Salsa Dance Steps - How to Learn the Right Salsa Dancing Moves to Turn Heads On The Dance Floor

Salsa dance steps aren't as hard to learn as you might think. Read on to find out how to get good at Salsa dancing by practicing all the right moves.
And yes, it does take quite a bit of practice to get it right, and to become familiar enough with those steps that you won't be distracted by more complicated moves. So it's important to give proper attention to the basics.

As you surely already know, Salsa is a Latin dance, just like Tango and Mambo. In fact, the steps are very similar for all those dances, so if you know one or both of these, you're already way ahead of the game. If not... you'll simply have to do a bit of catching up.

The Basics

Here's the basic pattern for Salsa dance steps: essentially, you take six steps over 8 beats of music, sort of in a "quick quick slow, quick quick slow" kind of pattern. You can step either forwards and backwards, or from side to side.

There's a bit of a debate as to which step should be skipped, the first or the fourth...

The alternative pattern would be something like "pause quick quick quick pause quick quick quick." It ends up a lot like the previous one except that you're one beat off when compared to the other version.

You might find followers of both approaches on the same dance floor... Of course, there's a lot of sexy hip movement as well, which makes this a terrific core strengthening exercise, or, put a different way, if you've got a strong "core," you'll naturally be better at this.

Either way... the basics are not hard to learn at all. I actually learned my first basic Salsa steps from a Salsa aerobics video and a basic salsa dancing instructional video. Then I went to a concert, and was able to keep up pretty well.

But of course, to get actually good at dancing Salsa you have to go beyond the very basic Salsa Dance Steps.

Beyond the Basics

So how can you learn the more advanced Salsa dance steps?

As much fun as it is to get into the advanced stuff, don't rush things. Personally, I believe that it's important to be really solid with the basics, so practice them a lot with some cool Salsa music, which is a kind of fusion of various Afro-Caribbean and Latin musical styles, and which is both fast and energetic. How fast? About 180 beats per minute, which makes it ideal for aerobic exercise as well as for a high-energy party.

You may want to check out some music from the major salsa artists include Tito Puente, Marc Anthony (yep, the one all over the tabloids right now), Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Jerry Rivera. Then practice your Salsa dance steps....

Get Started Now

If you're interested in dancing and specifically in dancing Salsa, here's how to get started. First, focus on getting really comfortable with your basic Salsa dance steps so you can graduate to the advanced moves with confidence:

Go get yourself some basic instructional videos along with some music by Tito, Marc, Celia and others, and dance away, until you can practically do the salsa dance steps on auto-pilot.

Ready to get started? Grab my FREE Dancing Success eBook for lots of great tips on what it takes to get good at dancing Salsa and other Latin dances (and even the Waltz).

And click the link for more info on Salsa Dancing.

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The Basic Steps of the Charming Cha Cha Dance

The Cha Cha Dance is a flirtatious party dance which originated in Cuba; considered to be among the most versatile Latin dances, the Cha Cha can be danced to Latin Pop or Latin Rock music or authentic Cuban sounds. Originally, it was danced to the music of Enrique Jorrin, a Cuban composer in 1953; today, this dance is known to be among the most popular dances among professionals and beginners.

The Cha Cha is known for its highly captivating rhythm which can be described as one step, two step then cha-cha-cha; basically the dance involves shifting the weight from left foot to the right and vice versa. This dance has a tempo of twenty eight to thirty four measures for each minute and is written in four beats per measure; five steps are completed and these involve a couple of slow steps, a couple of quick ones and then followed by a single slow step.

The basic steps for the man is to first take a forward step with his left foot; with his right foot in place, the man must then shift the weight to it. With his left foot, he must sidestep towards the left; the man then moves his right foot to his left. With his lead foot, he again sidesteps to the left. Then, with his right foot, he takes a step backwards and to the left. With his left foot in place, the man must shift the weight into it; he then takes a step forward and then to the right using his right foot then moves his lead foot to his right foot. The man again sidesteps to the right using his right foot.

The basic Cha Cha Dance steps for the woman is to take a step backwards using her right foot; she must then shift the weight to her left toe which is held in place. The woman then sidesteps to her right using her right foot; then she moves her left foot to her right foot. She then sidesteps towards the right using her right foot, and then takes a forward step. She must take a step to the right using her left foot and with her right foot in place, the woman must shift the weight to it; again, she must take a backward step and then a step to the left using her left foot. The woman then moves her right foot to her left toe and finally, sidesteps towards the left using her left foot.

Adam J. Reynold writes about the Cha Cha Dance and other Ballroom Dances.

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Tips For Basic Swing Dance Steps

You. Yes, you. I know who you are. You're the person who loves to dance. There are many of us you know, in different stages of development. Maybe you are just beginning and in need of some foundational instructions. Here are tips to add to your basic swing dance steps that will help get you on your way to becoming a dancing sensation.

Alright, the first thing we need to learn about is proper positioning. Swing dancing is a partner dance so you need to find a partner, preferably one that is not inanimate and is from the opposite sex. Always keep in mind that the man is the lead and the woman is the follower. Your contact consists of your hands and your eyes. Maintain good eye contact at all times.

The man should hold his right arm at a 90 degree angle holding the woman's and lightly holding the partner's waist or hip area. The woman's left hand should hold on to the man's shoulder or arm. Her right hand should rest lightly on the man's hand. This is the closed hold for swing dancing. It may vary so keep in step with the choreography.

While most dances should have a straight back, in swing dancing, your back must be slightly hunched. The knees should be slightly bent so that change in steps would be easier. Swing is generally a fast paced dance so keep your foot work small and precise so you would be able to keep up with the quick movements in the dance.

Even if you are just starting, endeavor not to keep looking down to check on your footwork. When you do, you will stumble all over yourself and worse, step on your partner's feet as well. Look at your partner. Build good chemistry with him/her. This will help you anticipate each other's moves better. As you progress in dancing, you will find that good partnering can cover and make up for mistakes that you and your partner may have made on the dance floor.

It's good if you have a friend you can partner with, but you should try to dance with other partners as well. This will help you learn from a lot of different people's styles and make you more versatile as a dancer and as a partner. When you master the art of partnering, other people will be lining up to have you to dance with them because they know that this is an integral part in any ballroom dance.

If you are just beginning in your swing dancing adventure, I highly recommend that you check out instructional dance videos to help you improve your steps. There are valuable tips that you can glean from the professional and experienced dancers who are teaching the online course. What's more, you can always play it back every time you feel that you need a refresher course on some steps.

Use these tips to add to your basic swing dance steps and catapult yourself in becoming a better dance in no time at all. Enjoy!

For more great tips on swing dancing basic steps and other types of ballroom dancing lesson, check out SwingDanceStepsOnline.com

Original article