L. A., CUBAN, N. Y., MIAMI AND RUEDA DE CASINO STYLES OF SALSA

Introduction

I hear people argue about what is typical of Cuban style (or other styles) from time to time. Different people have their own perception or "take" on the matter, even if they have all been to Cuba and seen the dancing there first hand.

So let me begin by saying that I will keep these summaries brief, and that I don't claim my descriptions are the only way to look at this. If you read this and feel something should be added or changed, by all means email me. Perhaps we can post some discussion on the matter on this website.

Moreover, within any city or style there is a lot of variety of interpretation. So it takes some time and experience to get a feel for what constitutes the hallmark features of any given style. But from my reading, watching others dance, and talking to many dancers, I would summarize the key features of the various styles of Salsa as below.  Note that these are only very rough generalizations, and over time, what seems to happen is that styles blend and meld so they are less distinct. 

L. A. style is no doubt shaped in part by the fact that Los Angeles, Hollywood is all about acting, being flashy, and drawing attention to oneself. This style is fast, sharp, and eye-catching.  It often includes what Salsa dancers call "tricks." (Ballroom dancers call these acrobatic components "lifts and drops.") In addition, L. A. dancers do a lot of their movements linearly, staying mostly in their "slot."  (FYI, West Coast swing is danced the same way.*)

Here is a video clip of some very top notch dancers doing a dramatic LA style salsa demo: click here

New York style evolved in a city where many great Mambo dancers made their mark. Mambo is danced on beat two (which means that the dancers break or change the direction of their movement on the second beat of the 8 beat musical phrase). So it is no surprise that many NY dancers dance "on two."

Breaking on beat one is generally thought to be simpler since beat one is the easiest beat to find or hear.  Many people first learn to dance on one and then switch to dancing on two. Those who love dancing on two often feel it is more musically sophisticated and that the rhythmic feeling of the dance is far richer. Indeed, there is more rhythmic tension to dancing on an offbeat such as beat two.

Theoretically, moving from "on one" to "on two" is what mathematicians call an arithmetic transformation, and the timing of the basic step is still the same. Nonetheless there is some impact on how moves are done and how they feel when dancers switch from dancing "on one" to "on two." (You can go to the page on this website that discusses rhythm/percussion for a detailed explanation of dancing "on one" and "on two.")

In terms of content, New York style Salsa tends to include a lot of multiple spins. This style emphasizes making moves look smooth and clean.

To a video clip of NY style salsa, click here  

If you choose to watch this video, you'll notice that the video of NY style looks similar to the video above of L.A. style.  I checked with a NY Rueda teacher before posting these videos to see what she thought of this similarity.  Her comment was that basically, NY and LA styles are pretty similar, but LA style can be done very fast while NY style attempts to be smother and more relaxed-looking.  LA style is often on 1 or 3 (though also sometimes on 2) while NY style is typically on 2.  And the LA poses and stops tend to be sharper while NY style is smoother.  I am adding this note because if you watch the videos and see little difference, you won't be alone.  There are indeed differences, but they are subtle enough that they are not easy to illustrate with a video.

Cuban style Salsa is the style that is most like the Salsa done in Cuba, where the dance has its roots. I have heard many say that this style is characterized by a sort of male dominance. (It does seem that some of the moves show off what the men can do.)  Cuban style dancers don't tend to do fast, multiple spins. In addition, the movement of the partners in this style tends to be circular as opposed to linear.

People do a lot of Rueda de Casino in Cuba, but the style is a bit different than the way that Rueda has evolved in the U.S.  There is a lot of body movement in Cuban style Salsa, and you can more visibly see the Afro-Cuban roots of the dance when you watch Cuban dancers.  Cubans tend to bend their bodies forward more, and their knees are also more bent.

And I thought this was interesting: The director of Boogalu Productions, an organization that produces Cuban dance videos, told me that Cubans tend to get inspiration from the music regarding what steps to do. They don't just hear the beat and dance moves they like. Rather they adjust the selection of moves according to how the music "speaks to them."  For more information on dancing in Cuba, click here.

If you go to this link (which gets you to another page on this website) http://danceintime.com/dancecuba.htm, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and find a link to a video about Cuban dancing.  This video is about the origins of Rueda de Casino, but the moves are also used in Cuban style one on one Salsa ("Casino style").  That video gives you a look at this style so you can contrast it with the others.  You can see that it is pretty different from LA and NY styles.

Miami style Salsa is dominated by the Casino Rueda moves that are popular there. These moves have been used and adapted by Miami dancers. The steps are "pretzelly;" with intricate, interconnected arm movements. In this style, too, the movement of the partners tends to be circular as opposed to linear.

This style more or less originated with the Cuban style, but the approach evolved and changed in Florida. So the emphasis in Miami style is a bit different.  It tends to emphasize longer and more complex steps as you move up to increasingly advanced material. Some moves are so long and intricate, they last nearly a minute!!  And then the moves can be ganged so the sequence of movement is even longer.  This means that you don't even finish one move before moving into the next and then the next (and then the next.....!!). ( Go to the page on "Ganging Moves" to read more about this.)

There is one more thing that I think is worth noting. On the videos from the major Miami studios (e.g. Salsa Racing and Salsa Lovers), when dancers are demonstrating Rueda de Casino moves, they often tap on beats 3 and 8 in Guapea (the basic step). This is done for styling purposes, and only during the basic step.

In other words, they are stepping on beats 1, 2, and 4 rather than 1, 2, and 3. The last 4 beats of the 8 beat phrase are done in the conventional way--stepping on beats 5, 6 and 7. This alteration of the step and tap pattern on the first 4 beats styles the movement very nicely. They resume the traditional step-timing when they do moves; they just alter guapea in this way. If you watch those videos carefully, you can see how much styling and dynamism this alteration of the rhythm adds!!  See below for further discussion of taps.

"To Tap or Not to Tap"

More on Taps in Miami vs. Cuban style Rueda de Casino

To enter many moves, Miami style dancers do a tap on the 8th beat of the musical phrase. Many teachers including myself teach students to tap with the knee bent and the foot forward slightly and facing the center. But some teachers from other parts of the country tell me they do the tap so the foot points where the dancer is moving next. That would make the movement very smooth and "efficient," but it would look a little different.

I have heard much debate on whether Cuban style Rueda dancers do taps on the 8th beat, or even tap at all. In fact, I have heard Cubans themselves argue heatedly about whether the Cuban style Salsa includes taps.

My original version of this page did not include mention of this matter. I've seen this so hotly debated that commenting on it seemed like walking into a landmine. But then I sent this page around to some friends who are experienced dancers, asking for their feedback before putting it on my site. Sure enough, one guy got back to me and said it was incomplete without addresssing the issue of taps in Miami vs. Cuban styles.

So I watched a number of Cuban videos from varying sources and talked to a number of dancers----and here is the conclusion I came to.  Some Cubans dance with taps, and some Cubans don't. It's a complicated matter, because a small or slight tap will barely contact the floor and will look almost like a kick.  So when you watch, you can see borderline cases where you aren't sure whether you saw a tap or not.  It can be hard to distinguish whether a dancer has tapped or kicked.

Moreover, those Cubans who do a true tap with significant weight on the tapped foot aren't necessarily tapping on beat 8. The tap is more for styling and expression, so each dancer does it a little differently, and on different beats.  In addition, it looked to me like some Cuban dancers tap in certain places or from time to time, but are not always consistent.

These matters are no doubt partly why people see this differently. You can see what Cuban Rueda dancing looks like and judge for yourself by going to Boogalu.com. That is a company that sells Cuban videos. They have some video clips of Rueda circles on their website that you can watch and make up your own mind!

So, my take on this is that taps aren't wrong in the Cuban style, but they certainly aren't "required." And they are not done routinely at the beginning of many moves the way they are in the Miami style. I am tempted to say that taps are not as important in Cuban style. However, that isn't true in the sense that they can be used to add a lot of style and feeling to the movement which is definitely important.

In Miami style Rueda on the other hand, the tap serves a definite purpose and is important as an introductory move to many steps. It breaks the dancers' momentum as they begin a step (and enables them to change direction smoothly if needed). Some Miami dancers tap on other beats as well for styling, but that consistent tap on the eighth beat before some moves is a distinction between the Miami and Cuban style Casino de Rueda dancers.

So I would say that when people debate whether Cuban style Salsa dancers tap, both parties are right in a sense. It just depends on what you mean by a tap, how the tap is functioning, and when it occurs.

A picture is worth a thousand words

A man by the name of Fabio (director of Salsaisgood) produced a video to compare and contrast various styles of Salsa dancing. The video is now available and you can find ordering information at Salsaisgood.com.

What Fabio did was provide a short video of Salsa moves to dancers of all styles. The dancers identified which style of Salsa they prefer. Then they were to learn the moves on his video and perform them, adapting and interpreting that material in their preferred style.

Fabio contacted me about participating and we agreed that I would assemble Rueda dancers and adapt the material for Rueda moves. I worked with some dancers and other Casino Rueda teachers from both New York City and the Washington D.C. area. We created Rueda adaptations of some of the movement on his video. Several couples did the moves in synchrony on film. So Rueda de Casino is represented on this video as well as the other styles described above!

It is common for Rueda groups to create some of their own steps, in addition to learning a body of common moves. Dancers may see things that they like on the dance floor and incorporate that into a move done in the circle. In this sense, Casino Rueda leaves lots of room for creative expression and flexibility.

My Rueda group for example, does a nice step we call "L. A. de Glen" (taught to us by Glen Minto). The move is clearly inspired by L. A. style Salsa. It is linear, fast and flashy, and includes multiple turns (which are not common in traditional styles of Rueda).

As Rueda de Casino evolves, it is picking up more and more influences not only from other styles of Salsa, but from other dance forms such as Hip Hop etc. In my opinion, this makes discussions of what is a correct way to do the dance a bit pointless. I think it is fine to dance Rueda in a traditional manner, and equally fine to blend in creative touches and borrow elements from other dances and styles, etc.

It was interesting how the video Fabio produced on styles of Salsa (cleverly titled "Dancing with the Stars") evolved over time.  Though he started out intending to cover the broad basic categories of Salsa styles listed above, in the end individual differences trumped those styles. 

Here is what I mean.  On the final version of his video, Fabio doesn't group the dance clips by style to illustrate each one.  Rather he simply presents how individual couples/groups adapted the moves that he provided them.  What Fabio told me after producing his video is that many of the dancers had moved from one area to another, taking their styles with them.  So someone may have learned in L.A. but moved to NY and their style naturally became a blend or hybrid style.  Plus Fabio assembled so much talent, that their flair and ability really defied these categories.

My own take when I watched the video was that many of these dancers are so amazing, that to try and put what they do in a category (or "box") does not do justice to the caliber of their dancing.  I was particularly taken with Joel and Ana's presentations on the video.  It would be impossible to classify these dynamite dancers.  So to illustrate this point, I thought it would be best to put a short video clip of them here.  I contacted both of them on the phone and got their permission (as well as Fabio's) to do that.  Here is a short clip of their dancing from Fabio's video, which totally blew me away!!  (If you buy the video, there are additional segments of Joel and Ana dancing--this is just a "taste.") Click here to see Ana and Joel dance.

No doubt you can see that putting couples like these in categories by style is pointless, not to mention impossible.  The message that emerged, then, from Fabio's video is that dancers' individual styles are quite crucial.  When Ana and Joel dance moves provided to them by Fabio, they look like Ana and Joel (not Fabio).  How people style and approach their dance moves rises above what moves they know and what broad categories of Salsa styling they may fall into.  It was an interesting lesson, I think you will agree!

FYI, if you would like to learn more about Ana and Joel's instruction or performances, you can visit their website:  http://www.masacoteentertainment.com. These people are very approachable.  I spoke with them on the phone, having gotten their contact info from their site.  Both of them took a fair amount of time with me.  They are located in Boston, but if you are not in that area, never fear. They do workshops all over.  You can just check out their calendar and see if they are coming somewhere near you, or contact them to try and arrange something!  Here is the email to contact them and inquire about shows/workshops/lessons:  info@masacoteentertainment.com.

In closing, I want to thank Fabio and his friend, Allison, for the enormous work they put into this project.  I was in contact with them from the start, and I know what a huge job this was.  And congratulations as well to all the dancers who participated in the dance segments on this video. Many dancers put in fabulous performances and all their contributions are much appreciated.  (I especially thank the Rueda dance instructors who worked with me: Glen, Chris, and Hadar on filming the moves we submitted to Fabio.)

And a note to the readers:  Fabio has created other videos, all aimed at documenting different aspects of Salsa dancing.  Fabio is less interested in performing than in getting information about Salsa preserved for the long-term. It's a rather unusual purpose and one that I think serves the community well.  You did a wonderful job, Fabio and Allison, and your DVD is a unique contribution to those available for sale on Salsa dancing.  Again, to order any of Fabio's videos, go to his website: http://www.Salsaisgood.com.

*Some people think that West Coast swing evolved that way because it began at a time when dance floors were very crowded and more couples could fit on the floor this way.