Learn To Salsa Dance

Salsa dancing can be tons of fun, but not if you’re being bumped into and trampled by others on the dance floor, like the events Agustin Gurza from the Los Angeles Times had to suffer through.

He attended a free dancing event held at the Paseo Colorado, which is a mall in L.A. and the people on the dance floor just didn’t have any respect for the other dancers surrounding them. He mentions that one couple was so intent on showing off that they constantly kept swinging into his space that him and his wife had enough and it was time to go.

I actually feel really bad for him and even embarrassed that people would act that way. Salsa dancing is meant to be social and fun, but if you want to show off, don’t ruin everyone else’s night out. So go out there and have some fun, and let everyone else have some fun too!

To learn how to salsa dance the right way, sign up for free lessons here.

To read more, check out the original article over at The LA Times.

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I’ve gathered several videos that can help you on your way to learning how to Salsa dance. The videos are only a couple of minutes long so it shouldn’t take up too much of your time and they are packed full of great tips.

You can learn the progressive basic step, the side break step, the back break step, the right turn, and your timing. The videos are short, but that’s a full afternoon of practice! Check ‘em out below.

How To Salsa Dance: Progressive Basic Step

How To Salsa Dance: Side Break Step

How To Salsa Dance: Back Break Step

How To Salsa Dance: The Right Turn

How To Salsa Dance: Salsa Timing

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So you already know that Salsa dancing is healthy for you, but did you know that listening to salsa music is healthy too? Actually any kind of music is healthy for the body.

Pop in your favorite salsa album and improve your concentration, lower your blood pressure, and stimulate your brain. There are many more benefits as well, in addition to just making you feel better. Watch the video below to learn more about how Salsa dancing can benefit your life.

Ready to improve your health? Sign up to receive some free video lessons.

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If you’ve ever done a web search in Google for anything, you’ve likely seen a link going to Wikipedia in the first spot, because they seem to show up for absolutely everything. Well, now there’s a similar site created specifically with dancers in mind. Dance Wikia is a Wiki for dancers, by dancers. Who better to create a Wiki right?

The best thing about Wiki’s is that users contribute to all the content on the website. If you are a Salsa dance instructor, you can promote yourself, and if you just want to learn to salsa dance, you’ll find lots of information here. You can post pictures, videos, events, or anything else related to Salsa dancing or any other kind of dancing you can think of. If it’s missing information that you feel is important to the community, add it!! I definitely recommend checking it out.

Get some free video lessons in your email too while you’re at it!

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If you’ve already started your salsa lessons and are looking for more ways to find some new Salsa dancing partners, and you already took a look at Meetup, you should consider taking a look at Myspace. There are actually quite a few Salsa enthusiasts just waiting to be your friend, such as the fine people at the FemmeFinesse Dance Co.

If you want to find some groups just do a search in the Groups section for “Salsa dancing“. My search came back with about 95 results, so there are obviously plenty for you to look through. The Learn to Dance Salsa group looked really popular, although that group seemed to cater more to the people of Los Angeles.

Not ready to meet other salsa dancers? Sign up to get free lessons emailed to you so you can work on your salsa skills.

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If you enjoy Salsa dancing only on a casual basis you might not realize this, but you can seriously injure yourself if you don’t buy the proper gear. If you plan on doing a lot of dancing, you should consider purchasing a pair of some real dance shoes.

Professional dance shoes are hand crafted and designed to protect your ankles and legs from injury. They aren’t ugly either, if that’s what you’re thinking. If you do a search for dance shoes on Google, you’ll find plenty of sites that sell dance shoes in a wide range of styles. I actually found a couple of good ones on Amazon. Here are some sexy ladies heels and also some salsa sneakers for guys and girls.

Some new salsa shoes will go great with some free video lessons, don’t you think?

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From the 1930′s to the 1950′s, Cuban music was constantly evolving into new styles of music. At the same time, Puerto Ricans were creating their own styles influenced by African American music and hints of tango and jazz among several others. It was at this point when Mambo became famous across the United States and Latin musicians created a style of music we all know as Salsa music today.

Because Salsa music is a derivative of so many other genre’s combined, there’s no possible way to know who the first Salsa singer was, but there were some true innovators such as Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe.

BUT!

There are lots of Salsa singers who were the first to accomplish something nobody else has.

Gilberto Santa Rosa
In 1995, Gilberto Santa Rosa became the first Puerto Rican salsa singer to perform at the Carnegie Hall Theater in New York. His opening song was his own rendition of the Lou Briel song, “Represento.” The entire performance was recorded live and then released as an album.

Marc Anthony
New York City native, Marc Anthony released his third album, “Contra La Corriete” in 1997 and that same year, became the first Salsa singer to sell out Madison Square Garden. He was also the first Salsa singer to have an album on the Billboard 200.

Yuri Buenaventura
After recording an album that left Yuri Buenaventura completely broke, he returned to France in 1996. He then talked one of his very close friends into funding another album, titled “Herencia Africana,” which contained an interpretation of the “Ne Me Quitte Pas,” which went hot and put Buenaventura in the books as the first Salsa singer to obtain gold record status in France.

Lalo Rodriguez
Lalo Rodriguez recorded with Eddy Palmieri’s orchestra in 1973. The album, “Sun Of The Latin Music” won a Grammy, making a then 16 year old Rodriguez the first Salsa singer to ever win a Grammy prize.

Ruben Blades
Ruben Blades is considered an icon in Panama, from which he emigrated in 1974 to Manhattan, New York. From here he became known as a talented songwriter who had created a style of singing all his own. He then made a name for himself as the first salsa singer to have written his own music.

Robby Ameen
Robby Ameen grew up in Connecticut and later moved to New York where he began recording with Dave Valentin and Ruben Blades. He joined the band, Seis del Solar, making him the first Salsa drummer, yes I said drummer, to work full-time with a Salsa band. So I guess this is also makes Ruben Blades another “first salsa singer.”

Anita Benner
According to Anita Benner’s bio on the website of the current band she is a member of, Los Bad Apples, she is considered one of Austin’s first Salsa singers. This was when she became the lead singer of a 12-piece salsa band named Moreno Flor.
Don’t Stop – Muevelo!

Nabori
Ok, so Nabori is a Salsa band, but I think they deserve a spot on this page too. They have been named the Best Salsa band of both 2007 and 2008 and the first salsa band to achieve state-wide recognition as the World’s Best Group of 2007.
Son Como Son

DisLOCAdos
I guess you can say that both Karolina Patocki and Lesya Zdorovetskaya of DisLOCAdos are the first Salsa singers of the Ukraine. The 11-piece band that they sing in is considered to be the first of the Genre there.

Angel Carrión

In 1994, Angel Carrión released his third album of his career, “Historias de Azul o Gris.” Among the many hits he already had from his previous albums, this new one had several more and turned him into the first Salsa singer to ever record a full CD in the pop genre.

Sonido Criminal
Sonido Criminal is another Salsa band to have made the history books. For Tito Nieves 35th anniversary concert on June 13, 2009, Nieves invited the band to join him. This make them the first Salsa band to ever perform at City Hall in Orland, Florida.

Victor Vega
And perhaps the biggest achievement of them all goes to Victor Vega, the self-proclaimed first Salsa singer on YouTube. Now THAT’S a record! No other Salsa singers joined YouTube before October 5th, 2005?

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Salsa dancing is spreading like wildfire and Huntsville is the latest victim to the addictive dance. I found this article over at Huntsville PR about how not only is Salsa dancing becoming a craze in the city, but also that lots of men are among the force coming out to participate.

Women statistically tend to be the majority of members who show up to classes, but it seems the guys in Huntsville have seen the light and the ratio has equaled out.

If you want to read more, check out the article here.

If you’re ready to learn to salsa dance, sign up for some free videos.

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