On1 or On2? Which is more practical to learn?

W

wiseman

New Member
I’m a 24 year old guy that went for dance lessons at this dance studio for a couple of weeks and they taught me the basic steps of the Salsa. I had to leave them and find another studio because they were money hungry and taking advantage of me. So, I found this new studio and went to a beginner Salsa class. It was called “Salsa On2” and I took the group beginner class yesterday. I didn’t know anything about On1 and On2. I just saw Salsa in the name and thought it would be the same. Heh! Well when the class started, I was surprised at how different the style was. After further research today, I found out about this On1 and On2 thing. So, I have a slight hunch that I was learning On1 at the old studio. So that explains the different style. I’m surprised the old studio never had such a thing. They just called it Salsa, lol.

Ok, now that I discovered the On1 vs. On2 thing and now know the basic steps of both since I went for lessons on both, which should I continue doing? They teach On2 every Wednesday and On1 every Thursday. Which should I start advancing on right now since I’m only a beginner? Which is the most practical to continue learning for now?

BTW- I live in NY, so it may seem obvious that On2 is best choice, but I want to learn a dance on which I can dance ANYWHERE with ANYONE. So, that’s why I ask this question. Though, of course, I’ll most likely be dancing in NY most of the time.
 
difficult

Hi wiseman, disiples of either style would call their way to be the best. In another forum actually kind of a religious war broke out about this question.

A lot say, on1 was easier to begin with for european ears, others claim, it was more difficult then to change from on1 to on2, if you started only with on1.


So my advise: learn either rhythm from the beginning, you have to master both later on anyway. Some music title require on1, others on2.

By the way, this is a tool to study salsa rhythms http://www.salsabeatmachine.org/ (turn off all instruments but clave, congas and instructor, and you´ll find the core rhythm of salsa). Think you can download an iPhone app of it, too to use every free second of your new dancing life.
Here´s something really useful to watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8nElZAHj0c At the end of the vid the you can see the different ways of stepping.
 
Thanks, @opendoor for that link. As to original question, my advice is always to learn whatever is prevalent close to where you live. If you learn to lead well and clearly, a good follower will follow whichever you do. A poor follower will have trouble whichever one you lead.

Also focus on how well you can stay on beat with each. Something I've commonly seen is "on2" leaders that start out breaking on 2, but within a few measures end up breaking on 1.

You will find religious adherents of both. Pick the one you will get to dance the most.

I break on 1, myself. I'm not particularly looking for any sort of authenticity, I just want to have fun dancing. If I was in NYC, I'd probably break on 2. From what I have seen, heard, and read, NYC is the only place I know of where breaking on 2 is prevalent, but it was also the home of salsa music in the US.
 
I checked out that youtube video, that was certainly illuminating, followed by several others that generally confirmed what the first one showed.
When I took a class teaching on2, they had us breaking forward with the left foot on 2, and suggested that if you wanted to play with it, you could break forward with the left foot on 3 or 4 as well.
I've watched a few instructional videos online, and I must confess that somehow instructors of NY style salsa confuse me. I have to watch them all carefully, and I think I've come to the conclusion that the footwork and the timing is the same for NY style and mambo, except moved up by 5 beats.
 
waltzgirl said:
I've never been sure: is there a difference in timing between ballroom mambo and salsa on2?
Click to expand...

I was thinking about the same thing as I followed this thread--although, on further reflection, I think Mambo and Salsa do have rather distinct and different from each other styling/technique; i.e., while you might not be "officially" doing mambo if you start on anything but "2", just starting on "2" and doing salsa doesn't necessarily make it a mambo. Of course, since I prefer mambo to salsa, I haven't really spent too much time actually dancing salsa so anyone who has spent more time dancing BOTH those dances should be able to enlighten us much better. Any volunteers? :)
 
As to Mambo being a "Cuban" dance. That gets thrown around a lot. Mambo is the American Ballroom interpretation of a cuban dance. Just like Cha cha, Rumba, and Bolero. Just like International Standard Tango is an English adaptation of an Argentine dance.
 
MultiFaceted Dancer said:
Mambo has an inside body tick as well as the Rhythm that goes along with the body movement and latin hips. I'm sure the Pro's can explain more in technical terms than I will be able too
Click to expand...

That I know. I know mambo better than I know salsa. I just wonder if salsa on2 is "mambo with different styling" and vice versa?
 
On2 it is, guys! I went to the On1 class today and there were like only 10 of us there. And most were advanced students, so I was kinda out of place. And that's the only On1 class they have each week. On2 classes are offered everyday and each class has over 20 students. I guess here in NY, everyone prefers On2, so that is what I have to take.

Thanks for the help, everyone!
 
TangoRocks;806016 although said:
The style of the 2 dances differ ( as do the styles) within the salsa "version " of Mambo..but.. the foundational material is still ever present ( including many if not all, of the more advanced variations ) remember.. the variety in Mambo / Salsa, are hybrids of figures from other dances, and have been around before either of Mambo or Salsa were devised ..

When one mentions " technique " they need to be specific.. many techniques are standardised..

And.. as the famous musician once noted.. " ALL salsa is mambo.. BUT not all mambo is salsa "..

If you want more detail on dance evolution, go to my web.. www.cubansalsadorset.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
diffenences

tangotime said:
...." ALL salsa is mambo.. BUT not all mambo is salsa "..
Click to expand...

Sorry tt for contradicting (you are the boss), but I think it is not helpful to reduce this question to the terms of mambo and salsa.

First of all salsa is a bundle, a head term with different ingredients. Mambo on the other hand is a distinct style. I would prefer to labell the styles clearly:

Mambo cubano
Mambo classico (Palladium)
NY style (Torres)
Ballroom Mambo
Casino cubano
LA style (Vazquez)
 
opendoor said:
First of all salsa is a bundle, a head term with different ingredients. Mambo on the other hand is a distinct style. I would prefer to labell the styles clearly:

Mambo cubano
Mambo classico (Palladium)
NY style (Torres)
Ballroom Mambo
Casino cubano
LA style (Vazquez)
Click to expand...


Wouldnt disagree with your posit.. I was simply trying to make a response that was not too conflicting for the beginner to the genre.. there is enough confusion for the beginner ( i see it in my class work ) and to isolate the 2 styles into different " camps, 2 would be the starting point for any beginner.. TOO much information may give too much confusion.. the " academics " in dance, may debate the differences, but that is of little help to the beginner.. simplicity in teaching is always the key word..

And, incidentally, Mambo also is a dance with "different " ingredients.. remember , when it first emerged ,it was, in its simplicity, a basic form of " Son ", that evolved into the more frenetic style, due primarily due to the influx of variations from Swing and other lesser known dances of the 20s..

Its also worth noting, that the clips of old school Mambo are not completely representative of the dance in that era.. not everyone was as " wild " as many of those portrayed on those old clips, on the contrary, there were many more controlled dancers, with a more sophisticated style ( the late Steve Peck heads that list. for e.g. ) on the scene.

As a matter of interest ,something that is seldom shown, is the "line " dance of guys doing solo work, each one taking a turn to" head "the line.. a common practice... ( theres a clip somewhere on the web, from NY, of a recent similar "line " event )

Bottom line is....... put any prefix or name to the genre you wish.. its still Mambo with a " twist "..

PS.. you can also add Cali and Colombian, plus PR styles to that list. among others.. does the word " Fractious " come to mind ?
 
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