This replaces my facebook group: Salsa Romantica which explains the weight transfer technique that is essential for you to master if you want to dance salsa the way it should be danced: S M O O T H L Y !
When you practice salsa always play salsa music so that you associate the movement with the music. Eventually the music will make you want to execute the movement! I recommend Africando music as the most motivational of all. You could search YouTube for “Africando salsa” and make your choice. but I recommend: Salsa Africando Mix for half an hour of practice – just start the playlist above. I used to use it as a warm up for yoga every morning! The tracks that play are not synchronised with the GIF file below so simply use the GIF file to remind yourself of the basic steps. The first track requires approximately double the speed of the GIF file! You could step at half speed on 1-3-5 & 1-3-5 & to understand the steps and then step on 1-2-3 & 5-6-7 & when you get it. Another way of describing the rhythm of salsa music is quick quick slow quick quick slow where quick is 1 beat and slow is 2 beats.
Bus Stop Technique
Dancing cool salsa smoothly as the professional do is as easy at waiting for a bus when we tend to stand with all our weight on one hip and then transfer it to the other from time to time! Start from a resting position with all your weight on the right leg which makes your left leg bend ready to make your first move.
1. Transfer all your weight to your left leg which makes your right knee bend
2. Transfer all your weight to your right leg which makes your left knee bend
3. Transfer all your weight to your left leg which makes your right knee bend
4. Pause
5. Transfer all your weight to your right leg which makes your left knee bend
6. Transfer all your weight to your left leg which makes your right knee bend
7. Transfer all your weight to your right leg which makes your left knee bend
8. Pause
Practice this for an hour a day in front of a long mirror so that you don’t have to look down at your feet which ruins your posture and you will find yourself doing salsa on the spot with amazing hip movement. The secret of good salsa is in the knees not the hips – the hips are just what they eye sees and makes you look and feel cool while you dance! If you’re doing it correctly your head should not be bobbing up and down – you must use your knees like the suspension system of a car to keep your head level! Note that at each step you land on your toes and then bring your heel down as if trying to drive a nail into the floor. This is also the way you should move for other Latin dances such as meringue, bachata & kizomba.
Some call the pause the floating pause because the lady must be ready to move in any direction after the pause as she must not anticipate the next move! Smooth salsa bus stop style makes the floating pause easy and makes a salsera feel light in a man’s hands!
Ladies be warned – if you dance with a man practicing the smooth technique recommended here he may be wishing you were doing the same!
Men be warned – if you dance with a lady who feels as light as a feather to lead she’s probably using the smooth technique recommended here and she may be wishing you were using it too!
In practice when the man starts with all his weight on his right leg he makes the lady start with all her weight on her left leg which means when the man starts with the 1 2 3 4 instructions above the lady cannot help but follow the 5 6 7 8 instructions.
The direction and amplitude of each step depends on the man’s lead which depends on the nature of the music and his interpretation thereof.
.
Please note in the video below how well Píďa uses the smooth bus stop style throughout our dance together! At every step she straightens the leg to which she is transferring her weight which automatically bends the knee of the other leg which movement makes her hips move beautifully. This is why people think salsa is about moving the hips – it isn’t – it’s about moving the knees so that the hips follow naturally!
.
Here’s a useful workshop which shows off the mood and moves of dancing in this fashion aptly named Salsa Romantica!
.
Here is another example of featuring a Salsa Romantica demonstration!
……………………
The video below shows the smoothness of my Puerto Rican Salsa Romantica technique. It was taken by Raluca of my dance with Sonya at Putney Salsa Club on 14th April 2017 when I was 71 years old. This lovely lady danced with such energy, style, rhythm & fun that I loved every moment of it and just had to keep a copy in my facebook video collection!
If you can’t play the facebook video above you can play this YouTube copy instead!
.
This video shows the last dance with my daughter Katrinah at Salsa Mish Halloween Party 26 Oct DJ Otto el Fuego in St Albans when I was 73 years old! Please note how well Katrinah uses the smooth bus stop style throughout our dance together! At every step she straightens the leg to which she is transferring her weight which automatically bends the knee of the other leg which movement makes her hips move beautifully. This is why people think salsa is about moving the hips! It isn’t – it’s about moving the knees so that the hips follow naturally! It’s called the bus stop technique because when you’re waiting for a bus you put all your weight on one leg and when you get bored you put all your weight on the other leg. This is how you transfer weight in all forms of dance as well as salsa though somewhat faster than when you’re waiting for a bus!
.
It even works on hot sand at 30°C as it did back in 2008 when I was 63 years old!.
If you can’t play the facebook video above you can play this YouTube copy instead!
.