Salsa!

Everything you've ever wanted to know...

So, you've been doing salsa for a while, you love it (naturally), and want to know more. Well you've come to the right place! Here you'll find all sorts of information, hints and trivia about your favourite dance.

What is Salsa? The best dance you can do! Salsa is special, as it has the perfect blend of technical detail, and opportunity to improvise:-) The basic footwork, common moves, and technical details such as spinning technique and good weight transfer provide a language which all Salsa dancers understand and allow you to spontaneously dance with a complete stranger, yet make it look as if you've been practicing a routine for years!
However, Salsa doesn't insist that you stick to a set of rules... Instead you are encouraged to add your own personal styling, steps and body movements, depending on your interpretation of the music, your relationship with your partner, and your mood at the time!
Have a look at some of our favourite performance groups performing for a better idea... Yamulee show

For a better idea of social dancing, come to Anuba!

Are there different types of Salsa? Yes! The main types of Salsa danced in the UK (and Oxford) are Cuban Salsa (no spinning, stepped turns, dancers circle round each other), and Line Style Salsa (danced along a line, including lots of spins and flashy breaks and styling:-)).

• Line Style is also known as Cross Body Salsa, as it tends to consist heavily of varations on the cross body move. Line Style comes in 2 varieties - On1 and On2.
• Cuban Salsa is also the basis for Rueda.
• OUSS teaches Line Style On1, however all styles of Salsa are very welcome at our social nights, and you will see a mix of Line Style, Cuban and Rueda on any night at Anuba.

What is social dancing? While there are salsa performance groups, and even some competitions, salsa is primarily a social dance. Rather than learning routines, the aim is to learn to lead/follow individual moves, so that you can dance with anyone, anywhere, by improvising. This is the beauty of salsa - with just a few moves, you can walk into a salsa club anywhere in the world, and without speaking the language or knowing anyone, you can still join in and dance the night away:-)!

So, our lessons are the perfect place to learn moves and technique, but to practice and see what salsa is really about... come to our social nights! All levels very welcome! (Including Absolute Beginners - Salsa dancers are very friendly and all remember what it was like to be a beginner, so don't be nervous - come along and get dancing!)

Kate Moore has some great tips for new dancers. Follow her advice and you'll feel comfortable on the dance floor in no time!

Do I need a partner for lessons? If you don't have a partner, that's fine! Come along and we'll pair you up. Unlike lots of dance classes, salsa uses the wonderful rotation system. Everybody pairs up at the start, and stands in a circle around the teachers. If you don't have a partner - stand in a gap. Every couple of minutes everybody rotates... this way even if a class has uneven numbers, you only have a few minutes to wait, and you get to meet and dance with everybody in the class!

What should I wear? The most important thing is to be comfortable. Just wear something that won't inhibit your movement in any way. There is no dress code for lessons.

Do I need special footwear?
Salseros: Something comfortable that will move easily on a wooden floor. Trainers are fine.
Salseras: It is important to have a shoe that will not fall off your foot - anything that is strapped or tied on, like a trainer or sandle with a buckle is fine, or boots. At the Beginner and Improver level, flat shoes are fine, or heels if you are comfortable in them. At the Intermediate level and above, one should dance on the toes, so wearing shoes with a heel will help.