Ballroom Dancing Atlanta

In this article I compare learning salsa from a dance class versus learning it from a DVD. Both learning formats have its strengths and weaknesses.
First, if you are a altogether starter to the world of salsa a question you might have is which learning format should you start with: a Salsa DVD or a live salsa dance class? My answer is that it depends. First, Salsa dance DVD’s are great way to start if you feel a little anxious or nervous stepping on to the group or private salsa classes right away. Simply order a DVD on-line, pop it into your computer or DVD player and you are off and learning. Salsa dance DVD’s are a great way to learn the beginner steps. You can simply rewind the sections you need most help with and practice your steps to the music until you feel comfortable entirely at your own speed.

However, as soon as you begin learning partner work it is very helpful to have a partner. In fact, in the beginning (actually, almost at any time) it is nearly impossible to learn partner patterns without a partner. If you have someone you can practice the moves you learn from a DVD then great. If not, this might be a time to head on to your local live salsa group class or possibly schedule a private. Private salsa classes are another terrific way to get started if you feel apprehensive about starting with a group classes, especially if money is not a consideration.   

But many people also prefer taking their first salsa steps at a live group dance class. In my opinion, live group salsa classes are always the best and most cost effective way to get started. The group environment often makes salsa both a lots of fun and a great way to learn. If you only rely on learning from a salsa DVD what often happens is time simply goes by and one day you find your salsa dance DVD on some corner of a bookshelf just collecting dust. Don’t let that happen to you. Of course, you may live in an area where no salsa classes are offered, which makes salsa DVD’s worth their weight in gold. This is what happened to me as I begin my salsa journey in a removed part of Louisiana. Don’t ask me how I ended up there, I’ll tell you later.

But here is another thing to consider. Sometimes when you begin to advance with your salsa dancing and you have taken some group classes for awhile again, Salsa dance DVDs may become another viable option to continue your growth as a dancer. At some point you might find that your local group classes are simply not challenging enough anymore and you are ready to learn some more complicated patterns. Salsa dance DVD’s are great for this. You can literally receive some of the best salsa dancers in the world to your living room through them. This is another thing I did as I became more advanced dancer.

And finally, how about considering to start a class yourself. Believe it or not as soon as you know more than someone else begin teaching them. You will probably gain more out of teaching than the student you are teaching your knowledge to. When you teach and share your skills and knowledge with others you will re-inforce what you have learned and you will continue to grow.

Salsa dance class versus DVD? Why not choose both?

In this article I have answered some of the most common questions regarding proper dance class etiquette that I hear from Women.  

Question # 1 – What To Wear To A Dance Class?

What to wear to a dance class is one of the most common questions regarding to proper dance class etiquette regardless of gender. The answer is that for a dance studio it is often best to wear something comfortable like gym pants or casual jeans. Proper dance shoes are always the best option, of course, but to most beginner salsa classes most footwear is accepted. If you want to wear high heels make sure they have plenty of ankle support and are shoes you feel comfortable with. Often some more casual comfortable shoes with a smooth bottom is a much better option for a dance studio. Save the high heels to a club. Speaking of clubs, dance shoes are again always the best option even for clubs (although some clubs may warrant a some other shoes if the floor is terrible and you don’t want to damage your shoes). Dresses and anything that makes you feel great works. If you are planning to wear something very casual you might want to check the dress code before deciding to go as some clubs might endorse rules tighter than others.

Question # 2 -  Do I Need To Bring A Dance Partner With Me?

In my experience very seldom do you need a dance partner. In fact, unless a flyer or the advertisement for the class specifically says that you do need a dance partner I would assume you do not need one. In the hundreds of classes I have been I have come cross only one or two classes that happened to be in Louisiana that you needed a dance partner in order to sign for the dance course. Of course, if you want to be absolutely sure you can always check from the instructor before hand.

Question # 3 – What Should I Do If Get Partnered Up With A Creepy Guy?

Ok, this question is not necessarily commonly vocalized, but I have heard it from some women so I decided to handle this issue head on. First of all, realize that dance classes, especially salsa, attract people from various different backgrounds . You often have a wide variety of people from all ages, genders, spiritual, racial, socio-economical, and cultural backgrounds. Always make sure that you consider and try to be understanding of our differences. Furthermore, not every guy has great social skills although and often don’t mean any harm even if they might seem akward.

Now having said this, if someone makes you feel uncomfortable, for example, touches you in an area you don’t feel comfortable, but you don’t think he is blatantly trying to offend you or trying to be a jerk, your first defense is to politely address the issue head on. Immediately and politely move his hand and say to the gentleman” “Would you hold me here instead, I would feel more comfortable” and then thank him once he obliges. Sometimes we men just need a little proper direction and help from you. Other times, you need to take firmer actions.

If he is being a jerk and disrespecting you politely tell him to stop whatever he is doing that is making you feel uncomfortable. If you don’t want to cause a scene in the middle of a class, for example, it is best to simply talk to your instructor about the incident in private after the class. Your instructor should be happy to hear your concern and you are doing him/her a big favor. It is best to let your instructor to deal with the incident. After all no instructor would wants to lose students because of some creepy guy.

Question #  4 – Is It Really Ok To Ask Questions?

Yes, most instructors welcome questions (at least they should). In fact, by asking questions chances are you are also voicing questions or concerns that others in the class have but are simply too afraid to ask. Of course, if you constantly find yourself being the only one asking questions it may be time to hold off them, but most instructors in my view love that their students are asking questions and being interactive. So voice your thoughts.

Question $ 5 – Should I help my partner if he can’t get the move?

This answer might surprise you, no you should not. First of all, realize that no matter how much better you might be than him your partner did not come to the class to learn from you. Of course, if it just a quick correction that makes the move more comfortable to you feel free to do it or point it out to him. But when ever you come to a dance class your priority should always be to work on yourself not on your partner. For example, if you master a pattern faster than your partner begin working on your styling, posture, connection, foot placement, hand placement, spotting, your body movement, or any other area of your dance rather than helping him. If he has a question he knows that by raising his hand he can ask a question from the instructor if he so chooses. Teaching your partner while your class is proceeding could be taken as an insult not only by your partner, but also by your instructor.

And there you have it 5 common questions and answers for proper dance class etiquette.

In this article I will answers to some of the most common questions regarding proper dance class etiquette that I hear from Men.
 
Question # 1 – What To Wear To A Dance Class?

What to wear to a dance class is one of the most common questions regarding to proper dance class etiquette regardless of gender. The answer is that for a dance studio it is often best to wear something comfortable like gym pants or casual jeans. Proper dance shoes are always the best option, of course, but to most beginner salsa classes most footwear is often accepted. Rather than wearing tennis shoes, wear your dress shoes if they have a smooth bottom. This will help you with your turns and spins . When you plan to go to a club always check out their dress code before hand, some clubs are much stricter than others.

Question # 2 -  Should I Bring A Dance Parner?

In my experience very rarely do you need a dance partner. In fact, unless a flier or the advertisement for the class specifically says that you do need a dance partner I would assume you do not need one. In the hundreds of classes I have been I have come cross only one or two classes that happened to be in Louisiana that you needed a dance partner in order to sign for the dance course. Of course, if you want to be perfectly sure you can always check from the teacher before hand.

Question # 3 – How To Make Her Enjoy Dancing With Me?

Always be courteous with your follower. Trust me, no woman will ever be impressed by your show of affection for her if you are touching her unsuitably or trying to pick up on her on the dance class. Even if you feel great chemistry with her, don’t try to pick up on her on the class. Save that for something to plan after the class. The best way you can impress her is by your attentiveness and considerateness to make sure she is feeling comfortable and having a good time learning and dancing with you.

The number one best way to make sure she is enjoying dancing with you is to actually consider how she might feel when you are dancing with her. This may sound like a simple idea, but in reality it is not . For example, if you are much stronger than she is what may seem like gentle lead to you may feel like you are tearing her arm off to her. So always try to adjust your lead to your partner and show consideration to her. If you will do this you are on your way making her want to come back to dance with you again and again. And hey, who knows that might just be the best way to impress her and eventually get her number too.

Question #  4 – Is It Really Ok To Ask Questions?

Yes, most instructors welcome questions (at least they should). In fact, by you asking questions chances are you are also voicing questions that others have but are solely too afraid to ask. Of course, if you constantly find yourself being the only one asking questions it may be time to hold off them, but most instructors in my opinion love that their students are asking questions and being interactive. So voice your questions.

Question $ 5 – Should I help my partner if she can’t get the move?

This answer might surprise you, no you should not. First of all, realize that no matter how much better you might be than her your partner did not come to the class to learn from you. Of course, if it just a quick correction that makes the move more comfortable for her feel free to do it or point it out to her. But when ever you come to a dance class your priority should always be to work on yourself not your partner. For example, if you master a pattern faster than your partner begin working on your  posture, connection, foot placement, hand placement, spotting, your body movement, or any other area of your dance rather than helping her. If she has a question she knows that by raising her hand she can ask a question from the instructor if she so chooses. Teaching your partner while your class is proceeding could be taken as an insult not only by your partner, but also by your instructor.

And there you have it 5 common questions and answers for proper dance class etiquette.

Are you trying to learn Salsa? Trying to learn salsa dancing? In this article I am going to give you probably the number one most powerful way to become a better dancer fast. Here it is. Video tape yourself dancing salsa and create your own salsa video.

When you video tape yourself dancing salsa it might feel a bit embarrassing at first. This is ok and it is to be expected . When I first saw my salsa video I know I was embarrassed. Believe me when I say that I looked pretty funny dancing salsa the first time on stage. In fact, you might still even find a youtube video of me somewhere around the web if you don’t believe me.

In my opinnion there is nothing more powerful to help you point out your needs for improvement than observing yourself on a video. Of course, you don’t have to do this if you are just learning your basic steps nor do you really need to worry about this technique if you are not in a hurry to learn the dance fast.

But if you really want to jump start your progress, next time you are on social dance setting in a dance studio or a salsa club simply bring your digital camera with you and ask someone to tape you. Just make sure either your camera is first-class or that the lighting is good enough for you to be able to see yourself when you go home and watch it.

The benefits for doing this are many. First of all, you will probably for the very first time see yourself more objectively from another persons view point. You can take a step back and take a more objective look at your dancing. You can almost become like your own coach, if you will, and give some constructive criticism to yourself.

For example, often when we dance it feel like we are dancing really fast, we might even feel out of breath and exhausted, but when we go back and look at ourself on a video it looks like we are dancing on slow motion. If this is what you notice, the reason for this is simply that the honest truth was that you probably was not dancing with that much impact.

Also, by watching yourself on a video you are able to see any little awkward habits that you might have. You might notice that you hold your hand weirdly or that your posture is not the best. Absorbing your dancing this way and simply becoming aware even a few simply things that you can easily change can make you look so much more polished on the dance floor.

So make sure to use the technology that we have available today to your advantage. Take a camera to the club or dance studio and ask someone to film a salsa video of you and witness your dance skills soar. One day soon you will be glad you did. I hope to get to meet you on the dance floor soon!

Salsa videos are a great way to learn salsa. In this article I am going to share 5 tips to using them effectively to become a better salsa dancer.

First of all, there are many different types of salsa videos out there. For the purposes of your learning, I have broken them down into four categories: Performance Videos, Instructional Videos, Social Dancing Videos, Competition Videos, .

Tip # 1 – Use Performance Videos To Inspire You

When I started dancing salsa there was not many salsa videos you could found anywhere . Youtube did not exist at the time, salsa DVD’s where almost nonexistent, and I lived in Louisiana so I hardly ever saw any real performers.

But the couple of salsa performance DVD’s that I managed to find on Ebay I treated them like gold. I often watched them to inspire me to learn more salsa. If you are just starting out a great way to inspire yourself is to go to Youtube to watch some videos or to buy a performance DVD of a salsa event. Admire the great dancers and let them move and inspire you to learn more.

Tip # 2 – Use Instructional Salsa Videos For Learning

A great way to learn salsa is through instructional salsa videos or DVDs. The benefits for learning from a DVD or on-line videos are many. First, it is much less intimidating to take your first steps on the comfort of your own home rather than in front of a group of strangers. Secondly, you can pause, rewind, and watch a certain segment of a move or step over and over again until you master it. Thirdly, you can have access to many of the great salsa instructors and performers from around the world right at your living room if you so prefer.

When I was first starting to learn salsa this is what I did . I bought many different instructional VHS (Gosh, am I really that old ) and salsa DVD’s to learn from. I found a partner to practice the moves and we simply learned together. Then to re-inforce what I had learned I would teach the steps to others to share my knowledge and to make me master the moves.

Tip # 3 – Use Social Dancing Videos To Learn Even More

Once you begin more adept at learning from videos (it is also a skill that may take some time, it is always much easier to learn from live classes than from videos) it is possible for you to learn also from social dancing videos. Some of the moves that I do occasionally I simply copied right out of someone else’s social dancing video on youtube. This is not the easiest thing to do, but once you get comfortable with understanding the salsa counting, simply watch your favorite social dancers on-line on youtube. Pause and rewind the video to the move you liked. Observe it carefully. And next time you are on the dance floor try to adopt it to your dancing.

Tip # 4 – Use Competition Videos To Measure Your Success
 
I often watch some of the best competitors salsa dance videos . At this point I have also competed myself and I have my own videos on youtube. It is good to be honest and compare and contrast your style, posture, speed, precision, and quality of your movement, interpretation of your music with those you want to emulate. Seeing yourself dancing salsa on a video will make you appreciate the great dancers even more.

Often you feel like you are dancing really fast or carrying out a move precisely and with adroitness, but when you see yourself on the video it seems like you are going turtle speed. After seeing yourself on a video, go back and watch some of the great dancers again and you will begin to notice details on their dancing that you were never aware before. The more you become aware of your body and your dancing the better dancer you will potentially become.

And there you have it. Four tips to using salsa videos to improve your salsa dancing!  

In this article I am going to bring out several tips on how I have used salsa videos to become a great salsa dancer.
You will learn how to get the most out of salsa videos and how I still continue to use them for my learning.

There are many ways to use salsa videos for your benefit these days. This was not always the case. In fact, when I started to learn salsa videos was very hard to find.

Here are couple of my favorite ways to use salsa videos.

Use Salsa Videos To Inspire You
When I was just starting out with learning to dance salsa, I used to often watch different salsa performance DVD’s . Watching beautiful dance performances and shows is always inspiring and motivating . They make you want to become better also. Go watch some social dance videos, competition videos, or performance clips on youtube. Youtube is like a treasure trove of amazing salsa inspiration completely free of charge.

Use Salsa Videos To teach You

There are a number of great Salsa DVD’s and on-line learning resources now available for you. Videos are a great way to learn salsa. After I had learned my basic steps and salsa rhythm from a native dancer I found several VHS salsa tapes and DVD’s that I for the most part used for my continuing learning. There are also many extra benefits from learning from a DVD or from an On-line resource compared to learning from a live class. You can pause and rewind a salsa step or move that you are trying to master as many times as you would like right at the comfort of your home. You can always also go back to revisit any move you would like another day. You can call for friends or a dance partner to practice with you (in fact, I highly advocate that you do), and perhaps best of all buying a salsa DVD or learning from on-line can be a very cheap way to learn.

Film Your Own Salsa Video To Really Jump Start Your Learning

Why not make your own salsa video? No, I am not talking about making an instructional video necessarily, but the next time you are practicing your moves in your living room or when you decide to venture out to a dance studio or a salsa club grab your digital camera and ask someone to tape you. One of the best way to continue to advance as a dancer after you have learned some of the fundamental salsa moves is to tape your self and to become your own coach.

Watching yourself on a video is a great way to take a more honest look at your dancing. You can easily get a sense of your posture, your body movement (or lack of it), hand and foot placing etc., which then makes it much easier for you to polish and improve your own dancing.

And there you have it. Some of the reasons you should definitely use salsa videos for your learning along with group, and private salsa classes. I hope to see you on the dance floor one day soon!

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance salsa like a pro. You might have seen some amazing salsa dancers at a club . You saw someone and thought to yourself: “That is how I want to dance”.

If this describes you, keep learning.

Insider Tip #1 – Count The Music

If there is only one tip that I could give you that will simply skyrocket your progress in learning how to dance salsa  it is to learn to count the music as fast as possible. Trust me, the faster you begin to count the music the faster you will begin to learn to master the art.
Some people think that they should not worry about counting the music and think they should just learn to feel the music . That is almost like saying, when setting up a business you should not worry about your profit and loss statements and count money, but just feel like you are doing a good service.

Don’t take me wrong, feeling the music is important, but trust me, learning to count your 1,2,3 and 5,6,7  in the salsa music is even more important, especially when you just starting out.

Insider Tip #2 – Practice The Steps Alone

Whenever you are at home or at car, simply put on some salsa music . Try to count them music if you in a car or practice the steps if you are at home folding laundry or just cooking food. This will enormously augment your progress in between your group or private salsa dance lessons.

Insider Tip # 3 – Observe The Great Dancers At A Club

It is one thing to watch some good dancers on a DVD or through Youtube, but if you have the opportunity to observe some good dancers go in the salsa clubs and just watch. Even if you feel too intimidate to dance, just watching great social dancers can be very beneficial and insipire you to learn even more .

This will accomplish couple of things. By seeing someone great dancing live, see how his/her steps relate to the music. For example, if you have trouble hearing the music, you can trust that the great dancer is almost always on a right count of the music. Just see how his/her steps relate to the music and you will gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation for the music and dance as well.

As a caveat, you can’t always rely on DVD’s and youtube videos to fully appreciate the precise relationship between the music you hear and a great dancer as sometimes the audio is not fully in sync with the video and vice versa.

Insider Tip #4 – Learn To Appreciate Great Art

The more you allow yourself to admire and appreciate great art the more you also invite yourself to learn it . To the degree you learn to first appreciate and admire a great artist whether a dancer or a musician only to that degree can you potentially open yourself to learning the intricacies of the art yourself.

With greater appreciation for the art you will open your heart and mind to learning it yourself.

Insider Tip # 5 – Go To Salsa Dance Events

If you are truly serious about learning how to dance salsa, make sure to attend to big events like salsa festivals or congresses. The more you surrounded yourself with those you want to emulate and become a like the better. As you begin to hang out with great dancers their greatness will almost literally begin to rub off to you.

There is nothing more powerful than to have some other great dancers encourage you and support you on your journey to become a great dancer yourself.

And there you have it, my five insider tips to learning how to dance salsa like a pro. I hope you have enjoyed them.

The one thing I really like about salsa is that there are so many different ways to dance it and no one way is necessarily any better or worse than another. Where the goal of interpreting ballroom dances is often to achieve a certain ideal form of body movement and expression of the music, salsa celebrates and thrives with its many different forms of expressions with a goal often to find and create your own personal unequaled form of expression. Learn to dance salsa uniquely. Here is how.

Insider Tip # 1 To Creating Your Own Style – Understanding Your Dance Background  

The first step to creating your own salsa style is to understand your dance background.  
For example, do you have background in other dances? If you do, don’t try to curb your body from bringing those dance expressions in to salsa also. More preferably integrate them to it.

Salsa dancers probably have some of the most varied dance (and non-dance) backgrounds there are. Some salsa dancers come from ballroom, others come with ballet, jazz, or tap background, some come from the hip-hop and breakdance world, while yet others come from dances like west-coast swing or hustle.

And then there are dancers like myself that come from no dance background at all. But don’t let a lack of dance background be a excuse for developing your own style. Some of the most sought after salsa dancers in the world come from no dance backgrounds at all. Often there is nothing cooler than seeing ordinary guys (and gals) with no dance background dancing with passion.    

Insider Tip # 2 To Creating Your Own Style – Understanding Your Personality

Let your salsa dancing reflect your personality. Are you more outlandish, funky, introverted, dramatic, sexy, classy, crazy, funny, modern, or a combination of many things.

Don’t be afraid to bring your personality through. Rather build your dance style around it. If you are funky and more eccentric person, you might want to go take a contemporary dance class rather than a ballroom dance class to augment your salsa dancing.  

Let your own unique personality build your dancing and your dancing to be an expression of it. Learn to dance and shine your personality through it!

Insider Tip # 3 To Creating Your Own Style – Understanding Your Body

The truth is that certain moves will look better than others on you depending on your body type . It often takes time to find which movements feel and look the best to you . Injuries and other limitations may also make it more sense to emphasis certain movements in your dancing versus others.

Observe the dancers your resonate the most with and emulate them . Pick their moves, style, personality, and flair and incorporate it to your own. As you learn from great dancers and become a better dancer with time you begin to develop your own unique self expression on the dance floor.

Insider Tip # 4 To Creating Your Own Style – Your Clothing Style

As you get more and more into expressing yourself in the dance floor, let your clothing style augment it as well. If you like hip-hop style salsa, let it show with your cap and some baggier trousers, for example. Dance is about expression and your clothing is part of that expression.

If you want to feel sexy, who says you should not wear a little shorter skirt, other than maybe your granny, of course. What is so beautiful about salsa dancing is that individual expression, rather than being inhibited, is being celebrated on the dance floor. Live to dance and dance to live someone famous once said.

Insider Tip # 5 To Creating Your Own Style – Respecting The Styles Of Others

What will really make you stand out is when you not only have created your own unique dance style and expression, but when you also respect and honor the styles and expressions of others. There is no one better or worse style than another. We are all different and our differences should be respected, honored, celebrated, and understood. Just because someone is different from us does not mean that they are not just as equal and should be valued the same.

Sure, some have been able to create unique art and style that is valued more than other in terms of its monetary value, but in the eyes of Godwe are all equal. So make sure to appreciate and find something good in all expressions of this great art form.

And there you have it 5 insider tips to learn to dance salsa uniquely by creating your own personal style.  

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance salsa? In this article I am going to reveal the five little know secrets that will help you to learn salsa . Salsa dance is not the most difficult dance to master, but it might still feel like an overwhelming task when you are just starting out .

The Secret # 1 – Set Your aim

Just like accoplishing anything worthwhile in your life you have to start by setting your intention . This is no different learning how to dance salsa. In fact, there have been entire books scripted just in the importance of setting your intentions.

Simply start with the end in your mind. Make a decision. Set your intention to master salsa dancing . After all nothing really happens until you make a firm commitment to yourself. Make up your mind to learn salsa now.

The Secret # 2 – Visualize

After you have sat your intentions on learning how to dance salsa, visualize yourself mastering salsa with ease. Simply close your eyes and imagine yourself dancing salsa skillfully and beautifully. Visualization is very powerful for one simple reason: it really works.

Not only see yourself dancing like the pros, but feel how easy and effortless it is for you to master the dance.

The Secret # 3 – Believe In Yourself

As you do the above visualization exercise you might feel like it is wacky. Or you might start to have self-limiting thoughts like “I can’t never really learn how to dance salsa” or “I just won’t ever became good so why even bother”. Don’t let yourself believe in your own self criticism and hate.

Most of the time we are our own worst enemy. In fact, did you read the secret # 2 and have doubts that you just could not see yourself dancing like some of the best dancers in the world? Be honest. If you did, you are not alone. But remember that you are in control. Simply fool your brain by visualization. Try it.

The Secret # 4 – Practice, Practice, Practice

After you have sat your intention, visualized your success firmly believing that you can become a distinguished dancer you are already half way to there. Now the only thing that is left is to pick up your dance shoes and get to a dance studio or a salsa club and to get some practice. Pick up or order a salsa DVD, schedule a private lesson with an instructor, or just show up at salsa class somewhere.

There is nothing more powerful than practising with concentrated intention . When you have learned a move, some dance steps or salsa pattern, simply keep going to practice until you have mastered the steps or pattern. If it is simple steps you are learning just put on some salsa music at your home and dance to them as you are doing some daily chores. Or continue to dance with others and practice the patterns you just learned at the club after the class.

The Secret # 5 – Go Back And Repeat These Steps Often
Once you have accomplished step 1 throug 4 repeat them . There might come times when you might feel like giving up. You might even feel like salsa is just too hard. But this is not true. I promise, anyone can learn it.

It just takes time and discipline like achieving any worthy goal in life. So continue to revisit your intentions at times. You might even find that it was much easier than you thought, in which case you might even want to set your intentions higher, to join a professional dance team, or to find a dedicated dance partner.

The key is, like in salsa, to repeat these steps often and you will be dancing in no time. And there you have it, your five secrets to learning how to dance salsa. I hope to see you on the dance floor soon.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance salsa with great musicality? In this article I am going to spill the beans on how to dance salsa with great musicality.

Musicality Tip # 1 – Recognize The Mood Of The Music

Learn to recognize the mood of the music.This is probably the easiest step you can take to dancing with a better musicality . For the purposes of this article, I am assuming you already know how to count the salsa music . Learning to count the music is one thing, but learning how to dance with great musicality is quite another. 

Next time you hear are salsa song, ask yourself what type of salsa music is it? For example, is it Salsa Romantica or Salsa Dura? Is it  jazzy mambo or does it seem cuban etc.?   

Learning to recognize the different types of salsa songs is your first step to being able to detect the mood of the song and to dance more musically . If you are dancing to salsa romantica, for example, it might not musically make that much sense to go all out with your craziest and fastest footwork and patterns, but maybe simply concentrate more on the connection with your partner and have a more relaxed and “romantic” dance together.

Or if you hear certain cuban salsa with heavy emphasis on the core beats, musically speaking you might be more inspired to dance On1 Cuban style instead of New York Style On2 and vice versa when you hear some Latin Jazz, for example.

Musicality Tip # 2 – Learn To Understand The Structure Of The Music

Every salsa song, regardless of their type, has a structure. Very simplistically speaking, without getting too technical every song has an intro, middle, and ending. Salsa songs tend to crescendo somewhere in the middle.

In the intro, for example, if you hear only couple of instruments augmenting the signer, e.g., you might just want to start slowly. And as you hear the music building up and crescendoing somewhere in the middle you might want to save your more complicated turn patterns or footwork to the part where the orchestra begins to go all out with all of its might.

And again if the song descends in the end, you might want to let your dancing reflect that and again end the dance with a more relaxed ending. The point is become more aware of the structure and different parts to a salsa song and let your dancing reflect that.

Musicality Tip # 3 – Learn To Recognize The Hits And Breaks In The Music

Great salsa song from a dancers perspective is a song that has many hits and breaks to it. Hit can be high note of the horn or a beat of the drum followed by a pause.

This is where your knowledge of the salsa songs and your intuition and ability to feel the music becomes to play as you become more in tune with the musicians.
Contrary to what some believe, you don’t have to always know the songs to be able to interpret these hits and breaks in the music.

Simply, start listening to salsa songs more carefully and as you become more in tune with the music you will begin to anticipate the hits and breaks in the music.

Next time you are on a dance floor start anticipating the hits and breaks on the song you are listening to and you will gain a better musical ear and begin to dance more musically .  

Musicality Tip # 4 – Learn To Dance Emphasizing The Lyrics Of The Song

Listen to the singer.

Another way to hit or break to the music is to listen to the beginning and the endings of the singer as he/she sings.

Within the structure of the 1,2,3, 5,6,7 as the singer either starts or stops singing, for example, you may want to accent or otherwise reflect that in your dancing.

Of course, if you also understand the lyrics you might want play with that too and interpret the meaning or message of the song also.

Musicality Tip # 5 – Remember, There Is No One Right Way To Interpret A Song

At the end of the day art is subjective. We all have a different way of interpreting it. Don’t let anyone belittle you or make you feel less just because you might have a different way of interpreting a song than someone else.

Dancing with great musicality and learning to recognize the mood and different types of salsa, to understand the structure of the music, and to be able to anticipate the hits and breaks in the music takes a lot of practice.

Just like with your first basic step, just take it one step at a time and before you know it you will be dancing with great musicality. And if you think salsa is fun now, believe me that is when it truly gets fun !

And there you have it, five tips to learning how to dance salsa musically. I hope to see you on the dance floor soon.