How to Dance Salsa - Basic Salsa Dancing Step

[Music Playing] So let's talk about, how this dvd is laid out. We are first going to start with the absolute rhythm and timing of salsa. This is probably one of the most important thing. So we are going to break it down and make it very understandable. We're then, going to put that into the salsa basic step and we are going to actually dance that basic step ourselves and with our partner. We're then, going to put that into salsa dance patterns, we are going to do the entire thing to music, we are going to have a great time. So let's get started. The first thing, we are going to do, is actually learn about, the rhythm and the timing of salsa music. So here's what I want you to think and this is the best part eight. The magic number eight. that's the number of beat. So it will exist in our measures of salsa music. It goes like this, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. That is the eight beats in a measure of salsa music. We are going to learn a basic salsa step that fits within those eight beats and then, we are going to dance that step over and over and over again, just like the beats themselves, it repeats and repeats and repeats throughout an entire salsa song. So let's learn a little bit about the rhythm. The rhythm of all salsa music worldwide, is going to be quick, quick, slow; quick, quick slow, and that fits within those eight beats. If we clapped it out, it would be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight that's always the rhythm. Sometimes the counting changes, depending on the style of salsa that your learning. We're learning on one west coast style. But the rhythm always remains the same. It will always be quick, quick, slow and it will always go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. So let's actually learn the basic steps, right now, to the salsa dance. So here's what I want you to do. At home, bring your feet together, completely together. Stand up straight, bring your shoulders back, bring your palms up above your waist, palms facing towards your stomach and bend your knees just a little bit. We are going to start our basic and we should have our feet parallel to one another, very close. Count of one. I would like everyone to step forward on their left foot. Man or woman count of one step forward on your foot, ready and one. Great job, seven beats to go that's the kind of one, let's try it together again, ready and one. You replace your weight onto your right foot for the count of two. Two bring your left foot back to your right foot and shift your weight for the count of three, three pause count of four. Let's just try those four beats right now. It's going to go forward, one replace on your right foot, two, bring your left foot back to your foot and shift your weight for three, pause count four. Let's try it, ready and one, two, three, four. Last time, ready and one, two, three, four very good. Let's finish up the eight counts now. We are going to step back on our right foot for the count of five. Ready and five. Replace your weight on your left foot, for the count of six. Six, bring your right foot back to your left foot and shift your weight for the count of seven, seven pause count eight. Alright, tricky part. Let's start from the count of five going back on your right foot into the last four counts, ready and five, six, seven, eight. One more time five, six, seven, eight. Now, we understand the full eight beats. Let's do the whole eight beats together and here, is the trick. Count out loud with me. I know, you are at home and your thinking, I am not going to count out loud in my living, but that's exactly what you need to do. Count out loud with me, up to eight during the basic steps starting forward on your left food, ready and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Again, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Again, one, two, three, four, five, six last time one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Great! That's going to be your solid basic step. This is something we are going to practice and practice and practice throughout the entire video. But what we are learning right now, is leader's footwork and but ladies, I would like you to be doing it along with us, because honestly we are going to be -- it's the exact same footwork, we are just going to change it up just a little bit, when we actually invite our partners on. So for now, I want you to learn how to count, because we're actually not going to count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. We are going to count one, two, three, five, six, seven. We are not going to count beat four and we are not going to count beat eight. Why? Because we're not actually going to be changing our weight or shifting or doing our footwork on those beats. We are pausing on beats four and we are pausing on the beat of eight. Therefore, we only count the beats that we shift our weight on. So doing that out loud it would look like this, one, two, three, five, six, seven; one, two, three, five, six, seven. We are still pausing on the beat of four and we are still pausing on the beat of eight. But we don't count it out loud, because we are not shifting our weight on those beats. But here's what I want to make clear. The beauty of this way to dance is every time you utter a number out loud, you should be shifting your weight from foot-to-foot every single time, you utter a number. If you count out loud and you don't take a step, when you are counting, chances are you just missed a beat. So it's a great way to stay on timing with the music. So let's do it together, the basic step with the new counting way, one, two, three, five, six, seven. We are still pausing on count four and pausing on count eight. We are not actually, counting them out loud. So let's try it, ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven again, one, two, three, five, six, seven again, one, two, three, five, six, seven again, one, two, three, five, six, seven to the rhythm. Quick, quick, slow; quick, quick, slow; quick, quick, slow; quick, quick, slow again, one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three, five, six stop. Great job. [Music Playing]