Tag Archive for 'timing'

Quick Salsa Styling Tips for Ladies

5 Great Tips for Salsa Dancing for BeginnersIf anyone out there is wondering, “what can I do to improve that doesn’t involve the natural process of getting good over time,” I have some answers for you. Using body language (one of the main ways people communicate), you can improve how you look when you dance simply by remembering these easy tips. Look at it this way…for dancers who are taking classes or doing what they can to improve their dancing over time, these tips will help you look good while you are in the process of learning. Often, when a dancer is learning something new, the basics are thrown out the window. What ends up happening is that the body language suffers, so while you may have a great new footwork pattern, you’ve sacrificed some important basics. While you learn, keep these tips in mind, and you’ll always look great!

1. Chin Up

The saying, “chin up” is popular for a reason! With your chin down you come across as self-conscious or sad, hence describing personalities as generally “down” or “up.” When dancers learn something new or lack confidence in what they are doing, the chin tends to go straight down subconsciously. By reminding yourself to keep your chin up every once in a while, you will give off the perception that you are confident and happy with the dance. An additional benefit is that keeping your chin up enables you to literally “look up to” your partner as you dance, which will be understood as a sign of respect. Continue reading ‘Quick Salsa Styling Tips for Ladies’

Published 2 years, 8 months ago in podcast and Salsa News. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

7 Great Tips to Improve Balance while Dancing

Achieving balance in dance

Perhaps the most difficult part of learning to dance for ladies is achieving steady balance. Like most skills, balance takes time and practice to achieve, but here are some ways to speed up the process.

Touch up your timing

Once you have a solid understanding of salsa timing, and begin to memorize which foot corresponds with which beat, you will become much more steady on the dance floor. If we have a poor understanding of timing, then we compensate as we follow by pausing or shuffling steps, which brings us off balance.

Focus on footwork

You can improve timing and balance by practicing footwork on your own (plus it’s a great work out). With a nice slow song, concentrate on marking your footwork with the beats in the music. Footwork also forces us to maintain our own balance, without a lead for support. Continue reading ’7 Great Tips to Improve Balance while Dancing’

Published 3 years ago in article, dancing and Salsa News. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

A video is worth 1000 words – On2 partially explained.

A forum member (Rumnet) found a great video by an instructor exaggerating the salsa basic step on2 timing. Again, if you haven’t already check out the forum post “Salsa Technicals : On1 vs On2. The Difference “. This video shows the example of what I have been trying to explain in words. When dancing on2, the pause happens when your feet are apart – and therefore you actually have two whole counts to get your feet back together. While On1 and On2 are TECHNICALLY the same steps, the way they are EXECUTED are different.

Continue reading ‘A video is worth 1000 words – On2 partially explained.’

Published 4 years, 9 months ago in articles. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Basic Salsa Steps Table : Map On1 to On2 timing steps

So I thought  I might post something that is pretty useful for me right now. I actually wrote this on a napkin at a club while I was working on my on2. Sometimes I go to the club and I see a move that I like and decompose it. Now, I can’t only decompose it now, but I have to ‘translate’ it to the beat pattern I need to dance on. For example, if I see an On1 move, I need to figure out how to do it On1, and then translate the steps On1. If you have this similar situation on how to translate moves, I give you this useful table:

  On1 Steps   NY On2 Steps   PR On2 #1 PR On2 #2
1 <-> 6 <->
 2 2
2 <-> 7 <-> 3 3

3 <-> 8 (pause) <-> 4 (pause) 4
Neutral 4 (pause) <-> 1 <-> 5 5 (pause)
5 <-> 2 <-> 6 6
6 <-> 3 <-> 7 7

7 <-> 4 (pause) <-> 8 (pause) 8
Neutral 8 (pause) <-> 5 <-> 1 1 (pause)

One thing you’ll notice is that from On1 to any form of On2, there is no direct step-correlation. Why? Well, its mainly because the pauses taken are in differnt locations. Therefore, dancing On2, is slower than dancing On1. I will write an article later on about what I call ‘hang-time’ in order to explain this effect – but I hope this table helps some of you trying to decypher any moves you see. The amount of Hang-Time is shown in yellow for each type of style.

[UPDATED] Not sure about #2 PR, but it was submitted by a user. There might be more than 1 style in Puerto Rico.. funny, I’m Puerto Rican, and I should know… too bad that when you are growing up in PR, all you hear is reggaeton/rap. Sad that most of my childhood friends never really danced salsa.

Published 5 years, 4 months ago in articles. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Why procrastination is the death of a good dancer!

Practice, Practice, Practice – at home and at the club!

I am here to help you get good at salsa, so you can enjoy it as much as I do. But like they say, I can only show you the door – you must walk through it. The road to salsa heaven, is not an overnight process — neither is investing for retirement. But the sooner you start, the sooner you can start reaping the rewards.

So there is no class this Friday. That doesn’t mean you should not practice. Go to the web, find more salsa videos — find your favorite style. And again, practice, practice, practice!. If you can, go to a salsa event to practice. If not, Dorothy and Toto from Kansas suggest that “There is no place like home.”

I can’t tell you how important this is. I have been teaching salsa for over 5 years now, and I can tell you, what will makes a person good at salsa really fast and keeps you mediocre is the amount of dedication you put into salsa. If you practice (even if its just the basic step, you should still do it). I know that just doing the basic step is boring — so try some new stuff out, try changing your footwork. Try going forward with the right, and back with the left. Try doing a basic step, followed by double taps. There are an infinite things you can do with your feet, and the more you do it on beat, the much MUCH better and faster you’ll get good at it.

Trust me, I still dedicate every day to listening to at least one song and playing around with my basic step. I can be folding clothes, reading a magazine, or almost anything else. (Of course, salsa at your own risk; don’t salsa while sharpening knives). Trying to come up with new footwork patterns. This means, that if I still do it, so should you! ;-) Just as one of my favorite instructors “Juan C.” (San Diego, MajestyInMotion) told me: “If you tell yourself you’ll practice later, you’ll only get good later…”

Published 6 years, 2 months ago in articles. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .