Salsa is a form of dance which combines dance characteristics from European and African dance routines. It is a dance which is usually performed by a pair, although there are “solo” forms of this dance, such as “rueda de casino” and “suelta” that are also popular. Salsa originated in Latin America and is most popular in that region of the world. It is however, gaining ground as a favorite dance form in many other regions. This includes countries in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The modern version of the salsa, which is the form that is used today, is a blend of influences from Latin-American and Western cultures. It even has traces of influence from ballroom dancing. Due to these influences, salsa has evolved several distinct styles, namely: (1) the Cuban style, also referred to as “casino” style; (2) the Los Angeles style or “Mambo on 1”; (3) the New York style or “Mambo on 2”; (4) the Colombian style or “cali style”; and (5) the Miami style.
The Cuban style salsa or casino style salsa is the type of salsa that is used in most parts of the world including Europe, North America, and Latin America. In Latin America, Cuban style salsa is considered an important part of their cultural and social activities especially when it revolves around their type of pop music. Cuban style salsa is also called casino style salsa because casino was the term used to identify the dance halls where social salsa was danced in Cuba back in the 1950s.
The Los Angeles style of salsa focuses on the sensuousness, the theatricality, and the musicality of this dance form. It is greatly influenced by other dancing styles such as the mambo, the swing, and ballroom dancing. LA style salsa is commonly referred to as mambo on 1 salsa because this style lets the leader of the pair step into the dance on the first beat.
In contrast to the LA style, the New York style salsa lets the leader step into the dance on the 2nd beat, thus the term “mambo on 2”. In this style, it is the follower in the pair that takes a step on the first beat, not the leader. This style of salsa focuses on dancing in harmony with the instruments playing the music especially the congas and the timbales. This is because these instruments are responsible for the second beat of the salsa music.
The Colombian style salsa is influenced by movements done in rhythm to Colombian music such as Boogaloo and Cumbia. This style is the salsa dance that is used in the “Salsa Capital of the World”, the city of Cali located in Columbia. This city has gained this reputation because of the fact that salsa music and salsa dance is the main genre of music and dance that is enjoyed in almost all parties, clubs, and gatherings that are held here. The main emphasis of this type of salsa is the intricate footwork. Dancers usually keep their upper bodies relaxed and upright while their legs and feet do most of the extensive dancing.
Miami style salsa has elements of North American styles all over it. It easily shows off the influences of show style and shines that are embedded in it. This style dances exclusively to the downbeat and is most popular to Cuban-Americans and Latinos that are based in South Florida.
