What is Salsa?

Salsa is an upbeat partner dance that can be found in Latin-themed night clubs and social events the world over. You can find all ages and ethnicities dancing salsa all over the United States, and in almost any other country in the world you can think of. Countries as diverse as South Korea, China, Mexico, the UK, South America, Spain, Italy, Canada, Hungary, Japan, France, and Australia all have thriving salsa scenes. Salsa music and dancing comes in many forms and from many places, each with their own unique style and flavor. From salsa dura to timba to pop salsa, salsa music reflects many cultures and influences.

Salsa is at heart a social dance. One of the great things about salsa is that once you start learning it, you are instantly plugged into a worldwide social network of fellow salsa music lovers and dancers. Since it's fun, it is a excellent way to meet a lot of great people that you will form an almost instant bond with, simply because you both know how to salsa! Moreover it's challenging, great exercise, and constantly keeps you engaged with other people who like to move, express themselves, and have fun.

So what does salsa look like? Below are a few sample videos. At first you might think that there is one style of salsa, but as you start to learn salsa, more and more you will see that one form of salsa can be vastly different from another; each with their own fun and exciting flavor.

Sampling of Salsa Styles

Click the images to play videos...

The Basic Step It all starts here!

Cuban Style
Best served with Timba

LA Style
Home of the Neck Drop

New York Style
Where 'On2' is a Religion