How to Dance the Puerto Rican Salsa
The Puerto Rican style of salsa works on the one or the two, which means the basic step can be started on the first or second beat of the music. There is also a huge emphasis on footwork and shines, which lets both partners show off individually. This flamboyant style requires precision and practice, but can be easily picked up at most salsa clubs.
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Instructions
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Learn Basic Moves for Puerto Rican Salsa
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Get the hang of the "on one," where the leader steps forward on the first beat, replaces (shifts his weight from the lead foot to the other foot) and steps back for a one, two, three. For beats five, six and seven, the leader steps back, replaces and steps forward. The partner moves with the leader as a unit. This step sets up other salsa moves and turns and is sometimes referred to as "quick-quick-slow."
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Dance "on two." This is a quick-quick-slow move that holds on the one and five, beginning on the second beat. The man should start with a "forward basic," which means he pauses or taps with his left foot, steps forward on the same foot, rocks back onto the right foot and steps back with the left foot, bringing the feet together. Follow this with a "backward basic"--tap the right foot, step back right, lean forward left and bring the right foot forward.
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Stay in your slot. Dance in a controlled place when surrounded by other dancers. During shines, or solos, you can spread out a bit, but for the most part, you should avoid traveling too much during the Puerto Rican salsa.
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Shimmy those shoulders. The shoulder shimmy appears frequently in Puerto Rican salsa and should be incorporated into the dance smoothly.
Master a Cross-Body Lead
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Turn by using a simple cross-body lead. The man turns 90 degrees to the left and leads the woman across him. The step is left, right and then step to the side (perpendicular to where you started). From there, simply step in place with the right and then the left before turning another 90 degrees and closing your feet by bringing your right foot next to the left one.
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Keep your right foot in place during the turn so the woman does not trip over your feet.
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Lead the woman with your right hand on her back throughout the cross-body lead. She steps across and does a left turn, and ends up facing the opposite direction in which she started. This is done on the one, two and three. For the five, six and seven, she should step back on the right foot, and then close her feet.
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Use cross-body leads to incorporate more complex turns into the dance. For example, a half turn incorporates a spin into the second measure of the cross-body lead. After you turn to the side, you spin your partner on the sixth beat so that she completely turns around by the pause at the eighth beat.
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Tips & Warnings
Move your foot about a half a footstep for each step in salsa. This allows you to keep up with the music. Larger steps slow you down and can cause you to lose the beat.
Decide whether you will dance on the one or the two. The combination of six steps over eight counts can start on the first or second beat. If you are dancing on a different beat than your partner, you'll only step on each other's toes.
