Monday, October 19, 2009

Six Great Reasons To Start Salsa Dancing.


Salsa is one of the most popular kinds of dances. In fact, salsa is not just danced in a single country, but is also in fact, popular in many countries around the world. Many different people of from cultures all over the world are attracted by the beauty of salsa dancing. Many people think it is very difficult to learn salsa; however salsa is really not that hard to learn. There are so many instructional aides, especially on the internet, that teach you how to dance salsa. Salsa dancing can relieve stress and make life a more enjoyable experience. Take a look at the following reasons why you should learn salsa dancing.

Salsa is a great workout.

Many people are increasingly aware of their health. We are all more conscious about maintaining our body’s fitness. In fact, many people actually go to the gym and pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars, just to hit the weights and maintain fitness. Salsa on the other hand is even better for you because it is so much fun! In fact, salsa dancing is a great way to work out, especially your legs and your torso. Plus, salsa also helps you maintain good body flexibility and in addition, helps release those feel-good endorphins.

Salsa dancing can increase your confidence.

Due to the pressures of urban living, many people find themselves feeling very isolated which adds to social insecurities. Salsa dancing can help you regain your self confidence by getting you out and helping you meet new people. Remember that salsa is a very intricate and intimate dance and the learning process helps get us out of our heads and feel more comfortable around different people.

Salsa develops your body’s timing and reflexes.

Salsa is a dance that requires good coordination, especially your footwork and your timing in dancing. In such a case, being able to do salsa dancing regularly can help you get better timing and reflexes, which you can apply to your everyday activities.

Salsa is developed from a mixture of different dance styles

If you are a true dance lover, you will surely love salsa dancing. This is because salsa dance is actually developed from many different cultures and dance styles, such as afro-Caribbean and Latin traditions. Knowing how to do the salsa would enable you to easily learn the basics of other dances such as cha-cha, meringue, and others.

Salsa is a social dance.

Being a popular dance, salsa dancing enables you to socialize with different kinds of people. You will quickly meet friends and even possible romantic partners.

Salsa is fun.

Lastly, salsa is fun, both to dance and to watch. Salsa dance is just so energetic and connecting that it leads to more happiness and enables you to appreciate the simple pleasures of life better.

Dancing Salsa Is The Way To Fun And Fitness



Did you know that dancing salsa is the best way to get fit? Once you get into salsa dancing, you will have so much fun that you won’t even notice the time. The best thing here is that you won’t notice how many calories you are burning until you suddenly realize you are already fit and sexy!

A lot of people agree that the hottest and probably the trendiest dance today is Salsa. It is a social Latin dance move that is said to have originated from the Caribbean and is also a blend or an improvisation of other Latin dances, such as Mambo, Cha Cha and Rhumba to name a few, so that you’re almost doing 3 dance types in one. Also with the rise of movies such as ‘Dirty Dancing’ and ‘Dance with Me’ top-billed by famous Hollywood stars, Patrick Swayze and Vanessa Williams, it just proves that not only Latinos can rule the Salsa dance floor. With its hip-gyrating, butt-shaking yet simple basic moves, anyone, even older people can enjoy this moderately fast-paced dance that also offers a boost of confidence and calorie reduction with every step. Additionally, the dance is accompanied by fun and lively salsa music that keeps your heart pounding with every beat!

The basic steps are quite easy to follow. The beat uses a 4/4 time, but the counting during the dance leaves the 4th beat as a rest so that counting begins as 1..2..3, rest, then starts again as 5..6..7 and rest.

Here is a quick overview of how to dance the basic step when dancing solo:

Your stance should be in a way that you are standing with both your feet close together.

1st beat - Step your left foot forward. By doing so, you’re also putting your weight on your left foot.

2nd beat - With the left foot still forward, shift your weight back on your right foot. This may give you the idea of stepping your right foot in place.

3rd beat - Bring your left foot back in place with your right foot.

4th beat - This is considered as the rest period wherein you may prepare for the shifting of foot for the next beat.

Then repeat the steps using the alternate foot, which in this instance is the right foot. Of course when dancing with a partner, alternate feet are used when stepping forward. For example, the man steps his left foot forward while the woman steps her right foot back on the first beat.

A quicker way to learn dance steps is to check out dance videos which are readily available online.

In conclusion, salsa is a dance that is embraced by different cultures in the world because of its simple basic steps and the fun atmosphere that it entails. It makes a good and enjoyable alternative for fitness for all people of all ages since it can be done every day and at any time, without the stresses accompanying the gym workout.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Learning The Basic Salsa Dance Steps


Salsa is the epitome of a Latin beat. If you can count to 8 then you can dance salsa. First start listening to Salsa music for the classic 4/4 rhythm. Count the beats until you can identify a set of two 4 beat rhythms.

Salsa dance patterns bring into play a pause on the fourth-beat using three steps and typically transferring their weight from one foot to the next during the skipped beat.

Learning the salsa dance is not difficult. You begin the basics by modeling specific dance patterns into four-beat music.

From there, you could now proceed to the 7 FUNDAMENTAL STEPS in learning HOW TO DANCE SALSA:

On the first count, step forward with your left foot. Next, step in place with your right and bring your left foot back to center on the third count.

Then pause at the fourth count or you could optionally tap your right foot. At the counts 5, 6, and 7, step with your right foot behind you, step in place with your left and bring your right back to center and pause.

Remember that each step requires a full weight transfer.

Since salsa is a dance with partners, the follower's basic is reversed stepping back on the right foot on the count of one and stepping forward with the left on the count of five.

That is all there is to the basic Salsa Pattern? Add a touch of grace in every swing, clap and turn in your movements and you actually develop a coordinated body and general deftness.

You can also try wide variety of salsa dance styles according to unique step patterns, music and beat.

Perhaps you want to specifically consider learning the elegant Cuban salsa dance or the flashy Los Angeles style.

Not only can you improve your fitness level and maintain your physique with salsa, you can also meet tons of new people and boost your confidence with a newly-acquired skill.

With more friends and better health you will start to see just a few of the benefits of Salsa come your way!

While you explore this new exercise in its magnificent form of expression, be sure to keep these few things covered:

Enroll in a salsa dance class or private lessons.

Look for an effective teacher that has a style you like.

Choose attire you find comfortable.

Browse salsa dance videos on various websites on the internet for additional information about salsa dance.

Keep motivated and enjoy what you are doing.

keep practicing because it enhances your skill and intensifies your interest!