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| internet source: salsa dancing |
The popular Latin dance Salsa is very similar
to the Mambo, but not as structured. Salsa is a composite of
many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances that were influenced by a variety of Latin
American music styles. Bands from countries such as the Dominican Republic,
Colombia, and Puerto Rico brought their music to Mexico City and eventually to
New York City. In New York, the term salsa became the nickname used to refer to
a variety of music with Hispanic influence. Many of these types were mixed to
create salsa music. Salsa music is distinguished from other Latin American
styles by the New York sound developed by Puerto Rican musicians in that city.
Likewise, the salsa dance has many different styles.
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| internet source: mambo dancing |
The salsa emerged as a contemporary, street
version of the Mambo. The mambo, a spot dance with compact steps,
was introduced in the United States near the end of the World War II and
imported from Cuba. The mambo basic pattern is structured such that the break
occurs on beat 2. The mambo's more difficult timing is most often done by
advanced dancers. However, the mambo helped to shape the cha cha cha, which is
sometimes called the triple mambo. In contrast, the salsa may break on either
beat 1 or 2, depending on the music, which makes it easier for social dancers.
Many mambo variations and borrowed cha cha variations are used in the salsa.
Eddie Torres, a New York professional known as the Mambo King of Latin Dance,
defined the salsa as the authentic night club style of mambo dancing.
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| internet source |
The basic footwork is the same for both the
salsa and the mambo; the difference is in the timing: salsa rhythm is 123 hold,
567 hold, while mambo rhythm is hold 234 hold 678. Both use a QQS rhythm, which
is used when describing the basic rhythmic step pattern, variations, and
combinations for these dance styles. You only need to adjust the timing of the
basic. There are forward break, backward break, and side break in the dance. A
break is a quick change of direction such as fw then bw and vice versa; or left
then right and vice versa. The forward break is always executed moving in a
forward direction with the LF, while the backward break is always executed
moving backward with the RF.
If we look a little deeper into the
ingredient of Mambo or Salsa, there are Cuban
ingredients include Son, Danzon, Guajira, Guaguanco, Cha
Cha Cha, Montuno and Charanga; yet the Cali,
Medellin, Santa Marta, Cartagena and Barranquilla regions of Colombia also have
added their own zest and flavor to it.
While the Cuban Style is based on those originally Cuban dances mixed with a musical style heavily influenced by modern American Jazz, the Colombian Style is no less important than its Cuban counterpart. The music of Colombian Style is also based on traditional folklore dances and include Cumbia, Vallenato, Pachanga, Paseo, Porro and Currulao; the most popular of these are the first three.
In Cumbia the music often features traditional Colombian folkloric instruments and is characterized by what is most easily described as a ‘trotting’ rhythm, which is pleasant and easy to dance to. Vallenato (pronounced ‘By-un-atto’) comes originally from the Santa Marta area of Colombia. It is an unashamedly romantic love song sung by a man to a woman. The song traditionally features an accordion accompaniment and is often much slsower. Pachanga is a Colombian dance with a choppy rhythm, lending itself to an impressive display of intricate syncopated steps involving kicks, taps and foot changes by the dancers.
When dancing Cumbia and Vallenato, many dancers simply dance standard Salsa/Mambo moves. However, for aficionados, it is more authentic and much nicer to enjoy the entire dance in a close contact hold. The man will often raise his left hand higher for this. The top half of the man and lady’s bodies should be held still to concentrate the action in the feet, legs and pelvis. The ‘trotting’ rhythm of the Cumbia tends to induce a bouncing action in less experienced dancers, particularly on backward steps, but that should be avoided and the dance kept rhythmical but smooth.
Learn more about the other dance styles? Check here.
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