This led to the music and dance of salsa taking off over Cuba and it then spread to South America and Miami. Salsa music wasn’t even really known in the rest of the world until around 40 years ago. The open position requires the two dancers to hold one or both hands, especially for moves that involve turns, putting arms behind the back, or moving around each other, to name a few examples. As a general rule, steps are divided into eight movements going along with the music. Melodic components of the music and dancers can choose to be in clave or out of clave at any point. Cuban son and Afro-Cuban rumba, the two main styles, used diverse musical instruments to create the basis of a rhythm that would later become known as salsa. There are often devotees of each of these styles outside their home territory. Colombian style does not execute Cross-body Leads or the "Dile Que No" as seen in other styles, but rather step in place and displace in closed position. This label became extremely famous, producing one huge hit after another. In all cases, only three steps are taken in each 4-beat measure (or 6 total over 8 beats). Salsa's roots are based on different Cuban genres such as Cuban Son, specifically to the beat of Son Montuno in the 1920s. The music fuses a number of … The two essential elements of this dance are the forward–backward basic step and the cross-body lead. Latin Dances in Latin America today vary and are unique to the different regions e.g., South and Central America and the Caribbean. Coca-Cola, Dedo, Adios) which is not found in the traditional Cuban-style Rueda. It is often played with two wooden sticks (called clave) that are hit together. I’ve read a few excerpts from the book and it seems like an interesting read for anyone interested in the topic. Though it is generally performed with salsa music, tropical music is also used in some cases during its performance. There are other aspects outside the Clave that help define salsa rhythm: the cowbell, the Montuno rhythm and the Tumbao rhythm. It can be consecutively repeated a number of times. For the condiment in Mexican cuisine, see, Hutchinson 2004, p. 116. History of Salsa Dancing and Music. Most salsa music is played with one of the son claves, though a rumba clave is occasionally used, especially during rumba sections of some songs. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal Salsa, hybrid musical form based on Afro-Cuban music but incorporating elements from other Latin American styles. No, we're not talking about the delicious dip you eat with your tortilla chips. The són itself is a mix of African beats and the Spanish troubadour, writes Jamie Andrés Pretell in a brief History of Salsa Dance and Music. A sauce, a recipe, a dance? The Aztecs were one of the first peoples to domesticate the tomato. This Latin dance originated from the Dominican Republic. A mix of instruments is used in each regional style. Johnny Pacheco founded Fania record label in the 1960s and gave the name "Salsa" to a blend of different influences, rhythms and styles of Latin music in New York City, especially in el Barrio, Spanish Harlem, and the Bronx. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Traditionally, Casino is danced "a contratiempo". Tonight we're going salsa dancing! In Colombia and Venezuela salsa gave expression and… {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons Tumbao rhythm is helpful for learning to dance contra-tiempo ("On2"). The odd number of steps creates the syncopation inherent to Salsa dancing and ensures that it takes eight beats of music to loop back to a new sequence of steps. As an example of how a clave fits within the 8 beats of a salsa dance, the beats of the 2-3 Son clave are played on the counts of 2, 3, 5, the "and" of 6, and 8. This leads to a movement similar to walking, but instead of going forward all the time, the dancer goes back and forth. There are several academies throughout the world dedicated to teaching this dance at different levels of difficulty. Already registered? The dance is one of the most sensual art form in the history of Latin American dances. What gives the dance its life, however, is not its mechanical technique, but understanding and spontaneous use of the rich Afro-Cuban dance vocabulary within a "Casino" dance. The Montuno rhythm is a rhythm that is often played with a piano. In this way, rather than following a beat, the dancers themselves contribute in their movement, to the polyrythmic pattern of the music. However, as it is a popular music, it is open to improvisation and thus it is continuously evolving. credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. [citation needed]. Anyone can earn The Aztecs p… Their footwork is intricate and precise, helping several Colombian Style dancers win major world championships. Salsa dance: According to musicians and historians, the name salsa has been gradually accepted among dancers for about several decades. This continuous shifting causes the hips to move in a specific pattern. The elements of Cali-Style Salsa were strongly influenced by dances to Caribbean rhythms which preceded salsa, such as Pachanga and Boogaloo. first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. In terms of salsa dance history, it’s interesting to think that salsa is reasonably new, and yet it has musical roots that go back for centuries. In many Hispanic communities, it remains today the most popular style of dance music. In the closed position, the leader puts the right hand on the follower's back, while the follower puts the left hand on the leader's shoulder. Salsa dancing is an incredibly social dance that got its start in New York City in the 1930s. The most common percussion instruments are bongos, congas, timbales, maracas, and cowbells. As people moved to new locations and assimilated into new cultures, salsa evolved into fresh styles. This is particularly true of African descended Cubans. The verdict? In this lesson let's explore one of the most famous Caribbean rhythms: Salsa! The salsa rhythm is widely recognized for being catchy, sensual, and easy to learn, yet very difficult to master. The Front-Back: For this step, both feet are placed side by side, then one foot moves forward--usually the right one--succeeded by the other foot. The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? SalsaSalsa is one of the most dynamic and important musical phenomena of the 1900’s. Not surprisingly, salsa’s origins are indirect, hard to trace, a mezcla. Salsa generally uses music suitable for dancing ranges from about 150 bpm (beats per minute) to around 250 bpm, although most dancing is done to music somewhere between 160 and 220 bpm. Did you know… We have over 220 college flashcard set{{course.flashcardSetCoun > 1 ? In Cuba, a popular dance known as Casino was marketed as Cuban-style salsa or Salsa Cubana abroad to distinguish it from other salsa styles when the name was popularized in the 1970s. We'll never know. For the first time the word is heard on the radio in the composition of Ignacio Piñeiro. It sounds like: "cu, cum.. pa... cu, cum... pa". The dance style of salsa has a very rich history.As with just about any dance style, salsa dancing was created as a real evolution of dance in general. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. succeed. Some basic steps are: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. The dancer breaks mostly On1. The lead dancer, usually the male, indicates when to do it. The Merengue originated on the island of His… Here the music is played and salsa dancers rule the night. the movement rotates in a figure of eight to cause the hips to move. Characteristics that may identify a style include: timing, basic steps, foot patterns, body rolls and movements, turns and figures, attitude, dance influences and the way that partners hold each other. The Side Aperture (Apertura Lateral): This is another couples-only movement, very similar to a movement in American styles called the Tap. It evolved from forms such as Son, Son Montuno, cha cha cha, and Mambo which were popular in the Caribbean, Latin America and the Latino communities in New York since the 1940s. The point in a musical bar music where a slightly larger step is taken (the break step) and the direction the step moves can often be used to identify a style. Salsa music evolved to better suit the tastes of different localities, leading to different regional styles of salsa such as Salsa Casino, Afro-Latino style, and Rueda de Casino. Generally, Salsa is considered to be of a Cuban origin, although many argue that it's more Puerto Rican than Cuban. Due to the Revolution in Cuba, many musicians relocated to the United States, especially to New York City. Other articles where Salsa is discussed: Latin American dance: Cuba: Salsa—characterized by vibrant, energetic hip swinging inflamed by an intense beat—coalesced in the 1960s as a blending of Cuban mambo and Latin jazz infused with choreographic and stylistic imprints from Puerto Ricans living in New York City. Salsa is a Latin style of music that has many influences. Over 83,000 lessons in all major subjects, {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}, Ballet Dance Terminology and Key Concepts, Contemporary Dance and Dancers in the United States, Square Dance Lesson Plan for Elementary School, Biological and Biomedical Among the Hispanic community, these musicians found an ideal environment to develop their rhythm into what we know as salsa today; this was especially true in ''El Barrio'', also known as Spanish Harlem. The Montuno rhythm loops over the 8 counts and is useful for finding the direction of the music. Incorporating other dance styling techniques into salsa dancing has become very common for both men and women: shimmies, leg work, arm work, body movement, spins, body isolations, shoulder shimmies, rolls, even hand styling, acrobatics and lifts. It is strongly influenced by the Latin Hustle, Swing, Argentine Tango, Mambo dancers from Mexico and Latin Ballroom dancing styles. [citation needed] It was codified in the 1970s. Whilst backpacking South America I became fascinated by all the different types of Latin dance styles that there are to learn.. New modern salsa styles are associated and named to the original geographic areas that developed them. If you came up to me about 6 years ago and were to ask me about the history of salsa, I would’ve thought that you were asking me about some spicy sauce and looked at you funny. Instead, dancers keep their upper body still, poised and relaxed while the feet execute endless intricacies. The name Casino is derived from the Spanish term for the dance halls, "Casinos Deportivos" where much social dancing was done among the better-off, white Cubans during the mid-20th century and onward. Salsa is not easily defined. At this time Cuba was a fusion of different Latin dance styles and it was in this climate that a local Cuban studio named Fania named the new music salsa and began playing in on the radio and at clubs. Maybe you've already seen it, or even tried it yourself. It's very popular in almost all Latin America, and among Latino communities worldwide. 's' : ''}}. Still, others believe the term came about because salsa dancing and music is a mixture of different styles, just like salsa or "sauce" in Latin American countries is a mixture of different ingredients. Then they face each other again, and proceed to do the same but in the opposite direction. Movement number four is usually a shift in direction, and movement eight is the finishing movement of the step. Its most basic pattern is played on the beats 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. Historically, Casino traces its origin as a partner dance from Cuban Son, Cha Cha Cha, Danzón and Guaracha. This is a fusion of musical ideas which originally came from Africa and Spain.. During 1965-1975 in New York, musicians of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin combined to produce this Cuban-style music. Fania Records edited the rhythms which originated in Cuba and gave them a sound that was catchier and more easily accepted by the New York Latin market. [citation needed]. Brief history and origin of Salsa dancing is that it initially developed into a particular style in the 1940s and comes from a tradition of Latin dance styles that dates back to the early 1900s. It is a style that is practiced around the world, but is rooted in the Latin culture. | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} [1][2][3] Salsa is an amalgamation of Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban dances that were popular in the ballrooms and nightclubs of San Juan and la Havana by the end of the 1950s (e.g. Salsa is generally a partner dance, popular throughout Latin America, and also in the United States, Japan, India, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Israel and Eastern Europe.Salsa has its origins in the Cuban Son and Afro-Cuban dance. This helps prevent dancers from hitting other couples on a crowded dance floor. Salsa music and salsa dancing are popular all over the world. How Does Tuition Reimbursement Work with Financial Aid? What is Salsa? A major difference between Cali Style and Miami-style is the latter is exclusively danced on the downbeat (On1) and has elements of shines and show-style added to it, following repertoires of North American styles. Salsa dance socials are commonly held in nightclubs, bars, ballrooms, restaurants, and outside, especially when part of an outdoor festival. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. Incorporating other dance styling techniques into salsa dancing has become very common, for both men and women: shimmies, leg work, arm work, body movement, spins, body isolations, shoulder shimmies, rolls, even hand styling, acrobatics and lifts. The roots of salsa originated in Eastern Cuba (Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo) from the Cuban Son (about 1920) and Afro-Cuban dance (like Afro-Cuban rumba). In total, the couple turned 180° while the follower moved a distance (about 2meters). There are often devotees of each of these styles outside their home territory. The follower then steps straight forward on 5-6 and turns on 7-8, while the leader makes another 90 degrees counter-clockwise and slightly forward, coming back into the slot. Dancing Casino is an expression of popular social culture; Cubans consider casino as part of social and cultural activities centering on their popular music. You can test out of the It pretty much involves the same dancing as most versions of the salsa but has a little bit of twist added to it. "casino", mambo and pachanga), as well as American jazz dances. This circular style is inspired by Cuban Son, specifically to the beat of son montuno in the 1920s. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Styles. The afro-Latino style is a very popular kind of salsa in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. Different regions of Latin America and the United States have distinct salsa styles of their own, such as Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cali Colombia. [citation needed]. There is greater emphasis on performing "shines" in which dancers separate themselves and dance solo with intricate footwork and styling for a time—a phenomenon that likely has origins from Swing and New York Tap. The major difference of Miami-style from other North American styles is the "Atras" or "Diagonal", back breaking steps performed backwards diagonally instead of moving forwards and backwards as seen in the New York style. Not sure what college you want to attend yet? It is rather a rhythmic interaction between two people that uses the old premise of a woman trying to win a man’s heart with her charms. The dancers face each other, then proceed to separate and grab each other by the arm or the waist. Salsa dance has similarly evolved and adapted over the years to better suit the tastes of different localities, leading to the creation of different regional styles of salsa. It is not as formal as Rueda de Miami and consists of about 30 calls. The sensual, energetic moves that are standard in this genre of dance have a relatively short, but robust history. Get access risk-free for 30 days, Overall the “On 2” style has a smoother and slower feeling to it than the “on 1” style. Prior to that time, each style was recognized in its pure original form and name. Salsa means sauce which represented son, guaguanco, son montuno, Jazz elements, Latin Jazz, Cuban influences. This allows the dancing itself to look very fluent as if the rest of the body is just moving untouched with the legs. Salsa is a popular form of social dance that is enjoyed by millions of people around the globe. Select a subject to preview related courses: There are many steps and dance moves used in salsa; four basic steps of the salsa dance are considered to be: Let's take a couple of moments to review what we've learned about salsa dancing. Dancers do not shift their body weight greatly as seen in other styles. Salsa, like most music genres and dance styles, has diversified through the years and incorporated elements of other Afro-Caribbean dances such as Pachanga created by johnny pacheco as well. Tracing the history of salsa is not easy as it is a mix of many different dance forms.Salsa music is a mixture of traditional African and Cuban music, drawing influences from other parts of Latin America as well. Cali hosts many annual salsa events such as the World Salsa Cali Festival and the Encuentro de Melomanos y Coleccionistas. Latin American styles originate from Puerto Rico, Cuba and surrounding Caribbean islands including the Dominican Republic, and then expanding to Venezuela, Colombia, and the rest of Latin America; However the inhabitants of Central America had been mixing up their favorite salsa dishes for many centuries before that. The dancers separate from each other, normally at arm's length, and immediately grab each other with just one arm. The etiquette of New York Style is strict about remaining in the close dance space, and avoiding dancing in a sandbox area with many spins, turns and styling. Latin dance is a general label, and a term in partner dance competition jargon.It refers to types of ballroom dance and folk dance that (with few exceptions such as the United States) originated in Latin America.. Come learn the history of salsa and find out the origins of this dance. Salsa History - A Brief Background on Salsa. imaginable degree, area of Salsa is a dance and a musical style with deep Caribbean and African roots. The music got the label of 'salsa'. Tech and Engineering - Questions & Answers, Health and Medicine - Questions & Answers, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Rumba is a dance that portrays love, sensuality, and passion. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. This is a fusion of musical ideas which originally came from Africa and Spain.. During 1965-1975 in New York, musicians of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin combined to produce this Cuban-style music. Salsa is a dance that was created fairly recently with the mixture of many different styles and musical techniques that all came together in Cuba, land that was home of the many Latin dances and music styles. Quiz & Worksheet - What is Salsa Dancing? For "On1" dancers this rhythm is described as "quick, quick, quick, pause, quick, quick, quick, pause". Salsa History. The music got the label of 'salsa'. In some styles of salsa, such as the New York style, the dancers remain mostly in front of one another (switching places), while in Latin American styles, such as Cuban style, the dancers circle around each other, sometimes in 3 points. In many styles of salsa dancing, as a dancer shifts their weight by stepping into the middle to have 50/50 weight, the upper body remains level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. From tiny venues hidden deep in the rural jungles, to huge salsa nightclubs celebrating salsa in cities great and small. These events usually include salsa dance performers, live salsa music, workshops, open dancing, and contests. The beats 2 and 6 are emphasized when dancing On2, and the Tumbao rhythm heavily emphasizes those beats as well. Others believe that the term was created by record labels to better market their music, who chose the word "salsa" because of its spicy and hot connotations. As the music traveled to these new regions, … Cali-Style Salsa, also known as Colombian Salsa and Salsa Caleña, is based on geographical location of the Colombian City of Cali. [citation needed] The lifts, stunts and aerial works of today's salsa shows are derived mostly from LA style forms with origins in Latin Ballroom and Ballet lifts. Each played a large part in its evolution. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 83,000 salsa (n.) kind of sauce, 1846; kind of dance music, 1975, from Spanish, literally "sauce," from Vulgar Latin *salsa "condiment" (see sauce (n.)). Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Historical & Cultural Dance Styles Around the World, Latin Music: Rhythm, Dance, Instruments & Characteristics, The Nutcracker Lesson for Kids: Story & Ballet, Kathakali Dance: History & Characteristics, Elements of Dance: Space, Time, Levels & Force, Latin American Culture: Facts, Food & Traditions, History of Musical Theatre: Lesson for Kids, What Is Musical Theater? The Side Step: This step is used mostly when doing solo moves. Put simply, salsa is a dance with Caribbean and African roots. Developed by Cuban immigrants to Florida and centered on Miami, this dance style is a fusion of some elements from Casino with many elements from American culture and dances. Some claim that it was based on a cry shouted by musicians while they were playing their music. Arm and shoulder movements are also incorporated. For "On2" dancers this rhythm is "quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow". Many of the artists who signed with this label are now regarded as legends of salsa, particularly the team of ''Fania All-Stars''.