contributing to the growth in popularity of partner dancing... especially the Latin & Afro-Cuban styles.
Other dances are benefiting too - Ballroom & Latin and Modern Jive, the most well known being 'Ceroc', and Belly Dancing classes have all seen increases in numbers in the last couple of years. There are even 'Pole Dancing' classes springing up everywhere - no comment!
Whatever you are into - Long live the Dance Revolution!
Monday, 10 August 2009
Cuba and Salsa Dancing
Information source Wikipedia
General History:
The history of "Salsa" dance is peppered with hearsay and contradiction. Although few would disagree that the music and dance forms originate largely in Cuban Son. In the 1970s, adoption of the term "Salsa" reduced the linguistic and cultural barriers to mainstream adoption of Latin music and dance.
The modernization of the Mambo in the 1950s was influential in shaping what would become salsa. There is debate as to whether the dance we call Salsa today originated in Cuba or Puerto Rico. Cuba's influence in North America was diminished after Castro's revolution and the ensuing trade embargo. New York's Latino community was largely Puerto-Rican. Salsa is one of the main dances in both Cuba and Puerto Rico and is known worldwide.
Cuban / Casino Style Salsa:
Danced in Cuba and Miami, but also popular in Europe and China; there are many dedicated small communities all over the world often organized to dance Rueda as well.
Cuban-style salsa (also called Casino) can be danced either on the down beat ("a tiempo") or the upbeat ("a contratiempo"). Beats 1, 3, 5 and 7 are downbeats and 2, 4, 6 and 8 are upbeats.
An essential element is the "Cuba step" (also known as Guapea), where the leader does a backward basic on 1-2-3 and a forward basic on 5-6-7. Usually the fourth beat is not counted. The follower does the same, thereby mirroring the leader's movement.
Another characteristic of this style is that in many patterns the leader and follower circle around each other. The cross body lead is an essential step in this style too and is referred to as Salida Cubana or as 'Dile que No' in Rueda de Casino Dancing. This move becomes essential in the more complex derivative of Cuban Casino leading to the many moves of Rueda, or wheel dance. Here multiple couples exchange partners and carry out moves synchronized by a caller.
Rueda de Casino:
In the 1950s Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was developed in Havana, Cuba. Pairs of dancers form a circle (Rueda in Spanish), with dance moves called out by one person. Many of the moves involve rapidly swapping partners.
There two main types of Rueda de Casino:
Cuban-style - "Rueda de Cuba" (Original type of Rueda, not so formal)
Miami-style - "Rueda de Miami" (Formal style, many rules, based on a mix, hybridization of Rueda de Cuba and Salsa Los Angeles-style )
If you would like to experience Authentic Cuban Salsa & Rueda de Casino then I would recommend Las Iguanas - Lakeside in Essex on a Thursday evening, where the very talented team of Instructors includes 'Rafael Del Busto' (2 x World open Salsa Champion) from Havana, Cuba.
General History:
The history of "Salsa" dance is peppered with hearsay and contradiction. Although few would disagree that the music and dance forms originate largely in Cuban Son. In the 1970s, adoption of the term "Salsa" reduced the linguistic and cultural barriers to mainstream adoption of Latin music and dance.
The modernization of the Mambo in the 1950s was influential in shaping what would become salsa. There is debate as to whether the dance we call Salsa today originated in Cuba or Puerto Rico. Cuba's influence in North America was diminished after Castro's revolution and the ensuing trade embargo. New York's Latino community was largely Puerto-Rican. Salsa is one of the main dances in both Cuba and Puerto Rico and is known worldwide.
Cuban / Casino Style Salsa:
Danced in Cuba and Miami, but also popular in Europe and China; there are many dedicated small communities all over the world often organized to dance Rueda as well.
Cuban-style salsa (also called Casino) can be danced either on the down beat ("a tiempo") or the upbeat ("a contratiempo"). Beats 1, 3, 5 and 7 are downbeats and 2, 4, 6 and 8 are upbeats.
An essential element is the "Cuba step" (also known as Guapea), where the leader does a backward basic on 1-2-3 and a forward basic on 5-6-7. Usually the fourth beat is not counted. The follower does the same, thereby mirroring the leader's movement.
Another characteristic of this style is that in many patterns the leader and follower circle around each other. The cross body lead is an essential step in this style too and is referred to as Salida Cubana or as 'Dile que No' in Rueda de Casino Dancing. This move becomes essential in the more complex derivative of Cuban Casino leading to the many moves of Rueda, or wheel dance. Here multiple couples exchange partners and carry out moves synchronized by a caller.
Rueda de Casino:
In the 1950s Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was developed in Havana, Cuba. Pairs of dancers form a circle (Rueda in Spanish), with dance moves called out by one person. Many of the moves involve rapidly swapping partners.
There two main types of Rueda de Casino:
Cuban-style - "Rueda de Cuba" (Original type of Rueda, not so formal)
Miami-style - "Rueda de Miami" (Formal style, many rules, based on a mix, hybridization of Rueda de Cuba and Salsa Los Angeles-style )
If you would like to experience Authentic Cuban Salsa & Rueda de Casino then I would recommend Las Iguanas - Lakeside in Essex on a Thursday evening, where the very talented team of Instructors includes 'Rafael Del Busto' (2 x World open Salsa Champion) from Havana, Cuba.
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