Perfect your salsa dance steps today! This blog can help you!

Regardless of what type of dancer you are, you can always prosper from the various ways of learning how to dance. From instructional videos (we recommend SalsaDanceDVD or The Dance Store) to clubs, classes, and beyond. Don’t miss another day…

Learn some new salsa dance steps ASAP. As. Soon. As. Possible.

Why? Because the benefits to dance are vast and incredible. From social benefits (new friends, new flames, and new nights filled with fun and friends) to health and confidence benefits, the rewards to dancing are far reaching and they do run deep. Peoples’ lives have been changed. Many people I know have gained a new lease on life, gotten healthier, felt more comfortable around new people, and best of all- gotten a chance to meet their match. I’m talking about romance!

Attending a salsa class can give you practice with real people and exposure to professional instructors. Watching salsa videos can give you the chance to move at your own pace. And going to the clubs helps keep you in touch with the spontanteous and vibrant character of salsa dancing, not to mention the people.

So get out there and dance!

Technorati Tags: dance, dance videos, dancing, salsa, salsa dance, salsa dance steps, salsa dancing, salsa dancing steps, salsa steps, salsa videos

Everything I cant Have by Trey Songz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poS3kJqMtew

After 10 years of dance cruises, this one still managed to hold some fantastic surprises, and will go down as one of our best cruises. It’s amazing how not just our group, but also all of our instructors and event managers, have really perfected the art of dance cruising. I really had a great time, and yes, I (SalsaCrazy guy), am looking forward to my next cruise.

Our next cruises are in October, and while I will not be onboard those events, I recommend them greatly. The first is sailing with Juan Gil (on a 12 day adventure through the Mediterranean), and is one of the most massive, exciting, and downright adventurous cruises we have ever offered. Twelve days going SalsaCrazy in the Mediterranean? How great is that. Yes, you can register for that one now, http://www.SalsaCruiseCrazy.com (and more details at bottom of email).

The second cruise, with Francisco and Stacy Martinez (7 Days to Mexico), looks to bring back the memories of our many fantastic cruises to Mexico, and sets sail from the West Coast (which is a little closer than Venice, Italy – for the cruise above).

Yes, both of these are SalsaCrazy Cruises, yes, you can book both of them with our partners, DanceFun, and yes, you’ll get some special deals for saying “SalsaCrazy” every other word. Check the website for specifics, or feel free to call in at, 405-282-8989 (or toll fee 866-326-2338) – but don’t forget to mention SalsaCrazy!

What cruise will I be attending next? When is my next Salsa Cruise? I have my eyes set on the early 2013 timeframe for a return to the Caribbean, and I hope to have details on that cruise available on our website within a week or two.  Unfortunately, I can’t be on all the cruises (without a clone), so I have to pick and choose my cruises.

But, if you want a dose of SalsaCrazy, or just want to master your salsa dancing, there’s a great way to do it with our dance videos.  We have a whole series of dance videos available, both on our own websites, or on Amazon.com (you’re choice), I’ll link to my favorites below:

Learn to Salsa Beginners 3 Pack (On Amazon!)

Salsa Dance Mastery System (Includes 3 pack, plus intermediate, On Amazon!)

Bachata Dance Mastery (3 Pack, On Amazon!)

Yes, even a Ballroom Dance Mastery system, we affectionately call the Wedding Dance Mastery System (but really, it’s the ultimate primer to Ballroom Dance). Note: Even thought it’s April Fools, this is not an April Fools Joke – this product is amazing, and it really does exist!

Plus many more, you can see our full schedule over at http://www.DanceCrazy.com, or on the SalsaCrazy.com Dance Video store (Full money back guarantee – you’ll love these DVDs). So take us home with you – we want to come over.

Oh, and consider a salsa cruise as your next vacation choice! We have the following websites for a singles cruise too. Hope to see you onboard!

Technorati Tags: dance cruise, dance videos, dancing cruise, how to salsa, learn salsa, salsa cruise, salsa dance cruise, salsa dance dvds, salsa dance videos, salsa dvd, salsa dvds, salsa videos

On1 styles always start with a back-break for the lady on1. If it was danced in a linear pattern you can probably rule out Cuban style and Miami Style since they are based on a rotational motion. Although they do include a linear basic step as well so if it was a beginners class it could conceivable still be Cuban style but it’s probably safe to rule that out.

So I’d say probably some generic On1 style or LA Style

there are a pcouple of things that are hard for most people to learn: the beat and body motion. The best way to get comfortable with the beat is to listen to salsa music every waking moment. The more you listen the faster it sinks in. If you only hear salsa 1 hour a week at class, it will remain some sort of strange, exotic music and you will still be lost when you find yourself alone without someone counting 1,2,3 5,6,7 for you. Listen, listen, listen!

The body motion…don’t bother worrying about it. This come on it’s own when you do the basic steps properly. It may seem strange, but how you do the steps affects how your hips move. And all the arm styling etc that some versions of salsa teach, well they are not at all important to dancing, they are just something that someone thinks looks cool. If your hands are in the right place at the right to to performs the moves, that’s all that matters. When you are comfortable with the basic steps and the basic turns you will find that you can relax and develop your own personal style taking bits and pieces that feel good to you from the styling tips that your teachers give you.

I would also recommend that you go out to a club once a week. Find someone in your class who is also serious about learning and go dancing! Dance, dance, dance! It gives you a chance to really practice what you learned in class. When you have to work it out for yourself it sticks better. And then you will be ready for new moves at class the next week rather than having forgotten everything. And don’t worry about people at the club watching you. Find a uncrowded spot on the dance floor and go for it. I was scared to be watched until I realized that people were watching the best dancers and not watching me. Just don’t step on the other dancers feet or hit them with your elbow trying to do some fancy arm styling and you will be fine.

Good luck and don’t give up. If you listen, listen, listen and dance, dance, dance you will be dancing quite comfortably within 6 months. Don’t expect it to happen in 6 weeks.

how many beats are in a bar?

Which beats are emphasized?

Any steps which are know?

any extra information

Please Answer and thanks in advance

"Salsa" is a word that first came into use in the 1970s but the dance and music has existed much longer. Since it is really just a modernization of son it is hard to say exactly what year it originated. Son originated in Eastern Cuba in the late 1800s but became very popular in the US and other countries in the 1920-50s. The dance has been around for just as long. It was probably in the 60s when the music began mixing with jazz and what we refer to as salsa today was born. So did the dance arise at the same time? Hard to say. Cuban salsa dancing is called "casino" and it has been around since the 1950s.

There are 4 beats per measure. What makes beginner dancers confused is that you only take steps on 3 of the beats and pause on one beat.

The beat that is emphasized depends on what country the music comes from. Cuban salsa as well as son and chachacha etc have always emphasized the 4th beat of the measure. Some other styles may put more emphasis on the second beat. Keep in mind that salsa sounds slightly different depending on where it comes from. New York, Puerto Rico, Miami, Colombia, Cuba all have slightly different sounds but are all based on the same basic rhythms.

In the US people dance a lot of "shines" which are solo step combinations. Many of these have names. In Cuban salsa there is a group salsa dance called Rueda de Casino (Casino wheel) where the dancers dance in a circle and perform moves in unison as they are called out, kind of similar to the idea behind square dancing. Each move has a name, so in Rueda there are hundreds of names for the moves for example some well known moves are setenta, dile que no, enchufa, el dedo, vacílala.

There are two main differences in how people dance salsa, the beat they dance on and the direction of motion in the dance. Salsa is usually either danced On1 or On2 but many street dancers in Cuba also dance On3.

As I mentioned Cuban salsa usually emphasizes the 4th beat of the measure. this is because salsa is built around the syncopated rhythm called the "clave". It is three beat followed by two beats and extends over two bars of music. Since the claves takes 2 bars to complete dancers use an 8-count for a complete set of steps.

The traditional way of dancing to clave-based music is called contratiempo, meaning on the upbeat. The dancers pause on the 1 then they step 2,3,4 pause 6,7,8 pause. One the 2 the man steps forwards with his left foot and the woman steps back with her right. You can see why this type of dancing is referred to as On2 because you start dancing on the second beat.

Some people have a hard time "finding the 2". So in New York there is a different type of On2 usually called New York On2. In this case you take the steps on 1,2,3 pause 5,6,7 pause, but you "break" on2. That is to say the first step is almost in place and the second step, which falls on the second beat is when you step forward (or backward). This change of direction is referred to as breaking. So New York 2 starts on1 but "breaks" on2. The idea is that it’s easier for the dancer to know when to start dancing if they start on the downbeat.

Most people in the world dance On1, which is 1,2,3 pause 5,6,7 pause but also with the break step on the 1. So on the 1 a man would step forward with his left foot while his partner would step back with her right foot, thus both starting and breaking on1.

The On2 dancers are often very snobby about saying that On1 dancers are dancing "off clave" and there is a lot of argument between the dancers about what is "correct". I personally think that songs with a strong son feel, where you have a strong son clave feel are good for contratiempo and some more modern salsa is better on1.

The other difference I mentioned is the direction of the motion in the dance patterns. In the US and the areas influenced by the US, people dance in a linear motion moving backwards and forwards and even the turns patterns are done as if the couples were dancing "in-the-slot". This type of motion has the effect that turns are done as spot turns and lots of spinning is done. US dance styles also emphasize the use of shines where the couple splits apart and each one does solo steps. US styles also use a lot of "styling" where dancers are taught to do arm motions to make their dancing "look better". This idea is very ballroom dance influenced.

Cuban salsa is rotational meaning that the couple is constantly traveling as if around the edge of a circle. They travel even through the turns so Cubans don’t do spot turns or spins. Instead they do tangly patterns that require rotation to tangle up and to unravel again. Cubans don’t do shines. When they split apart they often dance afro-cuban rumba or "despelote" which is when they just move their hips or "tembleque" where they shake their hips and torso. This type of dancing maintains a lot more contact with the afro-cuban roots of salsa dancing.

South Americans dance a semi-rotational style: they tend to rotate but not as much as the Cuban and they don’t tangle as much. Cali, Colombia has a very particular dance style where they use a lot of bouncy footwork.

So what can you say about salsa? It’s a commercial name that started being used in the 70s. Salsa music is organized around the clave rhythm and is usually either Cuban son or Cuban guaracha mixed with jazz and maybe pop, hiphop, or various Latin American rhythms such as rumba or bomba. But Salsa sounds different depending on what country/city is comes from. Just like different regions use different spices in their food, different salsa styles have a different "flavor". This is true for both the dancing and the music.

Here are a few videos to show the different styles of dancing. Listen to the music they are dancing to as well. You will see that the dancers prefer different types of music that are well-suited to the dance style.

Original contratiempo danced to son music, the dance and music root of salsa. On2 and a mix of both linear and rotational motion, but much closer to modern Cuban salsa than modern US salsa styles.

New York On2 – linear includes spins and shines

LA Style – On1 linear – relatively new style. The Vazquez brothers are credited with creating it. Very flashy and acrobatic and performance oriented. Includes spins and shines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vbYn9iJ7GM

Cuban style On1 rotational mixed with Afro-Cuban rumba and tembleque

Rueda de casino – Cuban group salsa where each move has a name and as they moves are called out the dancers do them in unison often switching partners at the end of each move.

Colombian style with what seems to be a touch of LA mixed in. Not quite linear, not quite rotational, On1 with special footwork probably from boogalu

You should look up salsa at Wikipedia for more info. Maybe someone will dare try to say the year it originated.

Here is Cubans style salsa (casino)

Here is a group for of casino called Rueda de casino

Here is son (pronounced "sown" not "sun")

And here is Afro-Cuban rumba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48156Mf1KSU

Stick ‘SEO’ into google and you’ll get millions of links (206 million last time I checked). But often very little one knows what to actually do to optimize your website for search engines. Whether using a wix.com platform or not, here are some steps/tips we recommend:

 

• Keyword Research
• Choose your platform with Care
• Write clean relevant text
• Submit your Website
• Relevant inbound links

 

1. Find the right keyword If one of your goals is to drive tons of traffic to your website (which is usually the case), then Keyword & Keyword Selection Tips & Tools is incredibly important for you. “Keywords” are the words that people type in search engines like Google, Yahoo! and such. Combining popular keywords within your website infrastructure can raise the number of visitors to your site. One way to come up with keywords is simply to think about popular terms related to what that goes on in your site. For instance, if you are offering online salsa classes, you might choose the keywords salsa, dancing, dance classes, latino dancing, lame activities and so on. By including these words in your content, you can attract people that were searching for these terms on search engines.

 

Instead of coming up with a list of keywords off the top of your head, you can do a little bit of research and see which words are being searched for the most. There are plenty of online tools for keyword research, including the freebie Google keywords research tool. With these tools, you can find keywords that lots of people are already searching for and combine them into your content. This way, your site will appear in search results of these words.Free flash websites created with Wix are search engine friendly, so putting a little bit of effort into keyword research can really help you increase traffic and turn your site into one hot tamale

 

2. Choose Your Platform With Care: Before you even write a word, it’s important to ensure your Website is designed in Format that Robots can read. For most html-based sites this is a given. It is also a given with Wix. Traditionally, this is not a given with Flash. So if you are thinking of using flash – dynamic visuals being great for humans – Wix may be the solution for you. (Wix creates an html mirror of all your web content that can be read by search engine robots but is invisible to your website visitors).

 

3. Write Clean Relevant Text: You’ve probably heard that on the web, “content is king”. This is because although all search engines robots behave differently, the 3 largest engines (google, yahoo & msn) prefer pages with clean and relevant text. But robots don’t only read the text you write throughout your website. They also read the “page title”, “description”, and “keywords” you select for your website. Page Title is the most important element for search engines to correctly categorize your website. “Page title” is the title that appears at the top of the browser when visitors view your website. Description This is what people will read when they find your  website on search engines. As search engines typically publish only 20-30words it helps to keep your description short and sweet. Keywords: keyword selection is also critical. You may know what category/s your website occupies…but we recommend you use look up keywords being used by your market in keyword directories, and include them in your web content. Here are two great free tools for selecting keywords:

 

 

Of course you should also make sure to write for your current & potential customers…

 

4. Submit Your free Website: When you have finished your website, it can also help to let search engines know you exist. If you are publishing your website on your own domain, you can submit your website to the 3 major search engines by using the links below:

 

 

(If you are publishing your website with Wix hosting service, this will happen automatically.)

 

5. Relevant Inbound Links: “Content is king” is not the only SEO mantra. “Relevant links” is also key. From an SEO perspective, the more relevant inbound links your site has, the higher the ranking your website will receive on Search Engines. Here are a few simple ways to increase your inbound links (and help your site get promoted):

 

• Add your site to Open source Web Directory Dmoz: (Note: it can take a long time for your request to be processed)
• Create links from web directories that are relevant for your free website subject area.
• Ask friends and clients with relevant websites to link from their website to yours.

 

These are just some tips for optimizing your  website for search engine robots – without compromising on the language of your customer. We hope you’ve found them helpful! If you do end up using wix feel free to ask our help for any follow on questions.

Dan Penn
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/optimize-your-website-for-search-engines-670570.html