BASIC SALSA STEPS FOR PARTNERSHIP DANCING

by Dance Instructors Barbara Bernstein and Michele Kearney

Below is a description of some basic Salsa steps for partnership dancing in case you want to practice a few moves. Note that several of these steps are explained on my instructional video page with actual video footage of my walking through these moves with a partner. So between this written description of the moves and that video, you should be able to learn the most basic steps! Click here for instructional salsa videos, then watch the "Beginner Moves for Dancing Salsa" video clips. Remember that you always step in the "quick, quick, slow" rhythm (where a quick gets one beat and a slow gets two beats).  Also note that there are short video clips on the "Instructional Video" page which explain most of the steps below so you can actually SEE the footwork and the rhythm.  They are explained and then illustrated in partnership.  If you want to practice these basics, the video is very useful so you may want to check that out!      If you are not confident of your timing and want to be sure you are practicing correctly, you can get a CD that I produced with Michele Kearney titled "Rhythm Reminder." It has Salsa music with a voice over that calls the "quicks" and "slows" for dancers. Then the same music is repeated without the voice over so you can practice keeping time without that assistance. More information on this CD is available by clicking here.      Note that there is a page on this website with a video lesson on basic Salsa steps.  Go to the top of this page and click on the "instructional videos" button.  Then you can see how to do the Salsa basic, the underarm turn, and side rocks.  Each step is explained for both men and for women.  In conjuction with the written explanations below, these videos are very helpful.

Tom and Wendy dance salsa

     A useful hint for dance practice is to lift your foot slightly off the ground as you step onto the other foot. This is the same as when you walk. What you want to avoid is putting your foot down to take a step without actually shifting your weight to that foot. The way to be sure you have shifted your weight onto one foot is to lift the other foot slightly off the ground. Your steps are done by alternating which foot you are stepping onto---the right then the left, then the right, then the left, etc. This is the same as what you do when you walk. If you think this sounds obvious, let me tell you why I mention it. I know from experience that beginning dancers sometimes make the mistake of taking two steps in a row with the same foot. So as you practice, keep an eye out to be sure you are switching which foot you step onto continuously.


     It is a great help for dancers who are first learning, to take very small steps. Any imperfection in your rhythm or how your weight is centered, etc. tends to be minimized if the steps are very small. Larger steps can make it hard to be "on time" when the music is fast. Here is what I mean by a small step: One foot should not pass more than half a shoe-length beyond the other foot. It's really barely a step at all!


     As you learn increasingly complex moves, you will find that there are some exceptions to this rule where a large step is needed. But be advised that for beginners doing the steps listed below, you can't go wrong with tiny steps. Once you gain an understanding of these moves, then you can take larger steps if so inclined.