A Guide to Learning How to Salsa
Learning How to Salsa: Introduction
Salsa dancing can be difficult or easy to understand depending on who you are learning from. Each instructor has a different way of teaching with different focuses. The focus may be on how the upper body should be held, patterns that are found only in ballroom competitions, mostly solo footwork, and more. Although salsa dancing appears to be fancy and elaborate to execute, it is quite simple once it is broken down into parts. Salsa involves a number of techniques that contribute to the whole movement in dancing.
Learning how to dance to salsa music can be broken into three tiers with tier one being the beginning level. The Tier Level of salsa dancing is based on the amount of time committed to salsa dancing, similar to the time you would log in to fly a plane or helicopter. Each tier is given the following description:
______________|
______________________| Individualism
__________| Pattern Development
Basics
Each tier has three stages of learning. In order for a person to reach the next tier, each stage of learning must be accomplished.
In this series, J Smooth Salsa will present to you the information that will allow you to move from one dance level to the next in a shorter amount of time than it would take someone that is learning by experience without detailed information. The following is a list of the stages for each tier. To learn about each tier please open the appropriate guide.
Tier 1: Basics
Stage 1: Understanding The Steps & Foot Placement
Stage 2: Technical Elements Involved In The Basic Steps
Stage 3: Concepts When Dancing with Partners
Tier 2: Pattern Development
Stage 1: Fundamentals of Moves & Patterns
Stage 2: Pattern Designation
Stage 3: Use of Styling & Flares
Tier 3: Individualistm
Stage 1: Dancing with The Music
Stage 2: Taking Advantage of Personal Habits
Stage 3: Experimentation