The kicks

[Vin]

I know alot of salsa dancers incorporate a little bit of a kick or two into there step around the pause beat for various reasons.
I have found as I dance more and more I actually do the basic with less and less of that flair. I will occasionally do some styling when dancing shines but almost never when I am partnered. In fact I accentuate the pause quite strongly when I dance and have been told it has a very distinct look and feel. Accentuatng the pause helps me connect better with the music and my partner.
I was just wondering how many people do or do not use foot styling when dancing and whether it improves or detracts from your connection to the music and/or your partner.

[Pacion]

When you say kick, what do you mean? For instance, I have seen some (a lot!) of ladies raise their foot to calf height, in some case knee height before completing the 5, 6, 7 of a CBL. Is this the sort of thing you are talking about?

[Vin]

any sort of foot styling that you add to your basic step during or around the beat where you would normally pause is what I am referring to. But feel free to comment on other aspects. What I think you are referring to does count but I am more interested in styling that is done throughout or in the basic and not in isolated moves.

[danceguy]

Hi Vin,

I actually have been playing around with foot styling with the basic...usually to get a feel for the full 8 count and to break away from my older training of "quick quick slow." So, usually I'll do a heel-toe tap on the 7 and 8 count...or sometimes on the 3 and 4. Many times if I feel myself getting off beat (usually due to trying something too fancy that I'm not skilled enough to lead on time yet), I'll use a hesitation step or other quick shine to get myself back into the basic.

I just love to do little heel and toe taps while doing the basic...however, this varies depending on who I am dancing with. If the lady is a beginner and really focused on my lead to stay on time...I keep this to a minimum so she isn't thrown off. Generally speaking, if we are in closed position I do this very little or not at all, but in a one handed grip I can play with it a lot more.

Another main reason I do this is the music...so if I hear some sounds in the song that move me...or if its a song I know...I'll do a foot trick or two to match those beats. :wink:

[salsachinita]

Hmmmm, I am pretty sure I do this, Vin.

But I am not sure if it affects connection in anyway. Sometimes I get lead into moves that simply doesn't call for it. I go with the moves, whatever they are :? .

[Pacion]

Sometimes in partners, I will do some foot styling (because the music told me to :oops: ) and some of the guys I dance with, who haven't seen that before (or say they haven't), slow down and watch :lol:

[Salsaonone]

Sometimes in partners, I will do some foot styling (because the music told me to :oops: ) and some of the guys I dance with, who haven't seen that before (or say they haven't), slow down and watch :lol:

Funny, its hard to describe in words the lead, but one of what I think is most laziest moves a leader can employ, but still looks good, is when the leader basically holds his postion (doesnt keep the feet moving) and leads the follower with his arms so that the follower does some free lance kick stuff...looks great...leader is doing almost nothing...but a good follower can make it look REALLY good... :)

In general, for me , the more comfortable I got with the basic salsa step, the easier it was to start experiementing with the little foot kicks on 4 or 8 or whatnot, I tend to do that alot with CBLs....but its all individual style...

[Pacion]

Funny, its hard to describe in words the lead, but one of what I think is most laziest moves a leader can employ, but still looks good, is when the leader basically holds his postion (doesnt keep the feet moving) and leads the follower with his arms so that the follower does some free lance kick stuff...

:shock: There are certain guys (2 or 3 thankfully!) who do this - stop and let the girl do all the work. When used with discretion it can look good but these guys do it ALL the time :x and it does look exactly that. Lazy! :evil: :lol:

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

When I first started learning salsa, our teacher taught us to tap on the 4th and 8th beat. I personally never liked this (it used to confuse me and made me get off beat). After some time, I started going out to the clubs and noticed that most advanced salseros didn´t do this. A couple months later our teacher started to teach us to pause on those beats. I guess she wanted us to show us that there are several possibilities.

Anyway, I don´t tap anymore. I prefer pausing because it seems to make the dance smoother amd less distracting.

[Sagitta]

I'm a foot freak. I am starting to tone it down as I realize it is distracting for people.

:?

[tj]

Sometimes in partners, I will do some foot styling (because the music told me to :oops: ) and some of the guys I dance with, who haven't seen that before (or say they haven't), slow down and watch :lol:

Funny, its hard to describe in words the lead, but one of what I think is most laziest moves a leader can employ, but still looks good, is when the leader basically holds his postion (doesnt keep the feet moving) and leads the follower with his arms so that the follower does some free lance kick stuff...looks great...leader is doing almost nothing...but a good follower can make it look REALLY good... :)


8) It's a great way to "take a break/catch your breath" while she gets to show off, too! :wink:

In casino, they tend to do a lot of tapping on the 4 & 8, and what I think of as Puerto Rican style (feel free to correct me), tends to have a lot of the small kicks, as Vin's describing.

Whatever works is fine by me!

[tj]

Funny, its hard to describe in words the lead, but one of what I think is most laziest moves a leader can employ, but still looks good, is when the leader basically holds his postion (doesnt keep the feet moving) and leads the follower with his arms so that the follower does some free lance kick stuff...

:shock: There are certain guys (2 or 3 thankfully!) who do this - stop and let the girl do all the work. When used with discretion it can look good but these guys do it ALL the time :x and it does look exactly that. Lazy! :evil: :lol:

Lol! Oops! (well... I don't do it *all* the time) :wink:

[Sabor]

Okay.. so Sagitta is a kicker and tj is lazy..

NEXT! :mrgreen:

[tj]

Okay.. so Sagitta is a kicker and tj is lazy..

NEXT! :mrgreen:

(Plus I get to watch her show off!)
8) :lol:

[Phoenix Salsa]

Based off of "Red Hot Salsa" with Ron & Bethana Rosario's Salsa videos, I like to kick as we perform our various Copa moves. When the woman momentarily pulses on count 5 (On1 Salsa) as she is prepared to reverse her direction where she came from, I will kick foward with my Rt foot on count 5. The kick in this case seems to add motion this Pulse/redirection of the womans move and really spices up the move. After the kick, our momentum will carry us foward as she completes her move. Her movement will be in front and eventually off my right foward side, so I will kick off to the left while being careful not to let her have one in the ... :wink: Were both in our 40's and do not aim to be as flashy in our dance as some of the younger dancers, but in this case the Copa move benefits by extra movement by the leader.

Phoenix Salsa

[tj]

Welcome to DF, Phoenix Salsa! Good to have you chime in!