What is Salsa Style?

What is Salsa Style?

Some questions benefit from a full answer and this is one of them.
Style is one of the most overused terms in salsa. Sometime used as a compliment 'great style' or often negatively as in 'poor style' 'bad style' 'wrong style' 'other style.
First I'm going to divide the term style into three separate terms:

Your Style:  

That is your personal style. The habitual way you dance. Your 'look'.

I like this simple easy definition-  Style = Habit.

It follows that 'good style' reflects a habitual look you like, and 'bad style' reflects habits you wish to avoid or loose.
Important! Whatever you practice becomes habitual and therefore your style, and that means the good stuff as well as the bad!

So what influences your style?
The main influences are:

• Efficiency- Dancers dance fast for hours, their movements become polished and efficient. So get efficient and look more advanced.
• Consideration- A leaders reputation in based on how good the follower feels when dancing with him. Play nice and you're nice.
• Confidence- Ditch the 'I'm a nervous beginner' style and practice the 'this is the real confident me style, even if it's a case of fake it 'til you make it!
• The crowd you dance with - Everyone wants to fit in and your style will adapt to the people you dance with.
• Where, when and who you've learnt from- but don't be defined by this. It's just your starting point and you make the choices!
• Who you're dancing with - Make them feel comfortable and challenge yourself to adapt. Yes this is consideration again but it's important!

 Styling: 

I define styling as extra movements that are deliberately used for expression.
e.g. At a strong 'Ta-da' moment in a track the follower shoots her arm into the air. -awesome!
This may be habitual e.g. at the end of every spin the follower flicks her hair.- less awesome!
Important! Styling is not part of the mechanics of leading and following.  Moves never require styling but can be enhanced by styling. Beware styling that affects the mechanics of leading and following as it limits the repertoire and breaks the flow of moves. At worse styling becomes a predicable cliché where individual personality and expression is lost.

Regional Style: 

Here we go....

Is your styling Persian?

Wherever salsa has become popular local trends have created regional styles. They often reflect local cultural traditions, innovations, fads and fashions.  In one city dancers do more of this and less of that, compared with those from another city who seldom do this, but do loads of that. Often the traditions define the regional style's default footwork pattern (basic step)

• The Cuban basic derives from Guapea (aka 'around the world' reversed) which in turn derives from a European gentlemen's bowing gesture c.16th century (think of the cat in Shrek doing a low sweeping bow with his).

• L.A. basic derives from the Ballroom/Latin American dance industry mambo step on one which came from the Mambo craze of the 1950's (Mambo originated in Cuba c.1938)

• Columbian basic derives from earlier dances of Bugalu and Pachanga (Mambo fused with cha cha cha).

Note. I love the idea that we're in some way connecting with past generations but hate it when people get hung up on 'authenticity.' In the UK if we want proper authenticity we should go learn morris dancing. Nooooooo!

Soft definitions are best:
Regional styles are best seen through loose fuzzy definitions. The more fuzzy the more accurate the definition becomes. Conversely the harder or more defined the description the the harder it is to find examples.
I was taught (incorrectly) that Cubans don't spin. That's a hard definition. I went to Havana and the Cubans were spinning away like electric drills. What should have been taught to me is that in Cuban style, if given the opportunity to turn or spin they will more often turn. A much softer description and a lot more accurate.

Here are a few soft definitions for you, there are many more regions I haven't mentioned.

• Cuban style: Rotational (Leader moving clockwise) Grounded, Loose upper body.
• L.A style: Linear (up and down a slot), sharp, crisp, fast,  emphasis on the first beat of the bar. 
• NY style: Linear, fluid, highly stylised, emphasis on the second beat of the bar.
• Colombian/ Venezuelan style: Static, fast footwork, rigid upper body.

Often dancers think there is their style (the authentic/ best/ proper ) and 'the other' If they've learnt LA style everything else is Cuban and visa versa!  Back in the 1990's I printed notes for my classes that had exactly the same two horse race, but back then it was Colombian and Cuban. Maybe everything becomes a Coke vs Pepsi concept in the end?

London Style: The first time the term was coined was in 1996 on the Streetbeat website. It was referring to a smooth rotational, soft Cuban style with the relaxed fluidity championed by  Afro-Caribean Londoners. By the end of the 1990's LA had swept it away and Leon Rose promoted a 'London Style' as a soft LA style or NY on one.

Style changes over time: Styles change, sometimes suddenly and sometimes very slowly. Cuban style suddenly changed in the mid 1980's when many Hispanic Cubans emigrated to Miami leaving a more Afro Cuban population in Havana. Naturally the style shifted towards a more Afro-Cuban style and Miami was the place for crisp and sharp Miami Cuban style.
I think it's fair to say that the influence of Hip hop, Street and Reggaton have influenced all styles.
In the UK, Strictly Come Dancing with it's millions of viewers, plus an influence of East European migrants with a recent tradition of Ballroom/Latin has greatly stylised the linear scene. While tourism to Cuba and our Afro/ Afro  Caribbean population have made the Cuban scene ever more Afro. There also seems to be a 'selfie' cultural effect on salsa where dancers are more conscious of their look and how they appear to the crowd.
Today's style becomes tomorrow's old/out-of-date style which becomes the futures 'retro cool' style.

The Future? Certainly a massive influence of style is the internet. Anyone can see any style from anywhere at the click of a button. Who knows if this will lead to one global style or even more defined boundaries. Cali (Columbia) style is now becoming quite linear. In my mind it's very possible that Bachata will become consumed into Salsa.  What will be the influence of China getting the Salsa bug big time?

Style as a limitation: This saddens me. It's fine for any instructor to promote a particular style but to denigrate other styles is unprofessional. Sometimes beginners receive the message that Cuban style is more fun or LA style is more sexy and it's a load of nonsense.
Even sadder is the idea that two people in a salsa club couldn't dance together because they believe their style is incompatible. I might have a car styled in blue (I do) but I can still drive a red car. The mechanics of leading and following and the body language of fun and confidence are universal.
An instructor who's goal is to only prepare students for one regional style will often promote techniques that achieve that goal with the unintended consequence of limiting the students to their style. Often this comes with the phrase "In salsa we do ..." The student assumes that the technique is universal throughout salsa and is embarrassed and disappointed where it fails when out dancing.

Recommendations: 

• In art schools students can't just learn oil painting. Students first do a  foundation course covering many artistic disciplines then specialise in their chosen one. Salsa Rapido is not a style but a teaching method that forms a foundation course where the mechanics are separated from the styling and all techniques are universal.  The style I promote is the confident considerate version of you! (plug over!)

• An Alternative is to go to several regional style classes at the same time. It's a myth that this would somehow be bad from a learning standpoint. Schools teach many subjects on the same day, if this were bad practice, children would do a week of maths then a week of history etc. It may be a little confusing at first but you'll learn loads.

• When comparing different classes, look for what's common and focus on what's necessary rather than superficial. Will it work everywhere? Does everyone in the world know this?

• Constantly look out for your bad style and fix these habits ASAP before they become your style. 

• Style isn't about keeping up with the trends or 'in' with the in crowd, but respecting everyone who steps onto the dance floor.

• Finally keep an open mind and try new things. Style will change, will you?