There are many types of salsa dance, but most of them fall into five main categories. These styles differ in speed, tempo, tone and general appeal, including pace and agility. Matthew David Parker says there are a lot of similarities among the moves, but the differences though subtle, uniquely alter the personality of each style.
Los Angeles Style
This style carries with it the usual Hollywood feel of dramatization, flashy appeal and self-indulgence. It is fast-paced, impressionable and eye-catching with acrobatic moves involved. It is the most commonly known of all dance styles owing to its publicity on TV shows.
Colombian / Cali Style
The Colombian salsa also known as the Cali style is based on the Colombian city of Cali. Cali is famed as being ‘Capital De la Salsa’ (Capital of Salsa) because of the influence of salsa on the city’s music culture. Cali salsa borrows heavily from other Caribbean rhythms such as Boogaloo and Pachanga.
New York Style
Unlike the Los Angeles style, which changes basic step on beat I, the New York style changes steps on beat II. That is why most New Yorkers tend to dance on beat ‘two.’ This style lays emphasis on smooth sways which are more accommodating of the multiple spins.
Miami Style
Rueda (the Cuban style) is the most common salsa dance move in the Miami style. In this style the dance partners tend to move in a circular rather than linear patterns. The movements involve interconnected arms in complex locked patterns.
Cuban Style
This style is characterised by fast multiple spins. The partners also make circular and not linear spins. ‘Cuban style has much more body movement than any of its variants’, says Matthew David Parker, a salsa dance instructor from Lafayette.
Los Angeles Style
This style carries with it the usual Hollywood feel of dramatization, flashy appeal and self-indulgence. It is fast-paced, impressionable and eye-catching with acrobatic moves involved. It is the most commonly known of all dance styles owing to its publicity on TV shows.
Colombian / Cali Style
The Colombian salsa also known as the Cali style is based on the Colombian city of Cali. Cali is famed as being ‘Capital De la Salsa’ (Capital of Salsa) because of the influence of salsa on the city’s music culture. Cali salsa borrows heavily from other Caribbean rhythms such as Boogaloo and Pachanga.
New York Style
Unlike the Los Angeles style, which changes basic step on beat I, the New York style changes steps on beat II. That is why most New Yorkers tend to dance on beat ‘two.’ This style lays emphasis on smooth sways which are more accommodating of the multiple spins.
Miami Style
Rueda (the Cuban style) is the most common salsa dance move in the Miami style. In this style the dance partners tend to move in a circular rather than linear patterns. The movements involve interconnected arms in complex locked patterns.
Cuban Style
This style is characterised by fast multiple spins. The partners also make circular and not linear spins. ‘Cuban style has much more body movement than any of its variants’, says Matthew David Parker, a salsa dance instructor from Lafayette.
