During the Festival of World Cultures in Dun Laoghire in the summer, I went to a free salsa dancing class and it was honestly a great laugh, so I thought I'd write about this for my next, and possibly last post for this Environmental Studies module.
Salsa dancing was created by Spanish-speaking people from the Carribbean. This type of dancing mixes European and African dance influences through the music, using a very syncopated rhythm. It usually a partner dance, but there are several forms of smaller, individual Salsa dance types also. The name "salsa" comes from the Spanish word for "sauce", or to give a "spicy flavour".
The moves and steps in Salsa dancing can become quite complicated, the the basic step in every single style of salsa involves 3 steps/weight changes in each 4 beat measure. The beat that doesn't contain a step, the dancer may kick or tap, or the weight transfer might simply just continue, with the step just not occurring until the next beat, or some dancers may insert a pause instead.
As a salsa dancer shifts their weight, their upper body remains mostly level and unaffected by the steps. Their hips are caught in the middle and tend to move quite a bit. Hands are also used when dancing with a partner.
There tends to be no set dress code for salsa dancing at social events but there are some elaborate attire for formal events and competitions.
There are many different forms of salsa dancing and it would be quite difficult, in my opinion, to try and name them all. However, some of the most well known forms are New York, Rueda, Cuban, Cali and Los Angeles.
Salsa dancing was created by Spanish-speaking people from the Carribbean. This type of dancing mixes European and African dance influences through the music, using a very syncopated rhythm. It usually a partner dance, but there are several forms of smaller, individual Salsa dance types also. The name "salsa" comes from the Spanish word for "sauce", or to give a "spicy flavour".
The moves and steps in Salsa dancing can become quite complicated, the the basic step in every single style of salsa involves 3 steps/weight changes in each 4 beat measure. The beat that doesn't contain a step, the dancer may kick or tap, or the weight transfer might simply just continue, with the step just not occurring until the next beat, or some dancers may insert a pause instead.
As a salsa dancer shifts their weight, their upper body remains mostly level and unaffected by the steps. Their hips are caught in the middle and tend to move quite a bit. Hands are also used when dancing with a partner.
There tends to be no set dress code for salsa dancing at social events but there are some elaborate attire for formal events and competitions.
There are many different forms of salsa dancing and it would be quite difficult, in my opinion, to try and name them all. However, some of the most well known forms are New York, Rueda, Cuban, Cali and Los Angeles.
(courtesy of harlomedia.com)
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