Posts Tagged ‘Cumbia’

It’s time again for another quick fix lesson. This week we worked with an ON1 routine with less complicated moves and included a little cumbia step. I find cumbia invites a very strong elasticity between the partners resulting in some simple moves that feel great. And we shouldn’t shy away from using it in the linear style salsa. To learn more about cumbia and some of the other variations of salsa check out our post 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

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