      SALSA ARTICLES
      LOCAL PROFILES
      LOCATIONS TO SALSA
      SALSA MEMBERSHIP
      SALSA CLASSES
      GALLERY OF PHOTOS
      SALSA COMPETITIONS
      CONTACT US

SALSA DANCING ON TWO

This is something that when talking about Salsa, you just have to also know about dancing on two. It just something that is part of it all as well as dancing on one and all the other styles there is. Without one, there is not this one, and back and forth.

But what I have here in this article is a better explanation of what is like to dance on two for those of us who don't know what the fuzz is about.

One very important issue to get across before I make any of my points in this article is that dancing on two is just as cool to dance on one. Do you like to steak with steak sauce, well so do I, but there are some countless others that like it without. It's just a matter of preference if you ask me. There is no right or wrong way, it's just a different of opinion and tastes.

This is by no means a way to get into a huge argument of which is better. It is just so you understand the other one, because like I said before, it is just another way to dance Salsa, not the wrong way.

A brief history of dancing on two is to talk about the Palladium days in the fifties. This goes back when Tito Puente and many others were just shocking the world with the right stuff. Yes, it is that old!

One of the main things that you will learn about dancing on two, is the claim that if you dance on two, you are dancing to the beat of LA CLAVE. It is more the feeling than the power the one gives you, hence the way the dancers on two look more fluid than the dancers on one. A really great quote that I think describes dancing on two the best is what Cuban Pete said:

Dancing "ON 1" - is dancing "TO" the music!
Dancing "ON 2" - is dancing "IN" the music!

So the bottom line is that you can hear the one, loud and clear. But when you feel the two, you can express more emotion through it and inside it.

Now you may ask if it is better to dance on one or the two. Well, my answer to that is to learn both ways, that way you can see what each one of them is about and then make your descision. How are you going to know if one is better for you than the other without trying both of them first.

It is really not that great when someone tries to convince you that one is better than the other if you haven't tried the other one. That answer is really up to you, you are the only one that can answer that question.

As far as I can remember, I have seen people switching from one to two, because they realized how great it was to dance on two, and I have seen people switch to dance on one because they realized how great it was to dance on one. So as you can see, difference is in the eye of the beholder.