Salsa on2 Cha Cha
Salsa
Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognised solo forms, line dancing (suelta), and Rueda de Casino where groups of couples exchange partners in a circle. Salsa can be improvised or performed with a set routine.
Since salsa has its roots in so many dances and is open to improvisation, salsa styles are rather difficult to define. Dance styles are associated with their original geographic area that developed that style. There are often devotees of each of these styles outside of their home territory (except Cali style). Characteristics that may identify a style include: foot patterns, body rolls and movements, turns and figures, attitude, dance influences, and the way that partners hold each other.
Puerto Rico Salsa
A cross-body style “On 2”. Its basic step is different from New York Salsa.The man starts on 2 forwards with his left leg. Also the break step comes at a different moment than in New York Salsa. One of the salsa styles is dancing to the Clave Rhythm. The steps come together with the beat of claves on 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8. Figures in Puerto Rico salsa are quite simple, dancers do a lot of soloing (shine steps) and are focused on the elegance of movements.
Mambo On2
It is also called power On2. It is not a very popular style nowadays. It was a main salsa style though, prior to Eddie Torres’s contemporary New York Salsa. Timing is practically the same as in Puerto Rico Salsa, but not when danced to clave.
Colombian Salsa
Salsa dance culture in Colombia can be perceived in two ways. In general Salsa dancing in Colombia reflects a national dance called Cumbia. Hips swinging, basic steps are similar to mambo, but more relaxed and easy to add turns. They dance this way in Medellin, Bogota and Cartagena. One can also see it in Panama, Venezuela, Peru, Chile and everywhere where the Cumbia is played and where Colombian dance culture reigns.
On the other hand there is a Colombian city of Cali, which has been well known since the 1970’s as Capital de la Salsa (the Capital of Salsa). The base for this style is very quick mambo. It is also called Salsa Calena, which means that it is a mixture of other dance styles, to include: Mambo, Cha cha cha, Pachanga, Boogaloo, Cumbia and Guaracha. Excellent footwork to so called Salsa Dura (hard Salsa) and dancers’ creativity are characteristic for this style. Caleno dancers are said to be the best in Latin America. Many Undisputed Salsa Champions titles confirm this. The Salsa Queen Celia Cruz said one day: “Salsa music emerged in Cuba, but the Colombians are the best dancers!”. Many people consider Colombian Salsa as the most difficult style and restricted for those dancers most advanced in their training. Nevertheless it becomes more and more popular also in Europe and more salsa schools are being opened in France, Italy and Spain as well as in the UK.
