Salsa vs mambo

timberamayor said:
Anyway, I'm sure many of you already know this but...




So all of the original dances from which salsa sprang were danced 2,3,4 6,7,8. (or in the case of chachacha 2,3 chachacha 6,7 chachacha).



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The origin of Cha, is Son Guajira, danced on "1" and first used as a Triple Mambo, in a social context , and Cha, is not even considered a latin dance by many DJs and latinos.. and its CHA Cha.... ( 4 and...the Conga slap ).

The 4 and 1,( cha, cha , cha thing ), came out of teaching, and is reputed to be a verbilisation of the noise the feet made by singers in bands, when moving back and forth..
 
Angel HI said:
I am confused by what you are referring to.


Mambo isn't puerto rican. It's cuban.

You're a wee late. Dancing on 2 is already quite popular in many circles.

TT is correct is his posts.
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Salsa on2 style usually refers to the NY style salsa. It is danced on 1-2-3, same beats as on1 salsa. I don't think that's what UJ is talking about.
 
dryrain said:
Salsa on2 style usually refers to the NY style salsa. It is danced on 1-2-3, same beats as on1 salsa. I don't think that's what UJ is talking about.
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A.H. was refering to ORIGINS.. not style... ALL styles are "cuban" based and are hybrids ( as is Mambo ).. and the 1.2.3. you refer to, was being danced in Cuba ,before there was a N.Y. " style" ...
 
.. yes and no

timberamayor said:
... mambo ... and .... are all danced "contratiempo" .. (..on2).
Cuban salsa (Casino), on the other hand is danced "a tiempo" ... i.e. on1.
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Hi timbera, I was told this, too, when I learned Salsa. But, I think it is not true! Dancing contra tiempo, on clave, or a tiempo is not a question of style, it is a question of proficiency. Today on1, on2, on3 have degenerated to trade marks, or to seperated club scenes, resp. When you get to the point of improvising, and interpreting a piece of music, you dance what you feel, and not what is usual in your school. I saw couples dancing mixing everything! (Rueda may be an exception)
I did not get so far, because I changed to TA, which is improvised, too. But, when I dance, I don´t follow the style completely (and there are as many as in Salsa), I follow the music.

Cheers OD
 
Danced an on-2 mambo to salsa music last night for the first time in a long time, and I noticed how much better -- "more logical" -- it felt in my body than the on-1 salsas I've had of late. The lead was complex but impeccable and it felt better than any on-1 I've ever had. I never noticed before the way the natural forces move thru my body differently so much with on-2.
 
samina said:
Danced an on-2 mambo to salsa music last night for the first time in a long time, and I noticed how much better -- "more logical" -- it felt in my body than the on-1 salsas I've had of late. The lead was complex but impeccable and it felt better than any on-1 I've ever had. I never noticed before the way the natural forces move thru my body differently so much with on-2.
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Exactly how I felt when I made the switch 6 years ago. It's like my eyes had been opened to a new way of experiencing the music. :D Knowing both is best IMHO but sometimes you'll see dancers develop a bit of an attitude once they make the switch or get comfortable with the timing.
 
Yes, am well-aquainted with the "attitude" from when I was taking on-2 lessons and dancing in those circles for awhile. So not my thing. Can't even say I "hate" it...iit just doesn't interest me and I stay away from arrogant dancers like that.

Thankfully, the dance circles I've been travelling in of late are full of gracious leaders.

One thing which surprised me was that this leader didn't *ask*, "Do you dance on-2?" He just started leading. On hindsight, mebbe that was a bit of a complement. IAE...dang, did it feel great. And it really did fit the music, as you say! Linked my body *with* the music better, is how it felt...

I will definitely go seek this guy out again for the experience...:)
 
samina said:
Danced an on-2 mambo to salsa music last night for the first time in a long time, and I noticed how much better -- "more logical" -- it felt in my body than the on-1 salsas I've had of late. The lead was complex but impeccable and it felt better than any on-1 I've ever had. I never noticed before the way the natural forces move thru my body differently so much with on-2.
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I learned on-2 first, then on-1. I've always found on-2 to be much more musical than on-1, and the way you phrased it here -- how the natural forces move through my body -- is exactly right, imho.

That said, the most musical salsa/mambo experience I ever had was with a vieja escuela older Puerto Rican gent, who learned at the Copa back in the day, and led me on-3. Never forgotten it. To me, on-3 is the most musical, but I rarely encounter it.
 
Very interesting! Never danced on-3. Can't wrap my mind around how that would work, unless the 1 and the 2 are both in place...
 
samina said:
Very interesting! Never danced on-3. Can't wrap my mind around how that would work, unless the 1 and the 2 are both in place...
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Like so many things to do with dancing, it's clear once you see it, but tedious to explain. I will leave it to brighter minds than mine, but it's all in where you break, step, and hold. And yes, 1 &2 are both in place; hold, break, step, for lack of better terms. And the tension while you build to that break on 3: delicious, and v. musical, imho.
 
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