On1:
On2:
13 Responses to “Dancing On1 vs On2 : Spot the difference?”
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Huge difference…on2 (in my opinion) just seems to flow to the music so much better. its a much more elegant style….i wish there was more on2 dancers in my are but the popular style here in Utah is on1.
I prefer on2 it flows better to the music. And I’m glad there is a place in Salt Lake City Utah where they mostly dance on the 2. DF Latin Dance Studio for those that are interested go to http://www.salsainutah.com for more info.
can’t clearly get the steps..
can u explain it one by one..
in on 1,, the 1 count would be the left foot to the front right,, and the 5th count would be the right foot to the back..
isn’t it will be the same with on 2??
thanks anyway…. ^^
well, I know that my ideas may not help you much, because I am coming from a girl’s perspective, but…here goes. Let’s see if I can help. (I spent all night tonight learning salsa, cha cha, and tango from people who have been dancing it their whole lives)
Let’s see…the difference on 2 (I think-I may not be right) is not so much the fact that they start on the same foot…which I am almost certain they do…after watching the videos several times… it’s more how quick of a step the guy takes, he almost immediately spins the girl, which is good to do on the second count, but it causes him to have to step back quicker to keep going with out losing his footing. And he does more sidesteps than forward.
You can do it!
The basic salsa move I learned tonight was step forward (for you with your left) and return back to your original spot, then forward with your right…returning again back to where you were…then you step back with your left, return, step back with your right, return…basically you get the picture. One thing one person told me, was to follow the beat, and in my case, follow the guys movements. After analyzing it and trying it, it reminds me slightly of the lindy hop or the east coast swing. same basic pattern, but different rhythm. If you can follow the rhythm, and lead the girl, knowing the gist of what you want to do and how you are going to lead the girl into it, she will follow, and it will look awesome. Confidence is key. And don’t be confused by the complicated moves in the videos, it will only overwhelm you. Take it one step at a time, and have fun.
The basic step for a guy is left foot back right foot back left foot in place for the 123, then right foot forward left foot foward right foot in place for the 567 count.
ok, thanks. I was just going from the many ways I was taught..thanks
On2 definitely looks more smooth and finessed though if I didn’t know better, I’d just think that’s the male on2 dancer’s style. Correct me if I’m wrong but in on1, it’s the fact that there’s a break right after the 4th beat pause for both the male and female which makes it less smooth than on2.
I’m a New Yorker and originally learned on2 but now I’m overseas where everyone dances on1. I’ve adjusted to that but want to dance on2 true to my New York roots! I notice the dancers in on1 land here don’t give me an opportunity to do shines and improv and are big on spinning me and doing all kinds of physical feats. When I tell them to let me do shines, they don’t really get it and won’t let go of my hands once throughout the dance. The New York dancers I’ve danced with had a more laid back and relaxed approach to dancing and we danced apart more…or is it just that I’m feeling nostalgic for home? We also focussed a lot on shines in my on2 class but in my on1 class now, it’s mostly partnerwork. Is it because of the difference in the styles?
I have a bit of a pent-up rant about this topic, and I’d like to use this forum to vent on it.
When I started salsa here in Taiwan, nobody told me there was any “on-1/on-2″ dichotomy. There was just salsa, and I studied what they offered (which was on-1).
I practiced for hour after hour, spent PLENTY of money, suffered tons of ego-damage, faced endless criticism and resistance from my wife – but I persevered, and slowly I began to develop some confidence in my dancing, to the point where I was spending a lot more on-floor time than off-floor time at the clubs and usually left feeling good.
Then, this on-2 began to trickle into Taiwan. First gradually, then more and more. Now, it’s getting to the point where some girls practically roll their eyes at me when I ask “On-1 ok?”
Their seems to be this kind of snootiness about on-2, as if it were a superior level of salsa or something. For example, word is that it’s “more musical – you’re not dancing TO the music, you’re dancing IN the music. Well, if that has been the case for so long, then why didn’t they tell me that to BEGIN with? Why let me spend all that time and money FIRST?
And, where do people come off with this sense of superiority? In a certain sense, NY on-2 isn’t even genuinely “on-2″, in the sense that the guy still steps first on one with the left foot – as opposed to “contratiempo”, which is where the dancer both starts AND “breaks” on the second beat (so it’s: pause 2,3,4 pause 6,7,8.)
Not to mention, no matter which style of salsa one dances, for most people it’s still a semi-choreographed dance where one memorizes moves or sequences and mainly just re-arranges them while adding a bit of personal flair.
Oh, and then there’s this whole thing about “It’s better for the lady”… Look, I’ve been a near-PALADIN my whole life when it comes to focusing on women’s needs, satisfaction and whatnot over my own, but – enough is enough!
In salsa, memorizing the moves, your partner’s safety, making the level of dance appropriate, keeping the dance interesting – it’s practically ALL on the guy. If a dance goes bad, it’s supposedly ALWAYS the guy’s fault – or at least that’s what I was always taught. Remember that joke/meme about the ladie’s step: ‘The woman is always “right”?’
And now I’m supposed to find a new class, juggle my schedule around to accomodate it, pay a whole bunch more money, basically re-learn salsa from scratch, etc. etc. because it’s “better for the ladies”?!? I mean, if I were single and getting some kind of “social benefit” out of dancing as some do, I could kind of understand, but in my case, the only thing I’m “getting” is the enjoyment of dancing plus maybe a bit of exercise.
Honestly, I feel damn-well ripped off and PISSED off, to the point where I’m about ready to quit dancing and take up Brazilian jiu-jutsu or something!
Sorry for the venting. Hope I haven’t offended anyone!
These guys are doing linear algebra with their hands…they toally forgot what dance is about…
@Dan, the only thing you have to ask yourself is, “Do I want to dance on 2?” Give it a try and decide for yourself. I actually love dancing on2 but haven’t gotten around to taking any further lessons or practicing it, but will in the future. But will I stop dancing salsa just cause a lot of my friends think it’s “gay” or strange, heck no!
That’s food for thought. So good n8!
Both guys are great dancers but micah is on another level of dancing to where he’s able to be really creative with his patterns and emphasize dance through the music. Jimmy is a good dancer but is kinda more of a routine dancer. I’ve watched micah boone and even “borrowed” some of his moves from youtube =) but to be fair you really have to compare him to an on 1 dancer who dances as well as he does. I recommend someone named solomon from houston(you can find him on youtube as well). I’m from Los Angeles and I was able to take his class while visiting texas once and wish I could learn more from him.
As a dancer of both On1 and On2, I can say that both have a different feel and do require a different timing for the lead. Any On1 move can be done On2… the trick is knowinh where to initiate the move. Truthfully, musicslly either timing set will work… Interestingly no one spoke about clave which does play a very important part of decinding whether I decide to dance On1 or On2. Salsa Clave will be either 2/3 (2,3,5,7,8) or 3/2 (1,2,4,6,7) … personally I find dancing 3/2 clave easier on1.
Hehe, ok, I’ll admit it.
I now dance almost completely on-2. I won’t get into all the details of why, but suffice it to say that I simply find it more “natural” to dance to the congas and the clave than to dance to numbers, which is basically what I used to do.
Of course, that is not how you SHOULD dance on-1, but until I learned on-2, that was exactly what I did. Now, I don’t count at all. I roll to the percussion.
Nevertheless, I think doing both on-1 & on-2 is fine. What people sometimes forget to tell you is that any move or combo can be done in either pattern, so it’s not like you have to surrender one in order to learn the other – although there will certainly be a period of confusion, which explains my rant above.
To get a better sense of the nitty-gritty difference, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LWxIqnbxWQ Note that there are three parts to the series.