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Salsa Nights at Penn State are held at SOZO on Beaver Ave every Wednesday from 8pm-12am. Lesson starts at 8pm. Join our 
April 27th, 2009 by Ian The Styles of Salsa
The origin of salsa, the dance, stems from the same beginnings. The dances of the countryside, Contra-Danze and later Danzon, largely came as a byproduct of the settlers from England and France with a mixing of the Rhumbas of Africa. As the societies became more connected, the dance and music styles became more refined. Building upon the old, new forms of dance sprang up and saturated the countryside, eventually moving into modern times.
Largely influenced by Son, salsa is an 8 count step with 3 weight changes per 4 beats with either a tap, kick, or pause between them. Various styles exist in salsa with the primary two being On1 and On2 salsa.
To a novice, Salsa will look pretty much the same no matter what part of the country they are in. A few differences can be immediately identified between club dancing and stage performances, but for the most part it is a blur of hands, feet, and other body parts. However there are many variations underneath the surface of salsa, mostly dependent on geographic origin. The characteristics of a style include: the basic footwork, the frame or handhold, timing, moves, attitude, slight variance in music, and connection. Below we have identified the most well known styles of salsa.
New York Style
Instructor Eddie Torres popularized this style which emphasizes efficiency of movement, elegance, and body isolations. Alternatively known as dancing “On 2″, this label refers to the beat the followers break forward on and the leaders break back on. It is often referred to as Mambo, although this is somewhat of a misnomer as Mambo is always danced On 2 and has a slightly different beat. New York Style “On 2″ timing is firmly connected with the tumbao pattern of the conga drum and the bass guitar. Practitioners place great emphasis on “shines” by which both dancers separate and showcase their individuality through complex footwork and body movements; NY On2 Dancers are said to “dance with the beat”. The connection between the dancers and the music is strong enough to warrant a specific type of salsa music known as Salsa Dura (Hard Salsa). These are medium to fast tempo songs with a predominance for percussion and musicality. New York Style is the style of choice for most professional dancers at any Salsa Congress. The styling in the video below is awesome. And for those of you who think this is a choreographed routine, guess again. That’s all leadable stuff and it is amazing!
An example of New York Style Salsa (On2)
L.A. Style
On the opposite side of the country, L.A. Style reigns supreme. L.A. style focuses on theatricality, acrobatics, musicality, sensuality, and high energy. Danced On1, this style also has roots in Mambo but takes some styling from Swing. Compared to their NY counterpart, those who dance LA style are said to “dance to the beat”. Today this style can be seen on such popular shows as ‘Dancing with The Stars’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ due to its flashiness and commercial appeal. The main proponents of this style are the Vazquez Brothers (Johnny, Francisco, and Luis), Alex Da Silva, Joby Martibez, and many others. The music accompaniment is often high tempo salsa songs sometimes to ridiculous speeds. While I feel the sensuality is somewhat stripped away in LA Style, the sheer complexity and excitement from their incredible routines is admirable.
An example of LA Style Salsa
Alternatively known as dancing “On 2″, this title refers to the beat the dancers ‘break’ on. For Leaders they break back On 2 and forward On 6 – followers mirror this. Popularized by Instructor Eddie Torres, New York Style has been the style of choice for most professional dancers at any Salsa Congress. New York Style “On 2″ timing differs from other styles in that it is firmly connected with the tumbao pattern of the conga drum as opposed to the downbeat of the cowbell. Routines and social dances often include ’shines’ where the dancers separate and ‘do their own thing’ by showcasing footwork, hand styling, and body isolations. The preffered salsa music for On2 is known as Salsa Dura, which places focus on musicality and percussion. 
Most commonly referred to as On 1, LA style is the flashy, high energy, more commercial dance you may be familiar with when looking at salsa on youtube. This style has roots in NY Style but also borrows many moves from West Coast Swing. LA Style is ideal for use on such popular shows as ‘Dancing with The Stars’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ due to its flashiness and commercial appeal. The success of this style lies with dedication of dancers such as the Vazquez Brothers (Johnny, Francisco, and Luis), Alex Da Silva, Joby Martibez, and many others. The music used for LA Style routines often includes high tempo salsa songs – especially anything from the Mayan Salsa Competition.
In this gallery you will find videos showcasing the daredevil stunts that accompany many salsa performances. Take the sensationalism of the moves for what it is – fantastic feats of ability, coordination, timing, and guts. These aren’t moves I would recommend for the dance floor but they are quite impressive in a routine. These guys and gals train tirelessly to accomplish incredible acts. 
Cuban Salsa, also known as Casino, is a type of circular salsa where the moves will revolve the partners around each other. Conversely NY and LA salsa are linear styles or ‘in the slot’ salsa. This style of salsa receives high acclaim for its complex handwork and relatively simple footwork. Male-centrality is characteristic of this dance in that the leaders are doing all the fancy stuff (mostly handwork). Followers rarely do more than a double spin. 
Originating from Cuban Salsa, Rueda de Casino is a group dance in which mulitple couples perform choreographed moves which often include switching partners. The group is led by a caller, who calls moves that the entire group will then execute. This dance requires that a group practice consistently or that a dancer be well versed in all the possible variations of the moves and hand signs. An average caller will know up to 300 moves or more. 
Colombian Salsa or more accurately Cali Style originates from Cali, Colombia the proposed ‘Capital of Salsa’. The footwork is by far the biggest difference in this style. It incorporates very complex, fast footwork which will probably shock you a little. 
These are our favorites from a bunch of different collections with no real rhyme or reason except that we like them. Enjoy!
The following are of anybody we felt like recording whether they knew or not. So watch out you may be next. Enjoy!
