Salsa was born in Cuba many years ago. It was basically a mixture of many dances that were brought in by the immigrants to Cuba which mixed very well with the traditional Son dance of Cuba and something unique and innovative was born. Adding the beat of drums and highly energetic dance steps brought out the true flavour of the music which accompanied the dancing. It was actually a group of dancers in New York, where the dance immigrated to, that came up with the name Salsa.
The name Salsa means sauce but is meant to denote the mixture of so many dances in the final product. It can also refer to the spicy nature of the dance which is pretty sexual in some of the moves the dancers perform. The dance found its way to America from Cuba because of the number of Americans that were showing up in the country due to the prohibition laws banning the sale of alcohol at that time in the States. They got to Cuba and found cheap alcohol and a sensual dance routine that they learnt and took back with them to New York. From there it evolved and spread until it became one of the most popular dances in the country.
Salsa has evolved so much over the years that different areas and even whole countries practice their own style of salsa. People have added to the original dance, amended it, altered it and made it their own. The nature of the dance, or the essence if you will, has not changed throughout the years but only the steps and the movements of the dancers have been altered. There are numerous versions of the dance with names like Casino, Miami Style Casino, Rueda de Casino and Cali Salsa. Even though the dancing styles have changed, the original dance is still practised and is a very entertaining and exciting dance to do.
Now we come to the question of whether salsa dancing is a sport or not. Looking at the actual dance itself it is very energetic and fast paced. The dancers themselves need to be very physically fit in order to keep up with the pace of the music. Social dancing, under which salsa falls, has many health benefits from toning muscles, to reducing stress levels in a person to helping a person lose weight as well. It is said that salsa dancing actually burns 420 calories an hour, which is almost the same as cycling for an hour. So not only does a person have a great time while dancing with a lovely partner to a great rhythm, but they also manage to stay fit while doing it.
The unique aspect of salsa dancing is that it combines two activities into one. Dancing is a social activity and salsa mixes that with great aerobic exercise. Most people find it a chore to get some exercise in their daily lives and this has led to fattening of so many people to such a level that obesity has become an epidemic. If more people took part in an athletic dance routine like salsa or even went to their local club and danced for a few hours they would feel a lot healthier for it. Maybe they should not wash away all the hard work they just did by drinking gallons of beer.
A dance that was started by immigrants in Cuba and brought to America because of a ban on alcohol has now spread around the world to become one of the newest and most popular dance sensations on the planet. We will surely see new incarnations of the dance in one form or another in the near future, and if you are ever at a salsa club give this great dance a try. You might have a wonderful time and lose some weight in the process.
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