Why does everyone and their dog seem to do Salsa these days? Not other kinds of dancing, just salsa?!

Ive nothing against it at all...I just dont get it!

I know people will reply with "salsa is great" etc etc...and Im sure it is...

But why Salsa? Has the UK Salsa Federation employed some top notch marketing people and its left all other dances behind?

Its alongside speed dating and going for meal and watching a film....I just dont get it.

Why does everyone and their dog seem to do Salsa these days? Not other kinds of dancing, just salsa?!

Ive nothing against it at all...I just dont get it!


Me neither. I've tried it and I just 'didn't get it' either. I decided it was the music that didn't move me, so the rest didn't follow, if that makes sense.

Shame, I was expecting to love it!

It came to prominence with the rising popularity of Doritos. ;)

It came to prominence with the rising popularity of Doritos. ;)

Oh, very quick! :)

I want to go salsa dancing but i dont know where any lessons are being held. :(

This may sound facetious, but I think the name 'salsa' has a lot to do with it. It sounds fun and has an exotic ring to it. Had it been called 'balsa' or 'frug' it would probably not attract so much interest. I think the same is true of 'jazz' - a lot of people claim to like 'jazz', but what they probably really like is the mental image of coolness it conveys - although in reality much contemporary jazz is turgid drivel and a form of aural doodling.

I don't, I do tap

* jazz hands *

I used to do salsa and it's great fun. It's easy to pick up and it's a great way to meet people. I also enjoyed it because I got to hear music that I wouldn't usually hear elsewhere. Each to their own though....

:)

I used to do salsa too and it is fun but there were never enough men. So all the women spent a lot of time going through the steps alone with their hands held in strange positions, as if embracing Mr Invisible.

Tap, you see, is a billy no mates dance. You can practise it in your kitchen too, all on your own.

(I do go with friends by the way, I'm not really a lone tapper)

I love salsa too. Well, if you don't like salsa after trying it. Then you know you don't find such music, or dance fun at all. It's just like different genre of music. Some you may like more than others. It's almost like the differences between music like classical to RnB.

I think most people who like Salsa do come from a certain age group. It's very popular amongst working professionals. The ones in Sheffield have quite an eclectic mix of people.

There's classes at The Forum on a Tues night, around 7-7.30pm. It's how I got started too. Now, I just want to practise more, and do advanced steps, and freestyle it a bit.

But why Salsa? Has the UK Salsa Federation employed some top notch marketing people and its left all other dances behind?
I actually read up on this. It's people who were interested in salsa, and went as far as Latin American, or New York, to bring back the dance. Salsa has Colombian, Jazz, roots. Well, it depends on which 'flavour' of the dance/music you're into.

This may sound facetious, but I think the name 'salsa' has a lot to do with it.
Salsa is Purely the spanish word for Sauce.

Salsa is meant to be a saucy dance with closeness between the partners, I have never been involved with it but after some reserch I have done about some latin music for a project, Salsa is a more modern form of "Son" which is a cuban musical & dance, which is full of double meanings and sad heartrending stories.

The modern Salsa dancing boom I have understood to be a bit of a mid life crisis or way of people over 30 to flirt in a safe environment. People have always enjoyed dancing, and while Ballroom dancing was popular for people of my parents era, people of that bent might get a similar experience with Salsa dancing today.

Although I understand that ballroom dancing has always included a few latin dance styles like Rumba and Salsa. ( though I haven't seen any ballroom dancing since the 70s! )

The modern Salsa dancing boom I have understood to be a bit of a mid life crisis or way of people over 30 to flirt in a safe environment. People have always enjoyed dancing, and while Ballroom dancing was popular for people of my parents era, people of that bent might get a similar experience with Salsa dancing today.
LOL. I like how you put it...*ahem*...

Well, I didn't see it as that, since there's *moves* one can use to fend off people. It's a social dance. Salsa has roots in Cuba, and people do it for fun. It's their way of life. Kids pick up how to salsa from a young age. Cuban, or Colombian style is a little bit different to New York style. So you see, dance means a lot to different people, and not necessarily how it is interpreted in the UK. People go to pubs to socialise in the UK. People go to dancehalls in Cuba to dance. Same thing. You can always tell who goes there to flirt or not by the standard of their dancin'. ;) Either they concentrate too hard on the girl, or they concentrate on their dancing, and leading their partners well.

People who enjoy dancing, clubbing, or anything with a rhythm, will enjoy other forms of dance. There are similar steps from aerobics too, that you find in salsa.

[QUOTE=Bago]

I think most people who like Salsa do come from a certain age group. It's very popular amongst working professionals. The ones in Sheffield have quite an eclectic mix of people.
QUOTE]

Ah no! it's children aged 8 as well. Took my class today to a dance festival of street, salsa and indian and the salsa came out on top with the littlies. To the point that, one of the girls made me get the teachers number so her mum can take her to one of her classes next week!

I love salsa too. Well, if you don't like salsa after trying it. Then you know you don't find such music, or dance fun at all. It's just like different genre of music. Some you may like more than others. It's almost like the differences between music like classical to RnB.

I think most people who like Salsa do come from a certain age group. It's very popular amongst working professionals. The ones in Sheffield have quite an eclectic mix of people.

There's classes at The Forum on a Tues night, around 7-7.30pm. It's how I got started too. Now, I just want to practise more, and do advanced steps, and freestyle it a bit.


I actually read up on this. It's people who were interested in salsa, and went as far as Latin American, or New York, to bring back the dance. Salsa has Colombian, Jazz, roots. Well, it depends on which 'flavour' of the dance/music you're into.

I'd disagree, most real Salsa clubs attract a wide range of ages, races, working backgrounds.
The Forum is not a good representation of a Salsa Club in the Uk/North America/Europe etc.

Salsa is Purely the spanish word for Sauce.

Salsa is meant to be a saucy dance with closeness between the partners, I have never been involved with it but after some reserch I have done about some latin music for a project, Salsa is a more modern form of "Son" which is a cuban musical & dance, which is full of double meanings and sad heartrending stories.

The modern Salsa dancing boom I have understood to be a bit of a mid life crisis or way of people over 30 to flirt in a safe environment. People have always enjoyed dancing, and while Ballroom dancing was popular for people of my parents era, people of that bent might get a similar experience with Salsa dancing today.

Although I understand that ballroom dancing has always included a few latin dance styles like Rumba and Salsa. ( though I haven't seen any ballroom dancing since the 70s! )

Yes, whilst there are a lot of 30 somethings on the scene in reality there is a broad spectrum of ages. The Forum itself tends to attract the 20's crowd because it's run by the Students from the uni.
As I've said else where the Forum is not a good example of the Salsa Scene and in fact considering Sheffield is the 4th? largest City in the UK it's Salsa scene is very poor and as such not a good representation of it at all.

So...as a 'salsero' to another. Where do you recommend as "a good representation of a Salsa Club in the Uk/North America/Europe " ? I'm intrigued. ;)

The Forum one is not bad as a socialising venue too. I've met a lot of great people there. Most just go and practise their steps and things. I've been to one-off lessons in salsa bars in other cities in the UK. You do get a little lost over their sequences.

There is also The Cubana, which I have yet to go, but it has a good rep for its music. It's just a shame that they play crappy disco music now on alternative Fridays ! I thought it was something unique, but they're going too mainstream now. Maybe they didn't have enough business... I dunno.

So...as a 'salsero' to another. Where do you recommend as "a good representation of a Salsa Club in the Uk/North America/Europe " ? I'm intrigued. ;)

The Forum one is not bad as a socialising venue too. I've met a lot of great people there. Most just go and practise their steps and things. I've been to one-off lessons in salsa bars in other cities in the UK. You do get a little lost over their sequences.

There is also The Cubana, which I have yet to go, but it has a good rep for its music. It's just a shame that they play crappy disco music now on alternative Fridays ! I thought it was something unique, but they're going too mainstream now. Maybe they didn't have enough business... I dunno.

Ok, premier night in the North and perhaps the Uk must be Salsology, Prestwich, Manchester. Every 2 months, 400 dancers from begs to some of the best dancers in the Country. Massive main room and a smaller beg. room playing slower music. Excellent DJ's - A night for hardcore dancers and novices alike.

Nice laid back night is the Salsaholics social, Sunday evens, once a month in Leeds. Check wesite for details

Nottingham Rowing Club, First Sat of the month, venue is 'cosy', normally 75+ dancers, very friendly laid back atmosphere, music is normally good.

Asterdale club, Derby, Once a month (3rd Sat I think). Nice venue, music is average to excellent (depends on Guest DJ). Again very friendly, standard of dance is better than the Forum but not up to the standard of the other venues. The have a good range of guest teachers as well. Again check website for details.

Megabowl, Nottingham, Good music, dance crowd is variable and I think the venue is a little large for their average crowd but still usually a good night.

From Sheffield Point of view.
Forum is as you say a social venue, floors rubbish, sound system leaves a lot to be desired, music....I'm not even going there! There's also to many non dancers around who after several pints think they can throw each other around without hurting anyone!

Cubana, I alway like the atmosphere there, BUT crap floor, too small and again the music usually leaves a lot to be desired.

There are other City venues,
Bar Matrix, Charter Row. Every fortnight
8-9pm Improvers/Intermediate class
9-12am dancing
Dancers range from beg. to very good (by Sheffield standard)
Venue is v. nice, music is excellent, Very friendly, social crowd.
Only down side, needs more people!
(I am actually connected to this event so a bit biased :) )

Steel City Salsa Classes have a Social on a Sat evenings, dates seem to be a bit irregular so can't actually give exact dates.
Venu is the Polish Club, Eccelsall Road.
Nice venue, people friendly. Music can be iffy. Depends whether they get a proper DJ in.

As for getting lost in other class sequences, lots of reasons for that the teachers might be pants is the obvious one!
You might have gone in the wrong level of class - can't tell cos don't know about how you dance.
You also might have a problem if the class you went to was pure cross body and you've only learnt cuban stuff and vice versa.
I don't like classes in Bars/Clubs personally. They're just not Conducive to good learning (to many distractions/noise/etc.)

I would have posted the full url's but I'm not allowed at the moment
Email me at fenton.david@gmail.com and I'll send you all the details of the events/websites I'd recommend in and around the area.

[QUOTE=Bago]

I think most people who like Salsa do come from a certain age group. It's very popular amongst working professionals. The ones in Sheffield have quite an eclectic mix of people.
QUOTE]

Ah no! it's children aged 8 as well. Took my class today to a dance festival of street, salsa and indian and the salsa came out on top with the littlies. To the point that, one of the girls made me get the teachers number so her mum can take her to one of her classes next week!

Ages ranges in our classes are 12 to 60, with the average being late 20's early 30's

Ohh. I suppose I've never considered the floor to be part of the factors of a good salsa club. I would rather go for the music, the vibe and the standard of its dancers. i.e. whether they're creative or not. Then again, the last time I went, I almost slipped a few times on spilled drinks. So dangerous ! >.< There was also a broken slab on the floor, which almost took a few people out. This was in the Forum.

Salsology does sound good. Though, it sounds a bit like a competition to me. I wonder what the vibe is like.

Salsaholics social in Leeds. I've seen their website before, and to be honest. It doesn't sell it to me. I've been to the one in the Atrium. Which is a similar setup to The Forum really.

I wouldn't mind going to a place which isn't marketed like a British dance club, but people just dance for the cultural side of the dance. My aim is to frequent a few clubs abroad to see what they're like. Then maybe venture to Cuba, and try their styles out. :P

Well, the dance sequence I tried to follow was from a London club. I think I'm kinda past that level now. Cos I notice my spins are more controlled etc. (Plus I don't get dizzy. Yay.) I've read a few websites before on forums and things, and they make it so technical. It doesn't even sound fun any more ! On1, or On2 blah blah blah. The best way to learn is to go and dance. You kind of learn from each other really.

Didn't know that Bar Matrix holds a salsa venue. ;) Though, to be fair, The Forum one is kinda fun. For beginners, I think it's okay. Even though u get the odd person who doesn't dance salsa, their antics makes it a fun night. As long as they don't bump and knock people over. A few Spanish kids came in another time and did a dance-off once, which was kinda fun.

Thanks for the info. :)

You mentioned the North scene. What about the rest of the UK, or even Europe ? Now that is something I'm interested in. Cos I've been trying to get friends to go, and they live in different location in the UK.

We went to Blackpool tower ballroom last Saturday to watch the dancers.
It's brill, they put so much time and effort into their work it's a pleasure to watch. (PS.and theres a Bar) :thumbsup:

Ohh. I suppose I've never considered the floor to be part of the factors of a good salsa club. I would rather go for the music, the vibe and the standard of its dancers. i.e. whether they're creative or not. Then again, the last time I went, I almost slipped a few times on spilled drinks. So dangerous ! >.< There was also a broken slab on the floor, which almost took a few people out. This was in the Forum.

The floor is fine if you just want to jiggle about, anything more it can be trecherous

Salsology does sound good. Though, it sounds a bit like a competition to me. I wonder what the vibe is like.


I usually love it!


Salsaholics social in Leeds. I've seen their website before, and to be honest. It doesn't sell it to me. I've been to the one in the Atrium. Which is a similar setup to The Forum really.


I can see what you're saying. I enjoy it cos I know know most of the dancers that go.
I agree about the Atrium. Think music is a bit better but on the whole quite similar vibe.



Well, the dance sequence I tried to follow was from a London club. I think I'm kinda past that level now. Cos I notice my spins are more controlled etc. (Plus I don't get dizzy. Yay.) I've read a few websites before on forums and things, and they make it so technical. It doesn't even sound fun any more ! On1, or On2 blah blah blah. The best way to learn is to go and dance. You kind of learn from each other really.

That's where I have a problem.
If you just want to jiggle to the music then yes just go out and dance and you can pick it up.
My problem comes when people see a couple dance with turns and spins etc and then the guy thinks 'right, I'll some of that' and then proceeds to 'have a go' with the nearest available woman. It isn't nice sfor the woman to be dragged and thrown about, arms twisted left and right and basically roughed up.
Salsa on the whole is a partner dance, it requires certain basic skills of lead and follow to do even the most basic of turns and allow the woman to enjoy/be safe with what's she's doing. Yes you can pick them up by trial and error but it takes a loooonnnnnggggg time to do it well. It takes time to learn them when someone teaches you them :)

It all depends on what you want from the dance/experience and how much time you're willing/able to spend improving your experience.

You can have a fantastic time with just basic skills that can be learnt in a couple of months but if you're looking for more creativity/show/expression etc then it requires time and effort.

Think about the example of a foreign language. You can spend a few hours learning a few key phrases in Spanish , then take you're self off to Spain and have a brilliant time.
If how ever you want to chat up a woman for instance then you'll need a larger vocabulary.
If you want to write a book or poetry then you'll need not only a much wider vocab but you'll need to be fluent to such a stage where you don't need to think or seach for the words.
To get to this stage requires time and effort.

It's horses for courses, neither is better than the other it just depends on what level you're happy with. All are enjoyable in different ways.

The warning is don't try and write spanish poetry if the only phrases you can speak are 'One large beer' and 'where's the nearest toilet' :)


You mentioned the North scene. What about the rest of the UK, or even Europe ? Now that is something I'm interested in. Cos I've been trying to get friends to go, and they live in different location in the UK.

As far as the rest of the UK is concerned I've danced in Midlands and London. Used to dance regularly in Brum but for me the scene went off the boil (musically and along with that the better dancers don't go out as much) so it's not worth the hour and 3/4 travel unless something special is going off.
London, there are 100's of venues. Depends on the standard/style of night you're after. A lot of londoners can be up their own backsides (Capital City mentality i.e. no one outside of London is worth dancing with cos we're all village bumpkins!).

Europe wise I've danced in Amsterdam and Barcelona and really enjoyed both Cities with loads of venues to suit all styles and standards.
World wise LA\NY hardcore cities for dancing. LA very showing and at the time i.e. 5 years ago whilst I found it amazing to watch it was v. scary to dance there. Now I'm a lot more confident so I don't think it'd be so much a problem.
NY - awesome dancers, fantastic music. Just love the fact you can walk around Spanish Harlem, etc and it seems like there's brilliant music coming from every door. :)

We went to Blackpool tower ballroom last Saturday to watch the dancers.
It's brill, they put so much time and effort into their work it's a pleasure to watch. (PS.and theres a Bar) :thumbsup:

Was that the Latin Ballroom comp, or the Salsa one?

My problem comes when people see a couple dance with turns and spins etc and then the guy thinks 'right, I'll some of that' and then proceeds to 'have a go' with the nearest available woman. It isn't nice sfor the woman to be dragged and thrown about, arms twisted left and right and basically roughed up.
Yes, I can see what you mean there too. Though, I suppose the ladies will stop once it starts hurting ! It sounds kinda bad, but I know that sometimes certain guys would not be picked to dance again by the same lady, because of bad experiences. Then again, I can remember dancing out of my depth, and was pushed to the limit. One or two guys were kind to me, and just did basic stuff. :P I suppose good dancers would know how to adjust to their partner's strengths.

As far as the rest of the UK is concerned I've danced in Midlands and London. Used to dance regularly in Brum but for me the scene went off the boil (musically and along with that the better dancers don't go out as much) so it's not worth the hour and 3/4 travel unless something special is going off. London, there are 100's of venues. Depends on the standard/style of night you're after. A lot of londoners can be up their own backsides (Capital City mentality i.e. no one outside of London is worth dancing with cos we're all village bumpkins!).
That's quite rich ! Though, the only time I went to a salsa bar/class in London. I noticed that a lot of people just learn by imitation of the sequence. They don't necessarily do the basics well either. Then again, I don't always do my basic steps spot on. I do have fun with the creativity of the most basic of steps though...

Europe wise I've danced in Amsterdam and Barcelona and really enjoyed both Cities with loads of venues to suit all styles and standards.
World wise LA\NY hardcore cities for dancing. LA very showing and at the time i.e. 5 years ago whilst I found it amazing to watch it was v. scary to dance there. Now I'm a lot more confident so I don't think it'd be so much a problem. NY - awesome dancers, fantastic music. Just love the fact you can walk around Spanish Harlem, etc and it seems like there's brilliant music coming from every door. :)
Yes, I suppose it can be pretty scary when u see triple spin, stop, and then drop or something. >.< !

At the moment, I'm trying to break out of the supposed routines we're taught in The Forum. Their classes are pretty good. Once u grasp the basics, you're then into creating your own routines, and following the musicality, which is part of the buzz. I think. To dance in time with the music.

At the moment, I'm trying to break out of the supposed routines we're taught in The Forum. Their classes are pretty good. Once u grasp the basics, you're then into creating your own routines, and following the musicality, which is part of the buzz. I think. To dance in time with the music.
Don't rush to 'break free'. Usually the dancers who are the best looking, easiest to lead/follow have spent a lot of time perfecting the basic stuff and by that I mean more than just a basic step :)
I reckon It takes for a woman, 6 months of good classes to feel comfortable following a reasonable portion of basic move/turns etc.
For a man it can take upto a year and beyond to develope a good lead for the same basics!
Bear in mind this is assuming you go to 1 class a week and 1 night of social dancing along with a couple of hours practice during the week. If you do more social dancing you can probably get away with less practice at home. If you do a real lot of social dancing (especially for a woman) you can knock another month or 2 off those time frames.

Spend time building a quality foundation first. It'll make you a much better dancer in the end and in my experience give you AND your partners far more enjoyment.

There's a quote I like to use,
"Technique - bodily control - must be mastered only because the body must not stand in the way of the soul's expression."
:)

Also bear in mind as I've said before I personally don't think the Forum environment is cuducsive to learning Salsa at all and wouldn't recommend it to anyone who seriously wants to learn to dance. It is a fun/social class and I'm not saying classes shouldn't be fun or social what I'm trying to say is
a) There's too many people for the space to see/hear directions/footwork/lead etc.
b) Too many distractions in the form of other Forum punters drinking/talking etc.

It all depends how well you want to dance, what level you aspire to, and how much time you are willing to invest into your dancing.

What I'm trying to say is if you're happy dancing at the level you see in the Forum and you enjoy the Forum class then that's brilliant, but if you've got aspirations of dancing at a level beyond there then you need to look else where for classes.

Are you male or female, I just assumed you were male but something in your last post made me think perhaps you were female :)

If I was a guy, I wouldn't dance with another guy. Come on... That answers that Q. lol.

Yeh, I've been dancing on and off now since Oct 2004. I think I stumbled onto this dance, but it is *so* addictive. I do admit that the classes in The Forum is probably no better than any other sequence classes in various other bars/clubs. Though, what is good is that, they do this other class on a Saturday. Which is basically the classes run by the salsa soc of the university. It's more structured, and u do learn a lot more. At one point, I went on one of their course and was dancing like 13 hours a week ! >.< It only lasted like two months, but I learnt so much. It took way too much of my time, but it is so worth it.

Though, I do know what u mean by getting the basics right. Cos I went back a couple of weeks ago, and found that my timing is off with my basic steps. Que sara. I should probably go once a month to practise my steps or something. Then again, when it gets too repetitive, it's no fun. You don't wanna learn any more.

Sometimes, there's a few Spanish/Cuban gentlemen who would teach others to dance Cuban style, or Rueda in The Forum. Which is quite fun at times. Something different.

At the moment, I'm trying to figure out how to do Cuban. It's quite tricky, I find. Some people just naturally do a little twitch or a little kick on beat 4/8. It's quite funny to watch.