Beginner’s Salsa Dancing Guide: How to Salsa Dance

Salsa is an energetic, exciting, and sensual style that developed mainly in New York City in the 40s and 50s and gained popularity over the generations.

If you’re interested in learning, either by yourself or with a partner, you can learn some of the fundamentals in this beginner’s salsa dancing guide. We’ll cover the rhythm, basic steps, and how to refine your skills so you can hit the dance floor to show off your new moves.

The Different Salsa Dance Styles

Before taking dancing lessons, you should know that there are a few different types of salsa dance classes. They include New York, Los Angeles, and circular styles.

New York style has the following dancer lead the way. It’s a popular and easy type to pick up as a beginner. In Los Angeles style, it’s the lead dancer that takes control. Both types are linear styles of dance.

The circular style involves the dancers moving around one another rather than in a line. Columbian and Cuban dances are circular styles.

Salsa Dancing Guide: Basic Steps

Salsa has four beats per measure, and the basic dance step uses eight beats. You move during the first three beats and pause on the fourth beat. That’s a pattern of six steps during the eight counts of music.

The basic rhythm for salsa dances is quick, quick, slow—quick, quick, slow.

There will be a lead dancer and a follow dancer. Salsa uses small steps, and the faster the music, the smaller the steps.

The basic steps are essentially the same across all styles.

Forward and Back

It starts with the forward and back basic steps. You’ll begin with your feet together and then follow these movements (for the lead dancer):

1. Step forward with the left foot (beat 1)
2. Shift your weight to the right foot (beat 2)
3. Step backward with the left foot (beat 3 and pause)
4. Step backward with the right foot (beat 1)
5. Shift your weight to the left foot (beat 2)
6. Step forward with your right foot (beat 3 and pause)

For ladies or the follow dancer, you’ll take these movements:

1. Step backward with the right foot (beat 1)
2. Shift your weight to the left foot (beat 2)
3. Step forward with the right foot (beat 3 and pause)
4. Step forward with the left foot (beat 1)
5. Shift your weight to the right foot (beat 2)
6. Step backward with your left foot (beat 3 and pause)

As you can see, they’re the direct opposite of one another.

Side Basic

The next move is the side basic step. The lead dancer will do as follows:

1. Step to the left with the left foot (beat 1)
2. Shift your weight to the right foot (beat 2)
3. Move your left foot to your right foot (beat 3 and pause)
4. Step to the right with the right foot (beat 1)
5. Shift your weight to the left foot (beat 2)
6. Move your right foot to your left foot (beat 3 and pause)

Using your hips when shifting will accentuate the movement. Again, the follow dancer will start with the opposite side.

The best way to learn is to attend a class or workshop led by an instructor. They’ll show you the movements, offer dancing tips, and catch your mistakes.

Interested in Dance Lessons for Salsa?

Hopefully, this salsa dancing guide told you more about this popular style and the basic movements. However, the best way to learn is to take dancing lessons.

It was on Broadway and 53rd Street that salsa was born. What better place to learn than New York? Here at Ballroom Factory Dance Studio on Long Island, we offer various dance classes for all levels, including salsa.

Fill out our form at https://ballroomfactory.com/ to complete your first lesson!