BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Latin Music Favorite Latin Dance??

What's your favorite Latin dance? I love the Salsa, though I know I look sooo funny trying to do it, especially after I see it on Dancing with the Stars, lol!

I love watching Argentine tango - it's such a sensual dance. But since I am latino I dance at our local salsa club, we dance salsa, merengue, bachata. i like them all but salsa is my favorite. Samba is fun to watch too

Hi ERA!

I forgot about the tango and the merengue! I think I love the music that accompanies these dances as much as I like the dances.

My favorite Latin dance - probably because it is the one I am best at and know more about - is salsa. It has complex rhythms, fun turns, creative improvisation, and sexy hip action when done correctly. Check out the following two videos: both are completely improvised. The first is for a Jack & Jill competition (where your partner and the song are randomly picked, no choreography), and the second is just two people social dancing. Just a fun dance!

Hi Karin!

Thank you so much for posting those videos!

I can't believe the Jack and Jill competition--those two were so good!

Have you ever been in a competition like that? I have...in my mind, lol!

However, it doesn't stop me from thinking I can do it after I watch a dancing show like dancing with the stars. Of course, two minutes later, after trying to even remotely do the same moves, I am forced back to reality.

I still have fun trying, though, lol!

Thanks again for posting the videos!

Brandii,

Learning to dance is like a child learning to move. First he or she starts to crawl, then walk and run, and soon they are able to do incredible things like gymnastics or soccer. And it all starts from the very beginning.

It took lots of practice for me to move from a beginning to more advanced dancer. Dancing like the dancers in those videos requires lots of muscle memory and knowledge of the structure of the music and dance so they can create and improvise within the dance. When you get to that level, it's so much fun, but it does require a certain amount of time and energy devoted to get to that level.

For me, it took a couple of months until I could dance salsa with everyone in my dance community and follow all of the moves, improvise on the spot, and get my hips moving. And there is still so much for me to learn - there are different styles of salsa, from LA style to NY style, from dancing "on 1" to dancing "on 2."

What you have to remember also is that in Dancing With The Stars, they are learning a single routine. This does not mean that they can lead and follow and improvise like the dancers in these videos. Performing/competing and social dancing are two completely different sets of skills. The social dancers above are dancing within a structure and have certain set moves that are typically done, but notice in the first video how much the gentleman is matching the moves they do to the music - that is all improvised and takes different skills than memorizing a routine beforehand. Both are interesting and fun, but they are very different.

Don't forget to tune in to Dancing With The Stars tonight!