Salsa dancing in Latin America

This page is intended for salsa dance lovers who are travelling around Latin America. Surprisingly, it is quite difficult to find good salsa clubs while travelling in Latin America.

Understand
Salsa is a popular form of social dance that originated in the Caribbean. The movements of salsa have origins in Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Cuban Son, cha-cha-cha, mambo and other dance forms. The dance, along with salsa music, originated in the mid-1970s in New York. Different regions of Latin America and the United States have distinct salsa styles of their own, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Cali Colombia, Los Angeles and New York styles. Salsa dance socials are commonly held in night clubs, bars, ballrooms, restaurants, and outside, especially when part of an outdoor festival.

In many styles of salsa dancing, as a dancer shifts their weight by stepping, the upper body remains level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. Weight shifts cause the hips to move. Arm and shoulder movements are also incorporated. Salsa generally uses music ranging from about 150 bpm (beats per minute) to around 250 bpm, although most dancing is done to music somewhere between 160–220 bpm. The basic salsa dance rhythm consists of taking three steps for every four beats of music. The odd number of steps creates the syncopation inherent to salsa dancing and ensures that it takes 8 beats of music to loop back to a new sequence of steps.

Colombia
Generally you can find lots and lots of salsa music in Colombia. Most of the people would know how to dance and move with the rhythm. However there are two problems for the advanced salsa dancer. First is that they usually don't do any turns, most Colombian girls get confused by Cross-Body lead ("Dile-que-no"). Second, usually people get to the clubs by pairs and sit around tables.

The elements of Cali-style salsa, also known as Colombian salsa and salsa caleña, were strongly influenced by dances to Caribbean rhythms which preceded salsa, such as Pachanga and Boogaloo.

The central feature is the footwork which has quick rapid steps and skipping motions. Colombian style does not execute Cross-body Leads or the "Dile Que No" as seen in other styles, but rather step in place and displace in closed position. Their footwork is intricate and precise.

Cali
Cali is also known as the "Capital de la Salsa" (Capital of Salsa); due to salsa music being the main genre in parties, nightclubs and festivals in the 21st century. Cali has the most salsa schools and salsa teams in the world. Cali hosts many annual salsa events such as the World Salsa Cali Festival and the Encuentro de Melomanos y Coleccionistas.



Medellin
Thete are lots of clubs around Carrera 70 (near Estadio Metro Station), including:



Cuba
In Cuba, a dance known as Casino became popular in the 1970s. Dancing Casino is an expression of popular social culture; Cubans consider casino as part of social and cultural activities centering on their popular music.

Casino traces its origin as a partner dance from Cuban Son, Cha Cha Cha, Danzón and Guaracha. Traditionally, Casino is danced "a contratiempo". This means that, distinct from subsequent forms of salsa, no step is taken on the first and fifth beats in each clave pattern and the fourth and eighth beat are emphasised. In this way, rather than following a beat, the dancers contribute in their movement, to the polyrythmic pattern of the music. At the same time, it is often danced "a tiempo", although both "on3" (originally) and "on1" (nowadays).

What gives the dance its life, however, is not its mechanical technique, but understanding and spontaneous use of the rich Afro-Cuban dance vocabulary within a Casino dance. In the same way that a "sonero" (lead singer in Son and salsa bands) will "quote" other, older songs in their own, a Casino dancer will frequently improvise references to other dances, integrating movements, gestures and extended passages from the folkloric and popular heritage. This is particularly true of African descended Cubans. Such improvisations might include extracts of rumba, dances for African deities, the older popular dances such as Cha Cha Chá and Danzon as well as anything the dancer may feel.

In the 1950s salsa rueda or more accurately rueda de casino was developed in Havana. Pairs of dancers form a circle ("rueda" in Spanish means "wheel"), with dance moves called out by one person. Many of the moves involve rapidly swapping partners. "Rueda de Cuba" consists of about 30 calls.

Cusco
Lots of places around the main plaza. All of this places teach salsa for free every night. Usually after midnight the music is changed for mixed music. Cusco is a great place to start learning salsa. but the experienced dancer would probably satisfy with dancing only with the instructors.

Stock up your water prior to dance. Dancing first time dancing above 3400m will make you thirsty.