Beginners guide to salsa : part 2

1.2) What will I learn?

Your training can be split into a few categories:

Basics: You will learn the very basic footwork, be introduced to proper posture, weight transfer, frame and connection. Also you will be introduced to salsa music and timing so that you can connect your footwork with the music.

Moves: Short choreography in which the leader and the follower perform an action other than the basics. Could be a simple turn, a cross body lead or a more complex figure. In case the style you are learning is Casino Rueda, every move you learn will be associated with a name and often a hand signal.

Turn patterns: A collection of moves (usually 3 or 4) put together.

Leading and Following: For the leader, it is the art of guiding your partner, clearly letting her know what choreography to dance using your body. For the follower, it is the art of making your body respond instantaneously to your partner's lead, and correctly following the moves he leads. Leading and following are a very important aspect of dancing. Good partnering skills will make you a more enjoyable dancer to dance with, and will make the dance seem smooth and effortless. These skills are introduced at the starting levels, but with practice, will continuously improve.

Shines: Usually taught at the more advanced levels, shines are a sequence of footwork performed individually to the rhythm and accents in the music. When performing open shines, you have the freedom to move and interpret the music as an individual alongside your partner who is also doing open shines. You are therefore performing by yourself, allowing you to "shine". This usually involves more complex footwork pattterns than the usual salsa basics. Styling is very often taught along with shines. Shines are a great way to increase your repertoire and with practice you will learn to "play" with the music.

Spins: A critical skill for followers and more advanced leaders -- spinning is always learned gradually. It is introduced in the first level, but is a skill that will continuously improve throughout your dance life. At first, you will learn how to perform one individual spin, when ready, you move on to two spins and so on. There is no maximum. Correct spinning technique is extremely important to maintain proper balance while turning. Spotting technique should also be introduced from the beginning.

Styling: The addition of flair to your dancing by adding a variety of different body movements. Whether you add extra movement to your arms, shoulders, hips or footwork, it’s a great way to enhance your dancing. Adding styling to your dancing is similar to adding spices to your food. Woman’s styling classes are more common but classes are available to both sexes. You can make the same move look sexy, macho, elegant, funky or comic based on the styling you add. Styling is usually learned only at the more advanced levels. It allows dancers to create something unique that will reflect their personality. It may feel awkward at first, but with practice it becomes second nature, almost instinctive, and beautiful to watch.

Dips and Lifts: Fancy moves that often involve the follower either being lowered close to the floor (dips) or lifted in the air (lifts). Dips are usually not taught in beginner levels as there could be a risk involved, and must be taught and performed with proper technique to avoid injury. Lifts are usually only performed at competitions or shows, and are usualy not taught in regular classes.

Timing and Musicality: Introduced when you first hear salsa. This is the most basic and possibly the most important aspect of dancing salsa. Timing will allow you and the partner to be "synchronized" to the music - you should learn to be able to find the beat to any song. The correct timing when leading and following is critical to staying on beat for an entire song. Musicality is your understanding of the music and where to find the accents. At the more advanced levels, a combination of good musicality and repertoire (moves and shines) will allow the dancer to interpret and play with the music. An example would be dancing to a specific instrument, one of the most advanced level in salsa.