Salsa Terms

Here is a description of many of the terms used in Salsa. Words shown in the text in bold also have their own entries here.

Advanced: see level.

Bar: 4 beats make up a bar in Salsa. A bar represents 3 steps and a
pause, or Cuban motion and represents a part of a dance step.

Beat: there are 4 beats to a bar and 2 bars to a Clave. Dancers usually
move on beats 1, 2 and 3 and typically pause or tap on beat 4, and then
move again on beats 5, 6 and 7 to pause or tap again on beat 8. The taps
or pauses are called a Cuban motion. This will either be the end of a simple
8 beat step or part of a larger and more complex step that might take 2 or more
Claves to complete. The Leader usually steps with his left foot on beat 1 and right
foot on beat 5, then alternate feet on the other beats. The Follower dances in a similar way, but she steps with her right foot on beat 1 and left foot on beat 5.

Beginner: see Level.

Ceroc: A modern artificial dance created ,copyrighted and franchised (!) by a UK dance company. It is has Jive, Rock & Rlol and Salsa influence. It is simple to learn, especially the footwork, and there are only 21 official moves to the dance. However it is not generally recognized outside the UK and has declined in popularity.

Clave: Pronounced "Klarveh". A percussion instrument often used to set the 2 bar rhythm in Salsa music.

Close (hold): see Hold.

Conga (drums): A percussion instrument often found in Salsa music.

Congress: A gathering of Salseros to dance socially, share skills, learn new steps, dance competitively and have even more fun! They often take place over several days. Shorter versions, typically single day gatherings, often go under other names such as fiesta, eventer, workshop.

Cuban (dance): see Latin Dance.

Cuban (heel): A dance shoe with a 2.5cm (1") to 4 cm (1.5") heel. Can be male or female fitting.

Cuban (motion): a tap with either the left or right foot usually on the 4th and 8th beat. Sometimes the Cuban motion is replaced by a pause depending upon preference or is missed out, depending upon the steps being danced. Also refers to the hip movement that is made in time to the beat.

Cuban (style): Often regarded as the true Salsa style, where dancers Dance On One. Cuban Salsa is very fluid.

Cucaracha: see Steps.

Contra Danze: Old English and French 18th Century country dance styles, imported into the Caribbean by white settlers. Influenced Salsa.

Cumbia: a slave dance from Colombia developed in the 19th Century from African tribal dances and has influenced Salsa.

Dance On (one or two): Where Salsa is danced with the first step on either the first or the second beat of the music. Different teachers, including those found in books and videos, will teach one of these styles. Either works just fine, so long as both partners dance on the same beat and pause on the same beat. Dancing on one is the most popular style.

Danzon: A Cuban dance style developed from Contra Danze and Rhumba.

Follower (female): The dance partner who follows her Leader and uses her steps to express her style and artistry in the dance. Female dancers are called Salseras.

Freestyle: This is dancing Salsa where the Leader combines a series of steps in any order to interpret the music. The Follower then has an opportunity to show off her style to the music too.

                                                    Guajira: A slow country dance developed from the Conga, influenced Salsa.

                                                       Guaracha: a fast Cuban country dance, influenced Salsa.

                                                         Hold: A close hold is where the Leader left hand holds the Follower's right
                                                         hand out to the side while the Leader's right hand is placed in the middle of
                                                          the Follower's back and the Follower's left arm on the Leader's right
                                                         shoulder. Many people prefer the closeness of this hold and it is essential
                                                         for many steps. An Open Hold is where the Leader and Follower dance
                                                        hand in hand facing each other, but apart. Some people prefer this extra
                                                      distance and it is useful for some complex or energetic steps.

Improver: see Level.

Intermediate: see Level.

Latin American Dance: This covers a wide variety of dance styles and takes in African, Caribbean, Native American and old European dance forms. Some of these influenced Salsa including Cumbia, Danzon, Guajira, Guaracha, Mambo, Merengue, Rhumba and Son. However there are many others that are not directly related to Salsa including Beguine, Bolero, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, Conga, Contra Danze, Fandango, Fanuca, Gato, Haupango, Ibo, Jarabe, Jarana, La Bamba, La Raspa, Jota, Kankukus, Lambada, Macumbo, Marcha, Maxixe, Mento, Milonga, Naningo, Samba and Tango and Yambu.

Leader (male): The dance partner who decides the moves and signals his partner before the move and guides her through the move. Male dancers are called Salseoas.

Level: This is a dance school term borrowed from other modern dance styles. It is used in Salsa clubs and schools, to describe either the level of teaching or the skill somebody can dance at. It is important to be able to fit into a class of a similar skill. Too simple and there ill be no challenge, too complex and it will be too difficult. Not all clubs or schools recognise these levels but you can find Beginner, improver, intermediate and advanced. Because of the demands on Leader it is usually better if the male is at least as good a dancer, and preferably better, than his female Follower partner.

Mambo (dance): is a fast dance, developed from the Rhumba in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s and influenced Salsa.The name comes from a Mambo is a Voodoo priestess, and the dance at Voodoo ceremonies was called Mambo by outsiders.

Mambo (step): see Steps.

Merengue: A slave dance from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, developed from a number of African tribal dances and has influenced salsa.

Minuet: A courtly French dance, introduced by white settlers to the Caribbean in the 18thn Century and has Influenced Salsa.

New York (style): This is more popular than Cuban Style in many places. It can be danced on one (as Cuban Salsa) or on two, which can be a little difficult to pick up and is not so common. New York (or Newyorican) is quite a geometric dance with most moves forards and backwards or side to side.

Open (hold): see Hold.

Opening Out: see Steps.

Partner: See Leader and Follower.

Pause: see Cuban (motion).

Rhumba: A slow Cuban dance, developed from Son and has influenced Salsa.

Rueda: Dancing in a circle and swapping partners to make a fast and fun group dance. Can be Salsa, but other Latin dances can be performed this way.

Salsa (Basic): a simple series of steps used in a number of more complex dance steps. The Salsa Basic is the first move you will learn and generally has three variations. These are On-The-Spot Basic, Forwards and Backwards Basic and Backwards Basic. Also see Steps.

Salsa (dance): A fusion of African, Caribbean, old European and Native
American dance styles. See the history page for more on this.

Salsa (dip): Eat it at a Mexican restaurant. The dance is named after this
spicy dip!

Salsa (line dance): Dancing the basic Salsa steps in line without a partner.
Good for Beginners to learn the dance.

Salsa (music): Played and sung to a rhythmic 4 beat bar and 2 bar Clave.

Salsa (Rueda): see Rueda.

Salsero(a): A male or female Salsa dancer.

Side To Side: see Steps.

Signal: the Leader has to show the Follower ha the next step will be so she is prepared to follow and allow her to relax and display her style. Signaling is typically done by the Leader using his left arm, hand and/or fingers to indicate the next step. The right arm helps position the Follower for the next step too.

Son: is a slow Cuban country dance, developed in the 19th Century from Contra Danze and influenced Salsa.

Son Mutino: See Son.

Steps: Salsa has a wide range of steps. The simple ones you will probably learn first are shown on the steps page. Many of the steps either don't have names or have a confusing range of names for the same, or similar, steps. This is not too helpful when you are learning and makes moving from one style of teaching to another difficult. Nevertheless the simplest steps have all been given names at Silver Fox Salsa and you will learn first: basic, mambo, opening out, side to side, cucaracha and turn.

Street Dance: A general term to describe a dance that originated in the lower, often slave classes, of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Tap: see Cuban (motion).

Turn: see Steps.