As with all dance styles the more you practice your salsa, the better. But this doesn’t mean you have to go crazy dancing salsa and only salsa for hours on end.
Some styles of dance can directly help different aspects and elements of your salsa. Here’s a guide on using other dance styles to improve your salsa and add variety to your routine.
Rumba Dance Style
1. Rumba Helps with Lead & Follow
American Rumba is a very accessible social dance. 90% of our 300+ members here at QuickSteps dance Rumba due to its easy-to-apply step patterns and the fact that you can dance it to almost any music. Therefore when our members come along to a dance event, even at the very early stages of their dancing, they can get up and dance straight away if they know even a tiny bit of rumba. If a salsa dancer learns some beginner 1 & 2 rumba they can use this to dance with other members of the QuickSteps community. From beginner to advanced, these interactions help dancers gain confidence in leading and following various partners, enhancing their skills for social salsa dancing.
2. Rumba Helps with Connection
Rumba is danced in a closed frame position as opposed to salsa which can often switch from closed frame to double hand hold.
These salsa dancers are dancing in double hand hold as opposed to Michelle and Francesco below, dancing in a closed frame hold.
In a closed frame, it is easier to both feel and apply a strong connection. By practicing this in Rumba you will automatically have a better connection with your partner during salsa steps that move into a closed frame position.
3. Rumba Helps with Learning Step Patterns at a Slower Pace
As Salsa and rumba are in the same family of Latin dances they share many of the same step patterns. The main difference? Rumba is danced at about 1/4 the speed of your typical salsa making it a much easier way to learn the step patterns off by heart before applying them to the faster music.
Head to this next blog to find some salsa songs to practice to
Bachata and Merengue
1. Bachata and Merengue Help with Hip Movement
The Bachata and Merengue dances typically emphasize the movement of the hips more than salsa will. Once you learn to move your hips at 100% in these two styles it is then a piece of cake to tone it down to the 70% wiggle that you will want to apply to your salsa.
2. Cuban Motion vs. Washing Machine Action
3. Bachata and Merengue Help with Body Isolation
Body Isolation is the method of moving one part of your body whilst keeping other parts still. Good body isolation creates a cleaner dance style and keeps dancers connected with their partners, preventing imbalance. In both Bachata and Merengue, while your hips move fluidly, keep your shoulders steady. This is called isolation. Once you learn this isolation technique you will be able to apply it to your salsa in the same way.
Never heard of Bachata or Merenegue? You can read all about the many styles of dance available to you here.
Rock ‘n Roll Dance Style
1. Rock ‘n Roll Helps with Aerobic Endurance
The first time you ever try rock n roll you will certainly leave the dance floor huffing and puffing! The fitter you become, the more you’ll enjoy dancing. The more you dance, the fitter you’ll become, and the cycle continues. Fitness is key to enjoying salsa, and rock ‘n’ roll dancing will certainly help you achieve it! Head here if you would like to find out more about fitness dancing.
2. Rock’n Roll Helps with Spin Technique
Probably the only dance that truly rivals salsa in the number of spins you can include is rock ‘n roll. So why not mix it up a bit by practicing your spins whilst grooving and rock ‘n rolling to some Beatles or Elvis Presley?!
