Learn Latin Dancing!💃🏻
Why learn Latin dancing?
- It's social.
- It's good exercise.
- It's creative and artistic.
- It's cheap, sometimes even free.
- It can help you learn Spanish.
- It lifts your mood instantly.
- The music is lively and happy!
Let's learn about the two most popular kinds of Latin dancing: salsa and bachata. Although salsa's origins are somewhat disputed, the most common theory is that salsa originated in the 1960s among Puerto Ricans living in New York. The tempo of salsa is generally fast, and it is danced on an eight-count pattern (eight steps, although technically two steps are rest counts). Salsa is danced either forward and backward or side to side. Many Latin American countries and even individual cities have their own distinctive style of salsa, among which Cuban salsa and Colombian salsa are noteworthy. My personal favorite is a lesser known, special style of Cuban salsa called rueda de casino. It is danced in a circle with a minimum of two couples, but usually around four to six couples, who do synchronized moves and continually switch partners. One dancer calls out the moves and usually gives hand signals so that everyone stays in sync. Rueda de casino is a unique mix of both highly structured and freestyle dance, which is what makes it so interesting!
Bachata, on the other hand, was born in the Dominican Republic. Traditional Dominican bachata includes steps just as fast as salsa's steps, but the style of bachata most commonly learned around the world today is slower, smoother, and more sensual. It is also danced on an eight-count pattern, usually four steps to the left and then four steps to the right. For a comparison of salsa vs. bachata, check out my favorite Latin dance couple, Ataca y la Alemana, doing a classic salsa in this video, and a very nice bachata here.
Watch rueda de casino salsa below!
Now I bet you're ready to take a Latin dance class! A traditional class looks like this, and you can find one at your local salsa club. Most classes are held right before a salsa social, and they are often very cheap or free.
However, currently, due to the corona virus, a better option is to start learning at home with an online class. There has never been a better time to learn Latin dancing at home because many instructors have started offering online classes during the pandemic. Of course, it's more fun with a partner, but you can learn the basics and the footwork quite well solo. Of the two dance styles, I recommend starting with bachata first because it's a little easier and slower than salsa. There are some pretty good free tutorials on YouTube, but if you want personalized attention and great explanations, I recommend starting with a bachata class at Ataca and Alemana's site, Island Touch.