Salsalicimo UK

Welcome to the Salsalicimo UK website.

We provide Salsa classes around the Cambridgeshire area for all levels of dancers. Mondays in Oundle, Tuesdays in Peterborough and Wednesdays in Cambridge.

Come and enjoy the hottest Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton, Lambazouk and much more played by C-Swing DJ and Guests.

Mondays @ Ship Inn, OUNDLE

Ship Inn
18 West Street
Oundle
PE8 4EF

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Salsa Classes
Beginners 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Improvers 8:00 - 9:00 PM

Followed by a Latina Fiesta 9:00 - 11:00 PM

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Tuesdays @ Radius (Above the Solstice), PETERBOROUGH

Radius
Norminster Road
Peterborough
PE1 1YN

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Salsa Classes
Beginners 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Improvers 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Intermediates 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Followed by a Latina Fiesta 9:00 - 11:00 PM

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Wednesdays @ Club Salsa, CAMBRIDGE

Club Salsa
1 Station Road
Cambridge
CB1 2JB

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Salsa Classes
Intermediate / Advanced 7:30 - 8:25 PM
Beginers 8:35 - 9:30 PM
Improvers 8:35 - 9:30 PM
Intermediate #1 8:35 - 9:30 PM

Followed by a Latina Fiesta 9:00 - 11:00 PM

Salsa Roots

Salsa is not easily defined! Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.
There are 3 styles of Salsa in vogue today: LA Style, Mambo (aka New York Style) and Cuban.

LA Style and Mambo involve the follower (generally the female) travelling in a straight line while the leader steps out of the way. The difference between the two is in which beat of the bar is emphasised... LA Style is also referred to as "On1" because the dance emphasises the 1st beat in the bar. Mambo is also referred to as "On2" because the dance emphasises the 2nd beat in the bar.

Cuban style involves the follower and the leader travelling in circular paths around one another. It can be slightly easier because it is not so demanding in terms of tempo. One variation is known as La Rueda or Casino. In English, La Rueda translates as "The Wheel". La Rueda requires more than one couple dancing in a circle together. One of the dancers calls moves out, some of which involve changing partners.

It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment. New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize.

Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different.

Steps

Salsa is danced on a core rhythm that lasts for two measures of four beats each. The basic step typically uses three steps each measure. This pattern might be quick-quick-slow, taking two beats to gradually transfer the weight, or quick-quick-quick allowing a tap or other embellishment on the vacant beat. It is conventional in salsa for the two musical measures to be considered as one, so the count goes from 1 to 8 over two musical bars.
Typically the music involves complex African percussion rhythms based around the Son clave or Rumba clave. Music suitable for dancing ranges from slow at about 70 beats per minute to its fastest at around 140 beats per minute though most dancing is done to music somewhere between 80-120 beats per minute.

Salsa is a slot or spot dance, i.e. the partners do not need to travel over the dance floor but usually occupy a fixed area of the dance floor, rotating around one another and exchanging places. Traveling is not ruled out but is more used in a staged salsa performance. In a social setting it is bad etiquette to occupy too much floor by traveling.

Basic step

The basic movement common across most salsa styles is to step quick-quick-slow 2 times over two 4-beat measures (or 1 8-beat measure). Typically the quick steps are on beats one and two, and the slow step is actually a quick on beat three followed by pause or tap on beat four. That is you step left-right-left-pause/tap then right-left-right-pause/tap. Notable exceptions to this timing are Mambo, Power On2 and Colombian styles, which begin the three step sequence on beat 2; and Cuban styles, which may start the sequence on any count. New York Mambo is unique in starting on one and breaking on two - that is, instead of stepping forward on the first beat with your left, stepping in place with your right and then returning your left to where it started, you step in place with the left on the first beat, step back with your right and then return your weight to your left.

Break step

The Break Step is important in most styles of salsa. It serves two functions. First, the break step occurs on the same beat each measure and allows the partners to establish a connection and a common ground regarding the timing and size of steps. Secondly the break step is used in an open break to build arm tension and allow certain steps to be led. On which beat the break step occurs is what distinguishes different Salsa styles.

Basic Step On One

On counts 1, 2, and 3, the leader steps forward, replaces, and steps backward. On count 5, 6, and 7, they step backwards, replace, and step forward again. The follower does the same, but with forward and backward reversed, so that the couple goes back and forth as a unit. This basic step is part of many other patterns. For example, the leader may dance the basic step while leading the follower to do an underarm turn.

The following variants of the Basic step may be used, often called breaks.

* Forward break: Starting from either foot, step Forward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7
* Back break: Starting from either foot, step Backward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7
* Side break: Starting from either foot, step Sideways, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7

Basic Step On Two

Many ballroom chain schools' "mambo basic" has the leader commencing with a side left on 1 and a break backwards on 2, on the first bar.

If the break steps occurs on count 2 and 6, it is called "On Two". There are two main ways in North America of dancing On Two:

* Power-On2 breaks on 2 and 6, and holds on 1 and 5.
* Eddie-Torres-On2 breaks on beats 2 and 6, but holds on 4 and 8.

Common turns:

The following turns are used in almost all salsa dancing regardless of the basic used or style employed.

* Spot Turn – either, or often both, partners turn 360° remaining in the same spot
* Extension – partners break in opposing directions to build arm tension between them. Often leads into a spot turn or an in-and-out.
* In-and-Out (Copa) - From a cross-hand hold (left over right), leader creates an extension, then pulls the woman in with the right hand while leading the left hand over her head to the other side of her, causing her to turn 180° to her left. The follower is then pushed back out, and will do at least another half left turn to return her to facing the lead.
* Cross Body Lead – follower is led to opposite side of lead, causing them to swap positions in a counter-clockwise fashion. Exists in other Latin dances such as Cha-cha-cha.
* Reverse Cross Body Lead – same as Cross Body Lead, but couple exchanges positions in a clockwise fashion.
* Basket – A type of extension where the leader is behind the follower and holds the follower's arms wrapped around her shoulders while she breaks forward and the leader breaks backward.


Video - Bachata lesson 12/8/08		Video - Salsa lesson 12/8/08



Photos - the Solstice 12/8/08