Salsa
Currently, salsa is one of the most popular social dances in New York, as there are plenty of Latin
clubs, and plenty of great Latin dancers! Salsa works on the basis of Mambo- a pattern of six
steps danced over eight counts of music. Salsa is a more contemporary name for the same step pattern, and came about when
dancers started mixing up Mambo with Hustle steps.
Merengue
Merengue is a fun dance that originates in the Dominican Republic. The tempo is easy
to hear and feel, and lends itself to a spontaneous, improvisational style of dance. The music often contains clever jokes
or puns in Spanish. Learning the Merengue is a good way to start working on your Cuban Motion.
Cuban Motion
This class works on the technique of moving
one's body to Latin music. It is not just about moving those hips! It is helpful to anyone studying Latin dancing, whether
at a social or competitive level. The class is open to all levels.
Bachata
A guitar-based trio (guitar, bongo,
maraca), from the Dominican Republic.
Cha-Cha
Originally an offshoot of the Mambo, the Cha Cha was the rage in the 50's and is probably the most
popular social Latin dance in America. It has an infectious rhythm that has been used by many musicians, even those who are
not traditionally thought of as Latin -- even some Beatles songs, and a lot of disco music! The rhythmical "split beat"
of the Cha Cha and the many open movements add surety and poise to your dancing style.
Ladies
Styling
This class works on the same
principles as Cuban Motion Class, however, students are taught how to make a few minor adjustments to make their dance have
more style! This class is open to all levels and usually offered in a 4 week series.
Hustle
Young Latinos were born in a culture where
dancing together was the norm, but they wanted to dance to more contemporary music than the Mambo of their parents. Slowly the Latin Hustle was developed and emerged as a club style. The mainstream young people caught on
to the music, and the dance style, and Hustle quickly became hugely popular, all over America and Europe, fueled in part by
the movie. As hustle developed, many different styles emerged.
Rueda
During the 1950's a dance called Casino Rueda,
or Rueda de Casino, or simply Rueda became popular in Cuba. In Rueda the followers are passed around
in the circle, with the leaders rapidly exchanging of partners, and numerous complicated moves are done in synchronization,
all done to the beat of Salsa music. Each move has a name and many have hand signals, and are called by the leader of the
Rueda. Moves, which are also known as "calls", are sometimes called in extremely quick succession, creating a very
dynamic and exciting atmosphere for everyone involved. The hand signals are designed for people to be able to dance a Rueda
in a loud club setting. In addition, Rueda allows many to take part in the action! It is great to develope awareness of timing and syncrinozation!
