Archive for Cuban Salsa
A Step-By-Step Guide To Cuban Salsa
Posted by: | CommentsDance has been an important part of rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of human civilization. In the beginning, before we had written language to record things, the purpose of dance was often to tell stories and to pa** them down to future generations.
The story of dancing in Cuba
In Cuba, as in ancient times, dance tells its own story. The pa**ion and energy of Cuban dance reveals the strength and conviction of the Cuban people, determined to enjoy life despite ‘la lucha’ (the struggle) of living in a strictly regulated country where the average monthly wage comes in at around 400 pesos – less than £10.
The richness of Cuban music and dancing also tells the story of Cuba’s melting pot of cultures. From the high-stepping flamenco brought by the Spanish settlers in the 15th century to the frenzied tribal dances of the West African slaves, dancing is in the blood of the Cuban people.
From the teenage girl in denim shorts to the cigar-seller on the street corner, Cubans are given to break into spontaneous dance steps. Furthermore, the people dancing on the streets of Havana are likely to be just as good as the professionals, because in Cuba dancing is simply a way of life.
The variety of Cuban dances
Cuba boasts a huge range of dances including cla**ical ballet, contemporary, flamenco and folk dancing. But it is the partnered routines that appeared in Havana dancehalls between the 1920s and the 1950s – Salsa, rumba, mambo and cha-cha-cha – that can be seen in every Cuban bar, club and street. Of these, Salsa is the most popular dance internationally.
Since the name ‘Salsa’ (it’s Spanish for ‘sauce’) was coined, Salsa dancing has exploded in popularity in Latin America and across the world. Salsa dancing cla**es are now hugely popular but to really get into the swing of it a Salsa holiday in Cuba itself is a must.
Tips for Cuban Salsa dancing
If you do take yourself on a Cuban holiday, you’ll have the unique experience of watching Cubans Salsa dancing. It sometimes appears that by some genetic aberration they have been born with super flexible joints, defying physics to carry out all the complex manoeuvres they have integrated into the dancing. Their remarkable twisting body movements and natural sense of rhythm will dazzle you.
If you have the right technique, Cuban Salsa is easier to learn than many other forms of dance. The basic footwork is a fairly simple walking motion, pausing every fourth beat, and there are some six basic steps you can follow to make sure you’re on the right tracks.
1 Relax
To dance Cuban Salsa well it is important not to rush, but to relax into the steps. Movements should be precise and deliberate in addition to being flowing and smooth.
2 Walk with purpose
Salsa dancing involves a continual circular motion. Couples walk around each other with an imaginary axis between them. This makes turns look smooth and effortless. Walking gives time to untangle your arms after each turn.
3 Have confidence in your lead
The leader (usually the man) should have constant tension in his arms, while his hands guide his Salsa dancing partner around the floor. There is no need to clamp onto each other’s hands, only to use the right amount of tension to provide a leading signal.
4 Be flexible when following
In order to follow well, ladies should try to match the tension of their partner. The exception to this is when arms need to be relaxed and flexible to complete arm-twisting Salsa moves without injury!
5 Keep balanced when you spin
The key to all the spectacular spins in Salsa is not to lose your balance. One way to do it is by spotting while you spin – focusing on one spot at each turn – an age-old dance technique.
6 Use your body
In Salsa dancing, ladies should make use of their body and be sensual, playful and creative. This can involve some creative arm movements, going with what feels right and basically showing off a bit. Enjoy!
Salsa Dancing Is A Great Pastime
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the main reasons people quit an exercise program is a lack of motivation and goal setting. Now more and more are turning to dancing salsa in order to help with their exercise regimes. You may start an exercise program in hopes of losing weight and becoming more fit but dancing salsa is more fun and you are more likely to stick with dancing rather than having to go to the gym.
However, as you continue exercising, you may feel that you’re putting in so much effort but gaining so little. You become unmotivated because it’s just too much work so that is why more and more are turning to the cuban style of this particula pastime and the more popular ney york style for their exercise and social activities.
Salsa dancing is such a great pastime to get involved with, you can meet people easily and make friends for life. However, one of the main things that you should do immediately is to learn the salsa dance steps as this will act as a great foundation from which you can build to become a great salsa dancer. It is recommended that you attend salsa lessons regularly and in between the lessons, make sure you practice that which you learnt the previous week in order to build on you salsa dancing skill levels.
There are of course a multitude of types of salsa from which we can choose in order to get exercise and to use from a social perspective to meet new people and; to widen our circle of friends. When one gets to know the different types of salsa including new york style salsa, mambo, miami style, puero rican style salsa etc. One cannot help but fall in love with the cuban style of salsa dancing.
It is generally regarded that this form of salsa stands apart from other styles of salsa as in it seen to interpret the music very closely with the use of the basic salsa steps. The cuban salsa bands and the cuban salsa attire all adds to the styles that the genuine cubans bring to the whole world of learning to dance salsa. If you have not yet experience cuban salsa, check it out as soon as you can.
The other great thing about choosing to socialize using this particular pastime is that, it does stand out above some of the other social activities as one of the greatest ways to meet new people. Often we are faced with the situation of having to move to a new town or city, we may be single and not know many people. Also the people we work with may not have the same social persuasions as we do – that is where salsa comes in.
With this, we can get out into the community and meet those new people and then they new place rapidly becomes our home. As with anything else; you are advise to really try to master the basics and get a good foundation as this will serve you well as you look to really improve your skill and move on from just the basic dancing level.
Learning Salsa Dance Steps Effectively
Posted by: | CommentsYou may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”. Yes it is true because constant practice can really lead you to perfection and this is applicable to salsa dancing. By practicing salsa dance steps, you can master dances like cuban salsa.
Practicing away from the cla** is an essential part of the learning process and you should be dancing salsa as frequent as you can. It is of great importance to practice the right moves correctly.
When you start, you have take it in slow step moves and count out loud. As you learn each of the steps and the timing you will be able to speed up what you are performing.
Choose some slow tempo or you start your salsa dancing without music. Just by counting, you can later move to faster tracks as you become more efficient at the timing and foot work.
If your cla** provides free dancing after the cla** use it to practice the moves you have just learned to get them clear and fixed in your mind; remember to right them down.
If you cannot practice right after the lesson spend some time at home with your notes performing for at least half an hour within in the next 2 days after the lesson.
Below are some steps that can help you when you practice:
1. Look a dance partner to practice with. Usually, people come to cla**es on their own; this presents them with a problem as they have no one to practice with. Find yourself a practice partner from your cla** who desires to put the work in with you to elevate their Salsa dancing skills.
2. If you have no practice partner, do not worry, you may think that this is a slightly silly suggestion but bare with us. We have all sang into an imaginary microphone or played air guitar at home; oh come on of course you have; no practice partner does not mean you cannot practice!
It is time to dance with an imaginary dance partner step out the move and steps as if you have a partner, remember count out loud to the music.
3. Repeat the same sequence again and again until you are already familiar with the steps. Learning is an art form and its effectiveness depends on your learning skills. Doing the sequence all over again can effectively make you to master the salsa dance
4. Dance with every body you can. We have said before that Salsa is a social dance and you can make a sociable experience with it; its part of what makes it so enjoyable. This will help you progress your salsa dancing skills.
These are some useful tips which you can apply when you want to learn salsa dance steps effectively. See you on the dance floor
Experience The Thrill Of Dancing Salsa
Posted by: | CommentsThe Spanish term we use today to define this form of dancing, salsa, was first adopted in the 1970s and together with this name the cultural and linguistic barriers to adoption of this Latin dance were reduced. Salsa music first appeared in the 1960s as a rhythmic fusion, birthed in the cultural melting pot of New York City. In the beginning, before we had written language to record things, the purpose of dance was often to tell stories and to pa** them down to future generations. Salsa developed as an independent genre in the 70s although the music was already played and danced to for a few decades.
One of the most widely recognized Cha Chas in Latin and American pop music is “Oye Como Va” (“Listen How It Goes,” written by Tito Puente, further popularized by Carlos Santana). If youre not looking to expand your social circle, the benefits to couples, married or not, is equally as impressive. Salsa is a street and social dance. The average attendance at a Salsa dance cla**es is 99% female; look I am not complaining as often I am the only guy there.
Some Benefits From Dancing Salsa:
1. From a strictly athletic point of view, a night of dancing is a superb workout.
2. Salsa dancing lessons will take you from the clumsy to the graceful and it’s almost painless.
3. That is why you should definitely consider salsa dancing as a way to lose those extra pounds but at the same time have fun while doing it.
4. Salsa dancing is one of the best ways to enjoy yourself while also getting in shape.
5 5) The Salsa lessons are FUN! Yes this is possibly the most important part of your dancing it must be fun to do.
6 Its high intensity and works the muscles quickly and rigorously.
7. After a few turns on the dance floor, it will become second nature and you’ll be a salsa sensation.
8 Salsa dancing is emerging as a refreshing replacement for conventional aerobic exercises.
Some Tips In Learning Salsa:
1. Top salsa dancers in the business usually have a dance background from an early age.
2. You will have heard to phrase practise makes perfect while this is partly true what practise actually dose is make the actions practised permanent.
3. Learning with a salsa video is certainly convenient, and if you have a tight schedule it may be your only option.
4. Bobbing or bouncing is not really the idea here – keep your back straight, your arms tight, and make your hips do all the work.
5. Consider salsa dance as a profession.
Basic Steps:
1. By the 8 count the leader and follower are in opposite positions.
2. Forward Break – You start from either foot and step forward; then you replace the weight to your previous support foot, keeping it in place.
3. According to beats step forward starting with left foot, with your partner mirroring your steps backward.
Cuban Salsa
Most of the moves are based off the Cuban style with the main difference being lack of space involved. With the Cuban Salsa, on counts 1, 2, and 3 a backward basic occurs while on counts 5, 6, and 7 a forward basic happens. If you have the right technique, Cuban Salsa is easier to learn than many other forms of dance.
Attire Tips;
1. Cotton fabrics are always a good choice.
2. Much like shoes, the outfits made for dancing are greatly different than outfits made for regular wear and tear.
Learning And Experiencing The Thrill Of Salsa Dancing
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to some sources , salsa dance was created by either Puerto Rican or Cuban immigrants at that time. Salsa is one of the most popular forms of ballroom dance. Learning to dance Salsa is taking the world by storm. You will find salsa lessons springing up all over in school hall, clubs and bars. But how good are the lessons and how do you know if the instructor is up to scratch? Salsa music is complicated, may beats interwoven, and it takes time to tune your ears and feet to the rhythms.
To understand the popularity of salsa music and dance you need to experience it. In Salsa dancing, ladies should make use of their body and be sensual, playful and creative. More and more people are joining the Gym these days but pumping iron or running on the treadmill is not the only way to get fit. There is a much more fun way to get sweaty in the name of fitness.
Some Benefits From Dancing Salsa:
1.Its history, although controversial, could not change the fact that once you danced salsa you would forever be charmed by it.
2. It is an excellent workout exercise that combines aerobic and anaerobic training.
3. Salsa dancing is emerging as a refreshing replacement for conventional aerobic exercises.
4.Now Salsa dance lessons are not only good for the body but are also good for the mind.
5.Experts say that dancing salsa can burn up to 10 calories a minute, without the negative side effects of high impact exercises such as running.
6. Salsa is also an excellent exercise choice because it combines individual dance routines that can also be paired up with a partner.
7.That is why you should definitely consider salsa dancing as a way to lose those extra pounds but at the same time have fun while doing it.
8.Salsa dancing is one of the best ways to enjoy yourself while also getting in shape.
Some Tips In Learning Salsa:
1.If you don’t know how to walk elegantly, watch movies, search the web and study everything about being elegant.
2.There are a lot of Salsa lessons taking place in clubs, these have free dancing afterwards which is invaluable in helping you to fix what you have learn in the lesson in your head.
3.Stay focused on what is being taught.
4.By joining a cla** that runs in a set number of week at a time they are likely to be structured and have a clear focused on where you will be at the end of the set of Salsa lessons.
5.The leader (usually the man) should have constant tension in his arms, while his hands guide his Salsa dancing partner around the floor.
Some Basic Steps:
1.The basic footwork is a fairly simple walking motion, pausing every fourth beat, and there are some six basic steps you can follow to make sure you’re on the right tracks.
2. Salsa music is played in 4/4 with beats 4 and 8 representing a pause and the other beats representing steps.
3. Forward Break – You start from either foot and step forward; then you replace the weight to your previous support foot, keeping it in place.
Cuban Salsa
If you have the right technique, Cuban Salsa is easier to learn than many other forms of dance. To dance Cuban Salsa well it is important not to rush, but to relax into the steps. For some unknown genetic reasons, Cubans seems to be born with super flexible joints to do all these difficult maneuvers! Somehow many of their turns seem to defy body geometry! Just as you think that a particular move must be impossible, they’ll come up with something that is even more complex!
Some Attire Tips;
1.Whether you are looking for a salsa dress to wear to your favorite nightclub, a salsa dress for an upcoming competition or a dress for your prom night, the salsa dress you decide should make you look and feel your best.
2.Cotton fabrics are always a good choice.