Let’s take a look at the origin of Salsa. It is more that just a Cuban dance; still, the dance’s origins and initial developments are credited to this location.

Many people think that the term ‘salsa’ is an all encompassing term to describe all Latin American dance styles… on the contrary! Salsa is a very distinct dance style, with different beats, styles and overall feelings than other Latin American creations. In fact, the term ‘salsa’ itself is not Latin American—instead it is rooted in New York.

Original salsa dancing was inspired by the Cuban music style, Son (a Spanish word which translates to mean ‘sound’). Son was quickly adopted as the dance’s working name. Later, a country-esque version of Salsa would arise as well. Along with its Cuban counterparts, such as the cha-cha and the mambo, Salsa was popular in the 1940’s.

The fast paced and beautiful movement drew in many people to Salsa. Its footwork has been danced to beat of piano, conga drums, and even the cowbell. Son music and dance are even what helped bring the drum into much of the mainstream music.

Today, Salsa has taken the world by storm with many different styles of the dance being created including, New York, Colombian, Rueda de Casino, Miami, and Los Angeles. Each of these different versions of Salsa typically has only a few changes in the timing for the basic steps which are used universally for the dance. As seen with many, many other dances, there’s not only one part of the world that falls in love with a dance as cool as the salsa!

You too can get in on the excitement that can be felt while Salsa dancing! Learn to dance Salsa in Mesa, Arizona at Dance FX Studios. We offer both private and group salsa dancing classes for you to enjoy.