Salsa. When you see that word, what comes to mind first? Is it the Mexican, tomato-based sauce used as a dip for tortilla chips? Is it the lively music that you hear in Latin clubs? Is it the Latin dance associated with the music? Salsa, which means sauce in Spanish, was used to describe the hot and spicy nature of the dance! Salsa music and dance were strongly influenced by African rhythms and movements.
Salsa’s roots appear to come from a combination of Cuban son and Afro-Cuban rumba. Other musical genres that have influenced salsa include guaracha, cha cha cha, and mambo from Cuba as well as plena and bomba from Puerto Rico.
Salsa cubana or casino is a popular style of salsa dance in Cuba that is danced in a circular fashion. In rueda de casino, couples are arranged in a circle and a caller calls out names of moves which results in the switching of partners in the circle.
Immigrants to the United States from Puerto Rico, Cuba, South America and the Caribbean lead to the development of other styles of salsa. Two main styles are salsa on1 (Los Angeles style or LA style) and salsa on2 (New York style or modern mambo). In both of these styles, you dance and change positions along an imaginary line (salsa en linea). In salsa on1, you would change direction (step forward or backward) on the first beat of the music. For salsa on 2, you change direction on the second beat of the music.
Colombia has its own style of salsa dance as well. Cali-style, named after the city in Colombia where it originated, consists of very fast foot movements. Cumbia, a circular dance also originating in Colombia, is not salsa but can also be danced to salsa music and is popular in many Central and South American countries.
Now, I do like to eat salsa, especially one that has some kick to it.🔥 😅 However, when I hear the word salsa, I think of the beautiful music and dance that originated in Cuba.💃🏾❤️ #salsadance #salsamusic
