That is way funny guys!
As far as shaking the shoulders goes there are a few ways of doing it. The Afro-Cuban taught way is not by moving the shoulders themselves but by moving the ribcage. Try shaking the ribcage and you'll see the shoulders move. Since the shoulders are connected to the top of the ribcage they have no choice but to move. Now if you want to make the illusion that you are moving your shoulders then fastly shake your ribcage from side to side, back to forward, what ever direction you would like to see the shoulders move, while relaxing the shoulders. Relaxing them prevents the muscles from locking the shoulders in place. If you'd like, first stand with your arms down and way relaxed, kind of feeling the arms being pulled down by gravity. Then shake the rib cage, remember to concentrate on the ribcage and leave the shoulders totally relaxed. You'll see them move, it takes time for the few of us who are a bit stiffer, but with practice it becomes a lot easier and you'll soon look like a natural shaker. If you concentrate on moving the shoulders you'll prevent the muscles from relaxing, hence making it more difficult to move the shoulders at first.
The trick is in ribcage, you can by pass the ribcage if you wish and move the shoulders, but the movement of the shoulders alone is very distinct, if you know what you are looking at you'll be able to tell who is using what technique to move the shoulders and also notice how "rough" looking the shoulders alone motion is. It looks like a forced motion as opposed to a natural relaxed one. Kind of like seeing yourself do the basic step as a beginner and seeing it again as an advance student. There is a world of difference.
If you would like to do the forward and backward motion which gives the illusion that the shoulders are moving back and forth then move the ribcage back and forth and again back, forth. Some tend to describe it as chest out, chest in. After you are good with the single motion then try to double timing it. Our use a good song and stick your chest out every time you hear the 1 beat. Do it slowly at first until you get used to it and start feeling your upper body loosen up.
The technique to move the shoulders is almost the same as getting the upper body lose except that energy is traveling all the way up to your shoulders instead of keeping it at the belly area. Once you are good losening up your upper body, then lift the arms to your normal salsa dance stance and notice how the shoulders seem to move when in reality the ribcage is the one doing all the moving. The shoulders will start flowing with the rest of the body as you dance, hence the smooth looking shoulder movement great afro-cuban dancers posses. Once you have learned to relax the upper body, then you can purposely move the shoulders and or use other muscles to increase the distance the shoulders travel when moving them. Until then, there is no use trying to move the shoulder if you are stiff. You'll look like you are having combulsions on the dance floor. :shock: That is the difference between a novice and a smooth shoulder shaker. Emphasize the ribcage and your shoulders/arms/legs/ even head will naturally flow no matter how fast you are dancing, and when dancing slow, your entire body will move like if it was part of the band - flawless.
:lol: 
