L.A. (Los Angeles) Style:

L.A. style salsa is one of three forms of ‘Cross Body Style’ salsa (the other 2 being New York & Puerto Rican), danced “on 1″, and is known for being a fast & powerful style incorporating flash moves, and an extensive use of dips, drops and tricks.

As with all cross body salsa styles, the travelling is linear based on the mambo (forward & back) basic, with the men breaking forward on beat 1. L.A.style salsa has incorporated many other types of dancing including jazz & hip hop, which makes it challenging for the dancers and entertaining for those watching.

Similar to the New York style salsa, most of the moves are created from cross body lead variations, and Shines (footwork patterns) are an important component of this dance, with complicated, speedy footwork and jazzy moves.

The most distinctive features of L.A. style salsa however, is the quest for the most difficult acrobatics ever and the outstanding power of those dancers that perform on stage (notably the Vasquez brothers).

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New York Style (on 2):

New York Style Salsa on 2, commonly referred to as “Mambo”, is a style of salsa first introduced by Eddie Torres in New York in the 1960s.

Dancing ‘On 2′ refers to the beat the dancers break forward (or back) on beat 2 (of 8); Followers breaking forward with the left foot and leaders breaking back on the right foot. You could argue that it is danced ‘on 6′ as that is when the leaders break forward with the left foot.

New York Style Salsa ‘on 2′ is very linear, incorporating cross body turn patterns, multiple spins, and complicated footwork (shines), and is noted for being smooth and controlled, with intricate, technical movements that are elegant, graceful, and flowing.

Dancing ‘On 2′ is rhythmically more difficult than dancing ‘On 1′, as it is easier to hear the 1 beat and break on this beat, so many people opt to dance New York style ‘On 1′, especially if they have previously learned another style of salsa. However, the result is never as smooth and flowing.

Another feature of New York Style Salsa is its compactness, and need for less space than other styles, which makes it the ideal style for busy salsa club dance floors.

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Puerto Rican Style:

Puerto Rican style is a smooth and ‘cool’ style of salsa with very clean lines,  incorporating a great deal of shoulder shimmies,  and is usually danced ‘On 2′. Dancing Puerto Rican style ‘On 2′ is different from New York style ‘On 2′ in the sense that the leader breaks forward on 2 instead of the follower.

There is an emphasis on dancing to the “Clave” especially the 2/3 clave (pa-pa, pa-pa-pa). In fact Felipe Polanco, one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican salsa, has created a unique basic that compliments the uneven 5 beat dance which incorporates a sliding forward and back motion that hits the accents of the clave.

It has also been said that shines, an important element of cross body salsa styles, originated in Puerto Rico as these dancers would often break away from their partners and execute extremely fast and complicated solo footwork.

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Colombian Style:

Colombian Style Salsa is very distinctive, strongly influenced by their traditional Cumbia, and although quite popular in Latin America, it is not widely practised.

It is danced “on 1″, and can be distinguished by its circular style of open & side breaks with a tap on the pauses of beats 4 and 8. Dancers use very small steps, never moving forward & back (mambo), there is very little in the way of intricate turn patterns and it is generally not as fast or showy as other styles.

Instead most Colombian Style Salsa dancers will hold their partner very close with their entire bodies touching from head to toe. If turns are involved, they are generally very simple rock step left turns.

Although not very popular in the UK, it was the style of salsa dancing I first learned.

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Cuban (Casino) Style:

Cuban Style Salsa, also refered to as ‘Casino Style’, is characterized by Afro Cuban style body movement which includes body isolation and hip movement. The hip movement is more noticeable in this style due to the more emphasized pumping of the knees.

Open breaks or the Guapea basic (leader and follower break back and then break forward and push off each other) are the most common basic steps in Cuban style salsa. Cross body lead (Dile que no) variations are common but are executed in a more circular fashion.

Cuban Style Salsa does not have many fast spins, and the movement is very circular as opposed to linear and partners tend to travel around each other. The footwork is quite simple, with the complexity of the dance lying in the intricate arm work which requires the follower to have limber, flexible arms.

Most Cuban Salsa dancers tap on the pauses which are on the 4^th and 8^th beats when they dance on beat 1, though Cuban dancers do not always dance on the 1 beat, preferring to go where the rhythm of the music takes them.

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Miami Style:

Miami Style Salsa is a circular form of Salsa dancing which has evolved from, and is subsequently very similar to the Cuban ‘Casino’ style, but is more difficult and technically advanced.

Advanced Miami salsa moves, which are mostly variations of ‘Casino Rueda’ moves, tend to be intricate and pretzel-like and require a flexible follower to execute the moves.

Open breaks and Guapea basics with a tap step on the pause beats are the most common basic steps in Miami style salsa, with Cross body lead variations being executed in a more circular fashion.

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La Rueda de Casino:

Casino Rueda is a group dance which originated in Havana, Cuba in the 1960s by a group called Guaracheros de Regla. In this dance, couples dance in a circle while one dancer, designated as the caller provides hand signals or calls out the moves which will be executed by every couple in the circle simultaneously.

Many of the Casino moves involve swapping or switching partners which makes the dance tricky to execute and exciting to watch. La Rueda is very popular in Cuba and Miami and has gained popularity all over the world.

Cuban Rueda tends to be more playful, while Miami Rueda tends to place its emphasis on creating longer, more complicated turn patterns, which require a good memory and skill to execute.

One benefit of learning La Rueda de Casino is that most moves learned in the Rueda circle can be danced one on one with a partner adding to a dancer’s repertoire of moves.

There are a number of standard Casino moves and turn patterns that are known throughout the world by the same names, most of which are called in Spanish… I have included a list of Casino moves & routines taught at our Cuban Salsa nights, including descriptions, on this site.

Click here to check it out…

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