I want to preface this article by saying that I’m a beginning salsa dancer, so please take my thoughts with a healthy dose of iodized salt (iodine’s an essential nutrient after all). Even so, after a couple of years on the Eugene salsa scene, I’ve compiled a 7-point list of things I think every salsa dancer should try before they go to that great salsa ballroom in the sky. Some of the things on the list I’ve tried. Others I haven’t but want to. Without further ado, here's the list:
# 7: Connect with the music and your partner. “Well duh” I hear the reader saying. “What else does he think I’m connecting with?” Indeed, if you’re one of those dancers who are already so blessed, move on to number 6.
As for me, I often get caught up connecting with… (sigh) myself. It’s true. During most dances I’m worrying about how many combinations I’m remembering, how my balance was off on that last turn, and whether I’m impressing or keeping my lead interested. If this happens to you too, then what I’m about to suggest might be a nice chance of perspective. Salsa is a 5-minute relationship. Let the uniqueness of your partner (their movement, mood, and style) and the song (it’s tempo, flavor, and the feelings it elicits in you) guide your movements, the moves you choose, and the temperament of your dancing.
One way I get into this mindset is to take a moment, out on the dance floor, to appraise my own and my partner’s styles. I’ll ask myself, “What sort of a dance are I and my partner looking to do? Do we want something energetic, smooth, sultry, sharp? Next—what mood is the music suggesting? Finally, I get to blend these considerations and create a one-of-a-kind dancing experience for myself and my follow. This experience might include combinations and spins or it might not. Sometimes I’ll use moves I know but dance them with a specific character or emphasis. Still other times, I’ll associate certain movements with certain themes I hear in the music. A strong dancer once told me that if it felt right, he’d get out on the dance floor and just groove with his partner for a whole song. There are numerous possibilities, and I’m sure that I’m just scratching the surface. In short, being sensitive to yourself, your partner and the music takes a new sort of attention, and deepens and enriches the dance.
# 6: Learn different styles of salsa. L.A. style is big in Eugene with a bit of New York tossed in here and there. Because each style has a different emphasis, learning different styles improves your overall ability and provides you with new moves and ideas. One style currently making an entrance in the valley is Cuban Style, also called Casino, or Salsa Cubana. This robust style of salsa is unique in that it can be danced either with a partner or in a group (the latter is called a “rueda” or wheel). Dancing salsa in a group makes you part of a larger community and a complex, harmonious expression of the music. I kid you not, this is moving stuff. Give it a try. Right now classes are being taught by Mike and Simona in Corvallis, and Josh Remis right here in Eugene. I’ve taken both of these classes and highly recommend them. The instructors are top notch excellent, you meet new people, improve quickly, and have tons of fun. See the classes section for more details and to sign up.
# 5: Educate yourself about salsa culture. Brush up on your Spanish. Learn to read music. Sample different salsa songs and make a mix tape or CD of your favorites. Check out a book on the history of salsa and related dances and how they emerged from the surrounding culture. This is a broad area in which I have been painfully remiss. I want to send a big “thank you” to a few good salsa friends who are helping me in this regard, especially regarding learning Spanish. So if you see me out dancing, talk to me in Spanish! Then, if you want me to understand what you’ve said, repeat it in English.
# 4: If you lead, learn to follow; if you follow, learn to lead. I can appreciate tradition. I think that salsa’s gender roles have meaning and importance as rooted in the dance’s history and culture and I appreciate that these conventions thrive today. Even so, I’m going out on a limb and suggesting that each of us learn the part opposite our own. Here’s why: I’ve recently discovered that the subjective experience of following is completely different than that of leading.
I was shocked. One would think that doing similar steps to similar music would feel similarly, but it doesn’t! It must use a different part of the brain or something (anybody out there have theories about this?). What I do know, speaking as a lead, is that that following is challenging yet relaxing, and I end dances with a sort of fresh, fulfilled feeling. Conversely, leading has more of a powerful, decisive flavor, so I imagine that follows would get something out of trying it too. Finally, on a practical level, learning to dance the part opposite your own will allow you to more easily teach future partners.
# 3: Experiment. Dance to cumbia, bachata, meringue and reggaeton. True, they’re not salsa, but give ‘em a go, even if you’ve been holding back. You’ll do better than you think, and you might even enjoy yourself.
# 2: Study strong dancers. Pay attention to how good dancers dance, not just the moves they use. This is tough, since strong dancers often incorporate some breathtaking extras. Still, what makes these dancers strong is how they move their body—their rhythm, balance, style of movement, and the groove they have with the music. Most beginners first learn the basic steps and then proceed to pick up umpteenth million moves. I know, because that’s what I did. I made a list of them. I remember perusing my list (I think it had 60-some moves handwritten across five pages of lined paper) and feeling proud. “Look at all my combinations!” I beamed. “I must be a good dancer!” I wasn’t. And I’m still not, but at least now I’m on the right track and improving. Forget about moves. Learning moves before technique is like painting a house before you’ve laid its foundation. Focus instead on learning the fundamentals of the salsa movements. Ask your instructor how you can improve your basic step, cross body lead, and basic turns, or examine them yourself. Learning these fundamentals will make your dancing feel, and look superb.
# 1: Support your fellow dancers. Introduce yourself to someone new. Help out beginners. Give a friend a tip or two, even if they’re not paying for your class. Reconcile with that dancer who stepped on your foot one too many times last year. We’re all in this together, to enjoy ourselves, learn, and have a positive salsa experience. Support your fellow dancers. That’s number one on my list, and it should be on yours too.
