The Four Styles of Salsa Dancing

This audio was recorded by Danny Kalman, the Director of Movers and Shakers Salsa and Bachata Dance Academy. The following text is an unedited transcript of his audio and headers have been added for clarity.

Transcript of Audio:

Let's talk about the four styles of salsa that are the most popular around the world and how they are similar and how they are different.

The purpose of this audio is to simplify this for you and really just give you the information that is the most relevant to you.

It is not to go into every single little detail and nuance about the dozens of different ways that salsa can be danced around the world.

How Salsa Dance Transformed Over Time

For context, salsa is a street dance.

Salsa has evolved over time and it has a long history rooted in many other different styles of dance.

Salsa in English actually means sauce and a sauce has many different components.

So because it is originally a street dance, that means that it was danced without a lot of technique or an agreed upon timing or language, right?

So it might be a challenge to dance with different people because maybe you hear it in a different way and dance it in a different way.

💡 That's why salsa can be danced in dozens of different ways.

Over time, the natural evolution was just that people needed a common set of techniques and agreed upon timing so that they could dance it better together.

Then you get instructors involved, and it comes into studios, and now we all can speak a common language so that you can go anywhere in the world 🌎, and speak a completely different verbal language than them.

But you speak the same language of dance or a certain style of salsa and you can 💃 dance together.

✨ It's magical in a way ✨

Salsa in Linea: Salsa On One vs. Salsa On Two

So first we'll talk about salsa in línea, salsa in a line.

There are two predominant styles of salsa in a line, or timings I should say: Salsa on One and Salsa on Two.

💡 Salsa on One is sometimes called LA style.

💡 Salsa on Two is sometimes called New York style or Mambo.

There is a distinction — timing (salsa on one or two) is different from style.

You might dance salsa on two more New York style or more Mambo style.

But again, this is getting into the nuances that maybe are not so relevant to you and just know that sometimes people use these synonymously.

So they'll say New York style and mean salsa on two or say Mambo and mean salsa on two.

Both of these styles have a lot of similarities: they're both salsa in a line, salsa in línea.

So you get out on the dance floor, find your slot, and stay in that slot — theoretically — for the entire dance.

The main difference is the timing that you step forward or backward.

In an audio I won't go too much into details, better through video.

But basically, in salsa on one (LA style), the leader 🕺 steps forward on one. In salsa on two (New York style), the leader 🕺 steps forward on six and back on two.

Again, visually that will make more sense, but the thing that might be most relevant to you is:

Whatever style is danced in your city is the style you should focus on.

That’s all you really need to know 👌

The Two Most Popular Salsa Dance Styles

These styles — salsa on one, salsa on two — are danced 🌍 all around the world.

These are the two most popular styles of salsa around the world and some cities are more focused on one than the other.

In LA, they focus more on on one.

In New York, it’s more about on two.

But then there's all these other cities, and most cities focus more on one style 🏙️

So whichever style is most popular in your city — focus on that.

When you find classes, if they just call it "salsa," that’s probably the popular style in your city.

If they specify a certain style, maybe that’s not the most popular one.

You can talk to the teacher 👩‍🏫 and ask them about that.

Exploring Cuban Style Salsa: Casino Rueda and Circular Dancing

The third style I want to talk about is Cuban style.

Cuban style is more circular, less focused on technique, and more grounded.

It's often danced in a circle called Casino Rueda 🎡

A wheel, of everybody dancing around the circle and then there's one person in the circle who will call out a certain move.

Clubs are loud, you can't always hear their voice.

There are actually arm movements, gestures, where everybody knows that that's a certain pattern and there are some universal patterns  that you'll find all over the world.

But then communities, when they get together and practice, they'll create their own moves and their own signals for those moves.

So you'll see some communities doing really fancy, cool stuff in the circle, and it's just because they've been practicing that stuff together — it's something they created 💡

There's a lot of room for creativity in these dances 💫 and when you're dancing in a circle, a really fun part about it is that you're constantly rotating partners 💃 🔁 🕺

So it's very community-oriented, it feels like a 🥳 big party when you're in the circle and you really connect with so many people at the same time.

It can be a really good time — or you can dance that solo with a partner 💃🕺.

The other two timings are salsa en línea — New York style, LA style.

Those are always danced one-on-one with a partner, and they're danced in a line, ❌ not in a circle like that with rotating partners.

Colombian Style Salsa: Fast and Energetic Rhythms

The other style that we'll talk about is Colombian style salsa.

So I think the most notable characteristic of Colombian salsa is the fast feet 👣

There is a lot of really fast, intricate footwork, and if you've ever seen this on stage, it is the coolest thing 🔥

I fell in love with this style of salsa immediately when I saw it on stage, and eventually was able to actually perform in this style a bit.

Colombian salsa is a little more circular 🔁

The basic step is kind of like a cumbia step, so it's — I'd say — maybe not as circular as Cuban salsa, but definitely more so than salsa in a line.

⚡ This style of salsa takes a lot of energy.

You're probably not going to dance this socially in a club anywhere in the world unless you're in Colombia, and even in Colombia it's not like you can give it full energy every single dance.

So probably this is not the style that you're going to learn in your city unless you're specifically looking for that style or you want to put it on stage or something like that.

Discover the Popular Salsa Dance Styles in Your City

So, again, my advice is just look for whatever style is most popular in your city.

That is probably salsa on one or salsa on two, or it might be Cuban style salsa.

Just focus on that.

Really, you only need to start with one style, and then after you go deep into that, if at some point you feel like you're doing really well and you're looking for a new challenge, okay — then maybe look for another style in your city.

And, as I always say:

"fall in love with the process of learning and everything else will fall into place 💚"

Salsa Classes in Los Angeles

If you're in 📌 Los Angeles, California, come join Movers and Shakers and sign up for our salsa classes.

We offer programs ranging from beginner to advanced, starting from the very basics and progressing in a structured and comprehensive manner.

Our professional instructors will guide you through every step of your salsa journey with personalized attention and encouragement.

👉 See salsa class schedule 💃🕺