Your favorite song to learn to dance salsa

opendoor said:
That music has a strong accent on2 (contratiempo). Did you really start dancing with this kind of rhythm?
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Yes, I'm Latina and our parents don't have much patience to teach us to dance with very slow songs, for example Acid by Ray Barreto, when I came to LA, I didn't understand why it was their favorite song if its so slow.
 
firsttimedancer said:
Yes, I'm Latina and our parents don't have much patience to teach us to dance with very slow songs, for example Acid by Ray Barreto, when I came to LA, I didn't understand why it was their favorite song if its so slow.
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I didn't mean speed, I referred to the sort of clave (rhythm)!
I'm from Hamburg (North of Germany), you can imagine that these kind of rhythms are not rooted in our culture. Thats the reason why we approach salsa more analytically. So the first thing I remember from my first ever salsa lesson was: the teacher (a latino from LA) could not count the rhythm properly. Perhaps he even did not understand the difference between atiempo and contratiempo.
;)
 
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Many of my latino friends tease me about it, but I love No Me Ames (Salsa/Tropical Version) - JLo & Marc Anthony.

It's not what many people think about as a fast, shimmying salsa, but its one of my long-term favorites.

It's slow. It allows you to emote so much into your movement, and really focus making each step beautiful.

I have some choreography in my head for this one that I would love to see on the dance floor some day. (Just have to find a willing lead cause we're going way off syllabus for it).
 
opendoor said:
I didn't mean speed, I referred to the sort of clave (rhythm)!
I'm from Hamburg (North of Germany), you can imagine that these kind of rhythms are not rooted in our culture. Thats the reason why we approach salsa more analytically. So the first thing I remember from my first ever salsa lesson was: the teacher (a latino from LA) could not count the rhythm properly. Perhaps he even did not understand the difference between atiempo and contratiempo.
;)
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Exactly! In Latin America, dancing isn't something we learn analytically. It's more of an improvised experience. I used to see that in other parts of the world, dancers followed some kind of "choreography."
My parents used to tell me: it's all about moving your feet this way and relaxing your hips and arms. That's all!

When I came to LA I thought: these people move their arms a lot.

And now I'm moving my arms like everyone else hehehe
 
firsttimedancer said:
When I came to LA I thought: these people move their arms a lot.

And now I'm moving my arms like everyone else hehehe
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I've always wondered watching Latin dancers... How does the connection work with all the arm movement? It seems like it would be very noisy.
 
David_In_CA said:
I've always wondered watching Latin dancers... How does the connection work with all the arm movement? It seems like it would be very noisy.
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While the hands and arms are a primary tool, Latin dancers rely on their understanding of the timing of the steps. The salsa rhythm rarely varies from quick, quick, slow (1,2,3-5,6,7), so dancers know as long as their weight changes are happening at the right time, they can have more freedom to open, wave hands around, and return to hold.

Hand and arm styling are common signs of confident and experienced dancers. An experienced follow knows she only has so long to move her arms around. Regardless of her body position and arm stlying choices, her hands should return near waist level and be presented to her partner no later than the 7 or 8 count. So, they can reestablish connection (the catch) and lead into the next figure. The more advanced follows style arms and legs in a way that makes it easy for mid-step catches (connection moments) like initiating change of direction turns when the lead's hand(s) contact her shoulder, hip, waist, or leg as well. Its not always hand-to-hand contact.

The follow's eyes rarely look away from the leader. She's constantly scanning where he is and where she and her hands need to be to create a seamless dance.
 
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Pryn said:
While the hands and arms are a primary tool, Latin dancers rely on their understanding of the timing of the steps. The salsa rhythm rarely varies from quick, quick, slow (1,2,3-5,6,7), so dancers know as long as their weight changes are happening at the right time, they can have more freedom to open, wave hands around, and return to hold.

Hand and arm styling are common signs of confident and experienced dancers. An experienced follow knows she only has so long to move her arms around. Regardless of her body position and arm stlying choices, her hands should return near waist level and be presented to her partner no later than the 7 or 8 count. So, they can reestablish connection (the catch) and lead into the next figure. The more advanced follows style arms and legs in a way that makes it easy for mid-step catches (connection moments) like initiating change of direction turns when the lead's hand(s) contact her shoulder, hip, waist, or leg as well. Its not always hand-to-hand contact.

The follow's eyes rarely look away from the leader. She's constantly scanning where he is and where she and her hands need to be to create a seamless dance.
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Oh, that explains so much. Thank you!
 
You can probably understand my deprogramming pain in ballroom. The rule of thumb that I'm only supposed to see my lead and the beginning and the end of the dance, but not during.

I will adjust as I improve my connection through frame & poise, and get used to rarely leaving hold. I will convince myself, I know where he is. I can feel him. I don't need to see my lead. (laughs)
 
Pryn said:
You can probably understand my deprogramming pain in ballroom. The rule of thumb that I'm only supposed to see my lead and the beginning and the end of the dance, but not during.

I will adjust as I improve my connection through frame & poise, and get used to rarely leaving hold. I will convince myself, I know where he is. I can feel him. I don't need to see my lead. (laughs)
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If you're in open hold in Ballroom, you are encouraged to look at your partner in many (most?) cases. There are some leads in ECS and Cha-cha that are sight leads -- or at least visual clues that something is changing before the physical lead..
 
@Greybeard - That's encouraging to hear. At least some of that will feel familiar when we get to those figures.

Another favorite salsa song of my mine (for so many reasons) is Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony. It's a little fast for learning Salsa, but it has a great tempo for me to test how well I can keep the timing when practicing a newly learned move.
 
For me, one of the best songs to learn salsa to is Celia Cruz’s La Vida Es Un Carnaval! It's got such an infectious rhythm and energy. Plus, Celia Cruz’s voice is legendary. The upbeat tempo really helps to keep you motivated while you're learning the steps. What's your go-to salsa track? I'd love to hear other suggestions!
 
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