Brief overview of the 3 most important Salsa- Dance styles

Casino Style (Cuba)

Casino has emerged out of the Cuban ‘son’. It is a typical ‘ calle-style’ (a dance from the street), because in Cuba you don’t learn salsa in a dancing school but in fiestas. Therefore, Casino is less systematic compared to NY or LA style. That means a lot of improvisation and spontaneous movements and fun with fewer rules. The movements are natural, harmonic and the lady’s turns are compared to North American salsa styles rather slow and smooth.

New York Style / Salsa Puertoriquena

NY style is a mixture of single dance step combinations influenced by Puerto Rico (named ‘ shines’ or ‘footwork’) and figures (vueltas) from other dances (e.g. Hustle and Swing). NY style captivates with its elegance, its impressive vueltas and the verity of steps. The movements are soft, elegant and rather feminine (also for the man); however, seem to be more natural than the Latin standard dances. Compared to Casino, the lady is more in the centre of attention and ‘makes her show’ (many fast, effective turns, sexy ‘moviementos’.

Los Angeles Style

This fast salsa style from Los Angeles is a breathtaking mix between spectaculous shows elements and the taste of the street - ‘sabor de la calle’. The movements are enthusiastic and in a whole harder and more aggressive than the NY style. Also this style is marked by its variety of steps. Moreover, it gets a lot of attention on the dance floor by special tricks and ‘flashy moves’. It does not only look good but it is also great fun! Showtime!

For more detailed information about dance styles, please have a look at ….. ( SalsaNamá )