There are so many different styles of Salsa dancing! These descriptions
are some of the more popular styles that you will see in the
Latin night clubs. I will explain the differences, where they
originated, and how they are unique.
Los Angeles Style Salsa
, Dancing "On 1"
Like all things from the region of Los Angeles, Hollywood,
and Southern California: Its all about flashiness, speed,
power, and making the impossible look easy! L.A. style salsa
is a fusion of traditional salsa with jazz, hip-hop, ballroom,
swing, and ballet. On the dance floor, one would recognize
an L.A. style salsa dancers first because they are eye catching
and flashy! L.A. dancers emphasize the "1", or they begin
dancing on the first beat of the music.
It was the L.A. style that popularized the numerous salsa tricks, neck drops, and "Hollywood" style salsa performances with costumes, themes, and acting. By far, this is the most widely spread style of dance here in the United States and abroad. Here in Memphis, we dance "L.A. Style".
Pioneers of L.A. style salsa are Luis and Joby Vazquez of Salsa Brava, Francisco Vazquez, Johnny Vasquez, Edgar "Tun Tun" Mendez, Alex DaSilva, Josie Neglia, Salomon Rivera, and Edie "The Salsa-Freak".
New York Style Salsa , Dancing "On 2"
The New York style of salsa evolved from the great NY Mambo dancers and the large ballroom influence there in "the Big Apple". One would recognize the NY style salsa dancers first because of their smoothness. New Yorkers emphasize control, style, and technique. Whenever you watch a New York style salsa dancer, they never look rushed and they perform these amazing turn combinations with crisp, clean execution. New Yorkers dance on the "2", or they begin dancing on the 2nd beat of the music.
New York style salsa is catching on like wildfire in large U.S. cities and abroad. This is the dominant style of salsa in the New York region and most parts of the East Coast. You will hear other other dancers refer to New York salsa by other names such as "Puerto Rican style" or "On 2" dancers.
Pioneers of New York style salsa include Angel and Addie Rodriguez, Eddie Torrez, Seon Bristol, Ismael Otero, Adie Diaz, Juan Matos, Luis Zegarra, and Nelson Flores.
Miami Style Salsa 
This is often referred to as "Casino" or "Casino Rueda". This
style of salsa is unique as it is largely influenced directly
from salsa's Cuban roots. One will notice Miami salsa dancers
because rueda is dance in groups of two or more couples interchanging
partners through a series of synchronized turn patterns. I've
seen entire clubs all dancing one huge rueda! Miami dancers
are distinguished by the complexity of their turn combinations.
Miami women are taught to loosen the tension in their arms
to allow the man to lead them through complex pretzels that
would otherwise be impossible to execute in New York or Los
Angeles styles of salsa. Another distinct trait of Miami style
salsa is their "prep" step which the dancers tap or hold the
8th beat before beginning their first step on the "1".
Miami style salsa is the dominant style of salsa in the southern Florida region.
Pioneers of Miami style salsa are Rene Gueits of Salsa Lovers Dance Studio, Luz Pinto, Vivian Campana, Alberto Pulles, Henry Herrera, Liliana Barcía, and Carlos Tellez.
Cumbia Style Salsa
The Cumbia style salsa evolved from the north coast region
of Colombia. Often referred to as "street-style", the "Cumbia"
is actually a different style of tropical music than salsa.
Cumbia music, like salsa, is comprised of an 8 beat underlying
rhythm so technically, it can be danced to salsa. The difference
is in the rhythm: the pauses inbetween the first three steps
and the last three steps is so long that its not natural to
dance salsa steps. One can dance Cumbia to salsa, but you
cannot dance salsa to Cumbia.
Cumbia is characterized by a back-step basic and because it is danced in a circular pattern with a "wind-up" motion before executing each turn. If you travel abroad in Latin America and dance with someone in the Latin nightclubs, chances are you'll dance Cumbia steps to salsa music! This is the most dominant style of dancing to salsa in Latin America. In Costa Rica, they call the Cumbia, "El Swing".
Pioneers of Cumbia: I have never found a school or a professional Cumbia instructor. All who dance Cumbia will tell you that they either learned from their parents, friends, at parties, or just from going out dancing in the Latin clubs. Because of this, many Cumbia dancers refer themselves as "street dancaers" having never taken a formal class.
Cuban Style Salsa
This is the style of salsa direct from its roots in Cuba. It is characterized by its male dominance. The Cuban basic step, often referred to as "guapea", is a distinct push-pull motion where the man and woman push off each other from an open break. The steps are similar to Merengue which emphasize the dancer's hips, often referred to as the "Cuban motion". Cuban style salsa looks unstructured, but hidden in this style are the roots of our modern-day salsa dancing.
