Salsa

Salsa as a dance style began in New York in the Latino dance clubs (Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican) in the 1960’s and 1970’s, though most agree that Salsa clearly had its earliest origins in Cuba.

Both the music and the dance continue to evolve in the Salsa clubs of New York, California, Texas, and beyond.

Salsa music is Afro-Caribbean in its beginnings, though it has been adapted by Latin jazz musicians to meet the tastes of the current popular music, with contemporary pop, rock, and R&B also added to the mix.

Salsa music features a complex clave driven rhythm with exuberant horns and percussion sections (with cow bells and timbales) as well as a powerful vocalist.

Salsa dancing features break steps, spins, showy performance moves and drops, and solo moves called “Shines,”a term borrowed from the world of tap dancing.