Introduction to Other Latin Dances

If you want to become a well rounded Salsero or Salsera, it is important to have an understanding of all Latin dance and music. We will be exploring a few of the prominent dances today and examine why they are beneficial for your salsa skills, moves, and techniques.

Merengue

Merengue is a dance from the Dominican Republic, often cited as the National Dance of D.R. Like many music styles in D.R., merengue was “country music”. The music is credited to a Nico Lora, whom created it in the 1920s and named it after meringue, a dessert from egg whites and sugar. So why is this important for a salsa dancer? It’s a free practice. Many people just sit out during merengue. The same can be said for bachata, or even cha-cha. Dancing merengue helps you perfect the leads and hand positions. In all areas of training, if you can do something slowly and perfectly, it will take little time before you can do it fast. Jumping right into full speed will embed poor techniques and habits into your dance. The video below is a fun and high energy merengue. The leader’s style is quite jovial and somebody (Katie) said I dance merengue a little like him.

An example of Merengue

Bachata

Bachata is another dance from the Dominican Republic, with subjects of forlorn emotion, romance, and heartbreak. Bachata is the equivalent of the Blues in America, many of the same themes are discussed and have similar resolutions such as looking for yourself at the bottom of the bottle. You can easily recognize bachata for its predominant use of the electric guitar which plucks out the main rhythm, usually an eight note run. An evolution from the Bolero, bachata has had much success in clubs in recent years. Bachata is a more intimate dance but it will help you learn the body language of latin dance. You will feel the natural motion of each other and how to properly lead and follow. To become a better dancer you must become multifaceted. It’s not enough to know how to do a bunch of moves, or how to show off. You need to establish a connection with your partner so it feels like a dance and not a test of ability. So take the essence of bachata, the sensuality and connection, and implement them in your salsa. Check out the motion in their hips in the video below; it’s quite good.

An example of Bachata

Cha Cha

Cha Cha, originally called Cha-Cha-Cha, is a Cuban music/dance derivative of the mambo. This musical style can be directly attributed to composer Enrique Jorrin for creating danzons with an emphasis on his cha-cha-cha syncopation. Jorrin himself has called the songs “creatively modified danzones” with the onomatopoeic mantle of Cha-Cha-Cha  stemming from the sound the dancers’ feet made during this step. Cha cha can be a boring dance for many people not well versed in it but I have seen first hand what great salseros can do with this dance. While many salsa moves work with it, and there are plenty of Cha Cha specific moves, one goal for social cha cha is perfection of technique. With the addition of the chachacha syncopation you can easily add multiple spins, lots of shines, fancy footwork, hand styling, and Cuban Hip motion during the basic step. It helps then to utilize Cha Cha as a time to practice your technique but also your musicality. As you practice it more and more you can deviate from the restriction of doing the basic for a whole song. Play with the beat and accent polyrhythms as you dance. So put some cha cha on your iPod and ask the DJ to play some at the club and have fun. Losing yourself in the music can be a good thing if you do it right. The video below shows Shaka Brown, a fantastic salsero, dancing Cha Cha at a salsa congress in 2006. If you can mime him, then you are set.

An example of Cha Cha

Samba

Samba is like a sister to Salsa but with multiple personality disorder; from party going exhibitionist to regal heiress of ballroom. It is lively, rhythmic, and full of passion as well as steeped in history. While having a stake in the ballroom dance world, Samba is quite different in its homeland of Brazil. Throughout the politically tumultuous history of Brazil, Samba has been a unifying and glue-like factor, bringing individuals together regardless of social or ethnic group. Samba is great for working on individualizing your style. And at Carnival (Carnaval), which Samba No Pe is most known for, it’s all about style and being flashy. Much of the movements accentuate characteristics of masculinity and femininity. It’s not about the physical connection but more about emotional connection. Samba No Pe can often be a pursuit from afar where the male generally dances around the lady, whilst she accentuates her hips and shoulders enticingly. It is the basic theme of the chase that is inherent in many dances and other art forms. Samba de gafieira is a more intimate connection and the chase is largely replaced with leading and following. The natural rhythmic differences between samba and salsa also give rise to various styling options with the hips and footwork. The video below shoes a little Samba No Pe in the beginning but then leads into Samba de Gafieira. Bear in mind the flips, tricks, and swing like throws are not traditional to this style….but they are kinda cool.

An example of Samba

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