[Music Playing]
Alright, so we are going to be teaching you five crucial, crucial tips for your basic step, you have a forward and back basic or a side-to-side basic. These rules, apply to dancing it any level, anywhere. So let's do this. This is going to make your salsa basic standout from everybody else's. So first things first.
Remember to stand up straight, roll your shoulders back and just relax into it. Let's do a basic step starting forward on the left foot. Ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven and stop. Your left foot is forward, it's a count of one take a look down, at your left foot. See the direction, if it is pointing directly straight ahead, that's fine.
But ideally you want a 2°-3°outward tilt that is to your left with your left foot. By tilting your foot outward, you give the dance a much better look; one, two, three, five, six, seven. Why do you want to avoid? Well, if you didn't point your toes outward, you might have an inward tilt with your feet which would end up looking like, that's right. It would end up looking like this, like an inward tilt with the V. You want to avoid that at all cost. You do that by tilting your foot just a little bit outward 2°-3° you'll have a great looking basic step.
Let's try that ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three, five, six stop looking good. Tip number two, you want to make sure, that when you dance your basic step you are actually moving your body forward and back. What do I mean by that? Your body comes forward over your feet and back over your feet. A lot of people when learning, don't commit their weight over their feet, specifically over the balls, the forward parts of their feet. What they do is they just put their feet out, one, two, three, five, six, seven; one, two, three, five, six, seven; one, two, three.
You want to make sure, when you move, your body actually, moves over your feet forward and back. Let's try that, your body moving forward, your body moving back, ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three, five, six stop, looking good. Now, your body is moving forward and back, that's great. But a lot of times, when people start moving forward and back, they run into problem number three and that is the bounce.
The bounce is what happens when you start moving your body and it's a brand new feeling to you and so you start bouncing forward and bouncing back and that fact, is if you were dancing swing this is what it would all be about, the bounce. But in salsa, all you want to be is smooth. What that means, is your going to move your body forward and back smoothly, along the floor. You want to take a look at your head, make sure, your head does not bounce. So when you are practicing this, in front of the mirrors, I know, you all are going to be doing that. You will want to make sure, that your head stays at a consistent level, when your practice. You want to make sure, that you are gliding your feet about a quarter of an inch off, the floor as you move forward and back and there's no bounce no bouncing, that's tip number three.
Tip number four, such an easy tip, take a look. When your hands are down by your sides, and you dance it gives you a very lifeless look, it's like okay, I am dancing, but you don't have any feeling. The minute you bring your hands up and even just let them relax above, your waist and we'll get into the footwork, when you move your hands with your feet in a second, but the minute you bring your hands up, you immediately are more engaged, it immediately ups your entire body, it gives you a more forceful look. You want to make sure, that you always dance with your hands above your waist and what we call, neutral position, which is just hands relaxed right in front of you, palms facing towards your stomach, don't get and doing a Hulk Hogan pose, make sure, to relax and just kind of keep your hands at your waist, a piece of cake when you dance.
We are going to teach you a little bit about, how to move your hand, a little bit, later. But for now, as long as they are up, you are doing a great job. This is specifically, important for the followers, because the guys well -- the leaders are going to be asking for those hands. And if they are always at your waist, they'll always know, where to know come get them.
So keep your hands at the waist, let's do all the four tips, we have done so far. Ready and one, two, three, five, six stop, very good. Now, the most important tip. This is it, this is a gold mind, this is a gold at the end of the rainbow, this is everything. If you get this one single tip, your salsa dancing will be phenomenal like specially in social dance situations. The tip is simply this, small steps, small steps, small steps, small steps.
What do I mean by small steps? I mean, probably the size of your own shoe print. When I am in class, I often say, half the size, of your own shoe print. So obviously, I am taping a DVD right now, I am taking bigger steps, I need to show it to you. But let's actually, show you what I'll dance like in an actual social dance situation, in an actual club. My steps will be very small as well, yours by half of your own shoe print. I am going to go with my whole shoe print, but that's about it. This is going to do so many things, and I'll tell you what they are right, after we practice it. Lets do it, small steps, ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three side basics small one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three forward basic small and one, two, three, five, six stop.
What you'll immediately notice, when you take small steps is one. This is important you look better. It looks better to take small steps. A lot of people when they are first learning salsa dance, the big steps combine with the fast music, can make it really, really tough to dance. The minute you take smaller steps, you are more controlled and you will look a hundred times better. Not alone, would be a good enough better, but there is more.
Number two, the reason you want to take small steps is the you'll be able to dance to the faster music. The music itself, it can get really, really quick, talking about, really, really quick. The smaller steps you take, the easier time, you'll have dancing to the faster music, that's bonus number two. Bonus number three to small steps which is equally important is we hope that this DVD gets you out into the club, gets you out salsa dancing. And the first thing you'll notice, when you get out there is, there's a whole lot of other people out there salsa dancing and that means a smaller steps you take, you'll actually be able to dance in a smaller space, you'll be more compact, you will not have injuries with other people, you will not run into other people. You will be the person on the dance floor that looks controlled, stylish and graceful; not running in to other people on the floor as you dance. Those are some serious bonuses to small steps. So I hope you take them to heart.
Let's practice these entire five tips standing up straight, nice and relaxed, basic ready and one, two, three, five, six, seven and one, two, three, five, six stop. Now how is that for crazy.
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