Mambo and Salsa Original Difference

[Spitfire]

Originally, doesn't Salsa and Mambo differ in that Salsa was done more sideways and Mambo front and back - being taught as it is now as Mambo and Salsa? People generally say there's no difference between the two of any significance and at the same time stating that ballroom Salsa is actually Mambo.

 

[SamSays]

That's actually a great question and thanks to tangotime from the other thread (hopefully he can clear it up).

I do remember seeing Mambo on 2 in one of the flyers at my studio (as well as t shirts), but the guy kept talking about Salsa on 2 (is that NY style Salsa?). Then I was taught Salsa on 1 in my ballroom studio and I read somewhere about LA style, street style and old school... (pulling hair!)

 

[toothlesstiger]

There are a lot of different styles of dancing Salsa. Even what is called Mambo varies according to time and place. There are even two different versions of on2 Salsa, Eddie Torres style (NY style) and the other one, I think it's called Power 2.
Every country has its own style. And in the US, there are a number of styles.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, Salsa is pretty organic, it keeps evolving, diverging, styles merging yet again.

 

[tangotime]

stating that ballroom Salsa is actually Mambo.

You need to dilineate.. Music and Dance.

The core elements in dance ,are foundational figures that, are common to pretty much all styles of the genre.

A famous musician once said.. " All salsa is mambo. but.. not all mambo is salsa " .

The many styles of the rhythms that go to make up the dance we choose to name, be it Salsa or Mambo, have hybrids that branch out from the basic concept ( And.. I dont mean Cuban Rumba )..; for e.g. the standard forms that are in common use, musically speaking... Guaguanco, Montuno, Guajira, Guaracha, are all intrinsically linked, and are musical forms to which we dance .

Some are fast, and some are slower, and thats the beauty of the genre, it gives ever changing choice to adapt, add, takeaway, specific changes in the variety we choose.

Most "dancers " never go much beyond the basic concept ( thats the majority ) and, ironically, thats how most latinos dance, simple, with sabor .

Does it really matter if you dont know the differences ? probably not.. its more important to enjoy the music, whatever it is you are dancing/listening to ,and dance with the freedom that is the very purpose of the music .

So is the BR style of salsa different ?.. stylistically, yes.. do they use the same variations ? by and large , Yes, but ya know the old saying " A rose " etc .

If you want a more academic approach to the genre, may I suggest you go to salsa forums , were there is a never ending source of the best information you will find anywhere, by experts in many fields of the genre .

A footnote.. the name " Salsa " is/was a marketing tool, devised to improve sales that had lagged in the late 60s early 70s, which was also largely influenced by a paradigm shift in the music.. its called " evolution" .

 

[opendoor]

..People generally say there's no difference between the two of any significance and at the same time stating that ballroom Salsa is actually Mambo.

If there are two "salsa" teachers in town. One has to change his license tag or leave. So in the end there may be as many styles as teachers.

Salsa by the way does not mean a specific style.

In my home town are two studios teaching puertoricanian salsa. One studio simply operates unter the name salsa, the other one under salsa puertoriceña. The cuban teachers around trade unspecific under salsa, or latin dance studio, one uses the label casino. The majority of salsa teachers of uncertain origin also operate under salsa. The two followers of Eddie Torres around either use salsa on2 or NY-style. One teacher in Hamburg teaches LA and so his studio´s style is outlined that way. No one around uses the label mambo classico, or club style.

 

[toothlesstiger]

It depends on the town you are in. In the various places I have lived, they all just call it Salsa. Occasionally, someone will teach a class that they want to differentiate by calling it something different. That's where I see on2, or cuban style, etc.

 

[azzey]

There are a lot of different styles of dancing Salsa. Even what is called Mambo varies according to time and place. There are even two different versions of on2 Salsa, Eddie Torres style (NY style) and the other one, I think it's called Power 2.
Every country has its own style. And in the US, there are a number of styles.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, Salsa is pretty organic, it keeps evolving, diverging, styles merging yet again.

There are more than two versions of on2 in New York, though Power2 and ET2 tend to be the most mentioned these days.