Salsa Dance History
Discover the Spicy Rhythms of Salsa! 💃🌶️
Salsa is one of the most popular Latin dances worldwide. The dance evolved from Mambo which was born in Cuba in 1930's and became a dance craze in the US in the 1950's.
The term "Salsa" emerged in New York in the 1960s, and this new form of Mambo incorporated elements of Latin dances such as Son, Rumba, and Danzón as well as American dances: Swing, Hustle, and Tap.
Salsa is danced all over the world in many different forms. But no matter how you dance it - Salsa adds spice to your life!
The Origins of Salsa
Salsa music and dancing traces its roots from a blending of cultures in the Caribbean during the 1500’s. The Taino indigenous tribes supplied many prototypes of the instruments used in Salsa music today (rattles, drums, and scrapers). The Spanish who colonized the Caribbean introduced lead and follow style partner dancing and also guitars to the islands. Enslaved Africans enriched this budding dance with more hip and body action, bent knees, African drums (congas and bongos) and African rhythms (clave and tumbao) which are widely used in Salsa music today.
This mixing of cultures evolved over many centuries to form the basis of Latin music and dancing. At the beginning of the 20th century, Cuba was the epicenter of Latin music. In the 1930's Mambo music developed in Cuba. Mambo spread from Cuba to Mexico and reached the United States in 1947 becoming wildly popular through the mid-1950's.
Johnny Pacheco, founder of Fania records, coined the term “salsa” in the 1960’s to denote the Cuban style dance music popular in New York City.
Around this time, Mambo dancers showcased their skills at the famed Palladium Ballroom in New York. Although the Palladium offered Mambo lessons, dancers often improvised - adding elements to the dance from their unique dance backgrounds. Thus the development of Mambo was influenced by other Latin dances such as Son, Rumba, and Danzón as well as American dances such Swing, Hustle, Ballet, Jazz, and Tap Dancing. The Palladium closed in 1966 and the popularity of Mambo declined as well. But under the name Salsa, this New York version of Mambo continued to thrive, spreading around the globe and spawning many new types of Salsa dancing.
Types of Salsa Dancing:
There are two main categories of Salsa dancing: linear and circular. In linear styles, dancers remain in a “slot” and switch places with each other. In circular styles, dancers circle around each other.
Linear Styles include:
- Salsa “On 1” (also known as LA style) is when the break step is danced on the first beat of music
- Salsa “On 2” (also known as New York style) is when the break step is danced on the second beat of music
Circular Styles include:
- Cuban Salsa / Rueda de Casino or Salsa Rueda Cuban Salsa is danced “on 1” but is danced in a circular fashion. Rueda de Casino or Salsa Rueda is a group dance in which all dancers dancing in a circle and execute moves when announced by a caller.
- Colombian Salsa / Cali Style Colombian Salsa or Cali Style (named for the city of Cali) evolved from Cumbia, the national dance of Colombia. It’s an extremely fast dance with added kicks and flicks.
Today Salsa is truly a global phenomena, beloved around the world in its many forms, and is the most popular Latin dance world wide.
Check out our other Blog posts for more fascinating tidbits as we journey through dance history! 💫
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