Finding the Salsa Beat: A Beginners Guide

I am a ballroom dance instructor. However, I teach a lot of Salsa! Tons. Over the past 15 years I've gotten every question under the sun about this addictive style of dance. Right now I'd like to address the most common question.

1.) How do I find the beat? How do I know if I'm on the 1 or not?

The short answer is: Listen to a lot of music. Train your ear!

The long answer is: Salsa is one of the most rhythmically complex styles of music. There are a ridiculous amount of rhythm instruments to trip you up. Clave, cowbell, congas, timbales, guiro, bongos, maracas, piano and bass...to name a few. And they all have different rhythm patterns, so how the heck will you figure it out once the horns are blasting away on top of that?

First thing I always ask people to listen for is the cowbell. Usually this instrument is played on odd numbers or the beat that is emphasized is an odd number. (1, 3, 5, 7) Choose one of these beats to take your first step and you'll probably choose correctly.

Second thing I do is direct people to: http://www.salsabeatmachine.org/
This thing is amazing! Available as an app as well, you can turn each instrument on/off including a nice instructor voice that will count for you! He'll count just about any way you want. The instruments are equipped with a few common rhythms that are used for salsa. So I strongly recommend turning on only 1 or 2 instruments at a time (along with the instructor voice) and getting a feel for what each one does with counts. Start listening to salsa music and you'll start hearing those beat patterns in the music.

2.) Why does it matter if I start on 1 / Why can't I dance on 5? (mostly a question I get from the guys)

It really matters to the ladies and your teacher, lol. Seriously though, dances were created in response to what music was doing. Music came first, dancing came second. So historically speaking, there are many reasons why the steps happen with the music as it does. I won't get into that right now though.

The poor men trying to learn salsa...sigh. I feel for you. Almost every guy has had a lady say, "You're off" or, "That wasn't the 1". Frustrating isn't it? Then you ask them how to find it and they say something like, "You just feel it.". Ha! Really?! Just feel the music when you have 10 other things to do, all under the umbrella of "leading"? Right.

Let me just tell you one of the underlying reasons we take that forward/backward break step where we do. It's that lovely instrument, the clave. Salsa is in a 4/4 time signature. That means there are 4 beats in a measure. The clave rhythm pattern takes up 2 measures. Meaning it takes two measures before the pattern repeats itself again.

There is a 2 3 clave pattern. Here's a simple version of how it looks:

There are 2 beats in the first measure and 3 beats in the second measure.

There is also a 3 2 clave pattern. Here's how it looks:

It has 3 beats in the first measure and 2 beats in the second measure.

And here's how those rhythms sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsTfm1xIvPA

There are many more instruments to go over but I'll stop for now with the clave and cowbell. Use the Salsa Beat Machine to help you. It's a great tool for practice!

Final tip for the leaders who are just starting out. If you can't find the beat and you're in the club, you have two options. Option #1 is look at the dancers already dancing on the floor and go forward when they do! Option #2 is, After asking a lady to dance, tell the lady you are new to this dance and ask if she could count you in. Don't be afraid to ask for help. They will be so happy you care about being on the beat and will gladly help you out!

Happy dancing and hope to see you on the dance floor! 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3......

Ballroom Dance Party Etiquette

This is a subject very close to my heart. When I first became an instructor I was working for a very large dance school. The emphasis in the school was on social dancing, not so much competitive dancing. I was amazed and appalled on a weekly basis at the behavior of the people attending the party. Amazed at the people who danced every dance with anyone and everyone, and smiled the whole time. Appalled at the people who were just plain rude to people they didn't know just because they perceived themselves to be better than everyone they had never met. I'm glad I had this observation. It gave me the knowledge to arm my students with everything they needed to navigate the scary waters of a ballroom dance party. I'm going to share with you what I shared with them in 3 simple rules.

Rule #1... Dress nice & smell good
I'm not saying you need to wear a 3 piece suit, tuxedo or formal gown. But men, your dance shoes look great with slacks. I recommend wearing a long sleeve shirt because most ladies will have bare arms. By the time you've had a few dances your dance partners will begin to stick to you. Yuck ;) Wear an undershirt. It will soak up most of the sweat for most of the evening. And bring a small towel to dry the sweat from your face and neck.
If you are a REALLY sweaty guy, it's ok. Just bring a couple dry shirts and undershirts with you in your dance bag. I knew a guy in California who had to do this. Despite his extra sweaty body he was always on the dance floor. He took periodic breaks to change into a fresh shirt, dry socks, wipe off with a towel/baby wipe, put on fresh deodorant and brush his teeth. That may seem a bit overkill but I'll tell you, he always got to dance all night. The ladies loved dancing with him.
As far as cologne or perfume is concerned, go easy. Some people are mildly allergic. Luckily at most parties the air conditioning is going so you shouldn't have to worry about it if you spray lightly.

Rule #2... Dance with at least 3 people you've never danced with before.
Scary one right? Ask someone to dance that you've never met? Not one but three?! Yes, this is one of the best things you can do at a party. (I say this to men, but ladies you are allowed to ask the men to dance too! In fact, many guys are flattered when you do.) Let's say you go to a party for the first time and you don't know anyone. If you ask 3 people to dance that night you will know 3 new people. Now let's say you come back next week and do the same thing. Asking those people from last week won't be as scary because you know them now! And by the end of the night you will have 3 more dance friends. It won't be long before you know everyone there and that makes parties so much more fun. Eventually you'll have favorite people, but always dance with anyone who has previously extended the courtesy and privilege of a few small minutes of their night. You'll also find that if you attend more than one dance event at more than one venue many of the same people will be there. Now parties aren't looking so scary, are they? ;)

Rule #3... If you decline a dance from someone you sit out the entire song!
It is extremely rude to tell someone "no" for a dance and then immediately go do that dance with another person. I'm not saying you can't ever say "No", I'm saying there is a right way and wrong way to go about it.
There are ways to handle saying "No" to a dance. If you're tired and someone asks, "Would you like to dance?". You say, "I need a break right now. But please come find me for the next one!". Then it's a good idea to go busy yourself by getting water or going to the restroom. If someone tries to ask you again you can say, "I'm taking a quick breather but I'll come find you in a bit." Then be sure to do so. You can even promise the next Tango, for example, to someone. Just be sure to deliver on that promise.
Never, ever tell someone "No" because they aren't good enough to dance with you. NEVER!!! Did you come onto the dance scene as an expert? No. Are you always perfect at dancing? No. We all start somewhere and we were all unsure in the beginning. How did you build confidence? People, even the good dancers, took a couple minutes of their night to dance with you. It probably wasn't that great for them, but I bet it inspired the heck out of you! "That's what it feels like?!", you thought. Yes, it is amazing when you know how to dance. But if you keep being rude to all the beginners there won't be any fun new people to dance with in the future. This goes double for the ladies. NEVER tell a guy he's not good enough. There are so few men learning to dance in the first place. Then you tell some guy he sucks, then he quits. You lose future partners, I lose business. ;) Nobody wins here.
I'll close this section with a story. One of my students had only been dancing about a month. I finally got him to commit to going to a dance party (with the promise I would be there). He came looking good and smelling nice. I introduced him to other beginners and other dancers I knew. It was fantastic. He started going to parties every week and stayed to dance later and later into the night. I gave him Rule #2 and he had an even better time. One week, at a party, he decided to ask a lady he was super nervous about asking. You know, because she was soooo good. We'll call her Miss Thing. But he had a 3 person quota to fill so off he went to ask for a dance. She looked at him and literally said, "No, you're not good enough for me." And that was that. Fast forward 4 years... He's still dancing, taking lessons, group classes, has been to dance camps and has many friends at the various places he dances. And he is a pretty darn good dancer! Wouldn't you know "Miss thing" comes over and asks him to dance. Apparently not knowing this was the same guy she turned down 4 years ago. He politely said "No" and went about his night. He told me later it felt really good to turn her down after the way she treated him all those years ago. I'm pretty sure he still hasn't danced with her to this day. Moral of the story? Just be nice, geez!

Cleaning Makeup Brushes

It is recommended that you wipe your brushes clean after each use. 

You should also give them a thorough washing, with soap and water, at least once a week. 

If you are using your brushes to do someone else's makeup, wash them before using them again on yourself. 

Items needed:

 Baby wipes / Makeup remover wipes

 Mild shampoo / Baby shampoo

 Tea tree oil (optional)

 Warm water

 Sink or small bowl

 Dry towel

1. After each use, your makeup brushes can be wiped with a fresh baby wipe. This will help reduce build-up of make-up residue and oils.

2. Once a week, fill your sink or small bowl with a couple of inches of warm water and add  about a tablespoon of shampoo. Optionally add 3-4 drops of Tea Tree oil (available at stores such as The Body Shop, Trader Joes and Whole Foods) and work into a sudsy mixture.

3. Place your brushes in the solution and gently rub the bristles between your fingers for at least 30 seconds for each brush.

4. Rinse each brush thoroughly in warm water, making sure to get all shampoo residue off.

5. Pat the brushes dry with the towel, reshape the bristles, then lay them flat on the towel. Keep them in a warm, dry location to finish air-drying completely. 

Closed Dance Position

One of the first things we learn in Ballroom dancing is Closed Dance Position. We are taught that the Lady's position is slightly off-set on the Man's right side. Ever wonder why the right side and not the left? Have you ever wondered why we travel counter clockwise instead of clockwise?  After years of dancing and years of asking I finally found an answer. Maybe it's not THE answer, but I feel it's the most plausible.
Enjoy!

"The peculiar ballroom dancing “Closed Hold” possibly had its origins in the time when men wore swords while dancing.... As most men are right handed, it was conventional to wear the sword and scabbard on the left-hand side of the belt, to facilitate the drawing of the sword with the right hand. It is hard to draw a sword with the right hand with the scabbard on the right. Thus if a man was to put his arm around a lady’s back, she would have to be on his right, or she would keep tripping over the sword....For a simple [stroll] around the floor, the man would naturally take the inside of the circle, so that his sword did not hit the legs of the audience around them, and the woman would be on his right arm on the outside of the circle. They would then have to [dance] anti-clockwise which is probably the origin of the anti-clockwise progression of the ballroom dances around the floor." by Don Herbison-Evans

Performance December 3rd. 5:30-8:30

We are excited to be performing Dec. 3 from 5:30 - 8:30 at Arcitectural Artifacts for the showing of the works of Argentinian Metal Sculptor Jose Thenee. Come join us with an evening of dance, art and wine!

Visit us at http://precisiondancesport.com/