The best salsa dance site is now finished!

Well, we have used wordpress for a while, but we have finally finished the new website which will contain all the latest information, including salsa video podcasts, the salsa youtube gallery, our salsa dance forums and much, much more….

So, please change your bookmarks to

addicted2salsa.com

Filed under: Event Announcement, Salsa Podcast

Salsa Dancing

Free latin salsa dance instruction videos that teach you moves to use at the latin dance nightclub. With dancing articles, dance news, dance podcasts, salsa dance videos and forums – we try to help you become the best salsa and latin dancer you can be (as soon as possible).

Filed under: Uncategorized

The 180 Cross Body Lead (CBL) with Turn

In this episode of Addicted2Salsa, we go back to the basics to help you learn how to do a 180° Cross-Body Lead with a Turn (*a few others call this the Coca-Cola move). We first start off refreshing you what a Cross-Body Lead with a Turn looks like and from there add-on the extra dance steps required to do a half-revolution. Getting the 180 degree cross body lead will help build the salsa framework for you to execute the 360 cross body lead – which will show you in a future episode. If you have any questions, feel free to post them at Salsa Dance Video on Addicted2Salsa

Filed under: Uncategorized

Find the Salsa Beat Practice Soundtrack

I am very happy to have found out that interest in learning to dance on2 (NY/PR) timing has started becoming very popular on addicted2salsa.com. To help everyone become more familiar with the clave and the VERY important conga slap, I have edited the original salsa clave track I created in Garageband for Episode 25 : Finding the Salsa Beat and modified it for an easier learning experience. This should help everyone make it part of their daily schedule to play the track at least 3 times a day while they do some other task. Doing this will allow your brain to sink-in that clave beat and rhythm subconsciously – so that it starts becoming easily recognizable by your ears. At first, I recommend forget about the clave when listening to the soundtrack first. Focus on the tu-ku (small pause) PA! sound first. That PA sound are your 2s and 6s when dancing on2.

Filed under: Uncategorized

More Fun Loop-Over Locks in Salsa Dancing

In this episode of Addicted2Salsa we show you how to perform a basic blind cross-body lead with a loop-over lock salsa move. While the move may look easy at first, it is the timing and the proper leading where some may have difficulties. Also, we will take it and chain it together with going from a cross-body hammer-lock to a reverse loop-over. I consider this a more intermediate dance pattern because you have to be very careful on how you lead this move. These moves done incorrectly can hurt the girl in VERY bad ways. http://addicted2salsa.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

How to Improve Your Spins in Dancing

This video will help provide you with three great ways of improving your dance spinning technique. While most of the advice presented in Julies video tends to be known by most intermediate dancers, we believe it does not get addressed early on by beginners. The three main items that we will cover are good dance frame and position, the salsa dance prep and spotting.

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Salsa at the Disco

Another quick episode of addicted2salsa podcast. Today we show you how to perform the famous Salsa Disco dance move using different amounts of spin. A lot of dancers get caught up in the fact about knowing very little moves, but in reality, by adding doubles and triples in their current salsa dance combination – they become almost new. There is a little known fact to most salsa dance beginners that when follows learn to spin well, theyll fall in love with it. Follows love a challenge, and if you can start leading double and triple spins well – you should do so. They will find you more fun to dance with because you make it more challenging. For ladies who would like to improve their spinning, you may want to check out these salsa tip articles on spinning. Note: pointing optional like John Travolta is optional. http://addicted2salsa.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

Basic Salsa Dance Hand Juggle

In salsa dancing, there is more than meets the eye. There are a lot of simple hand-tricks that help you perform a simple move, but still make it complicated to the average viewer. Here is just a simple step (mainly for beginners) on how to perform the basic hand juggle at the night club. For best effect, make sure you add separation of the hands, and practice it making it fast but smooth. http://addicted2salsa.com

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Advanced Salsa Dancing Moves

Well, after getting great feedback from all of you, here it is – a more complicated salsa pattern. It is a very long pattern, so take it in strides and small bites. We have named the individual moves to help you piece the entire salsa combination together. Now, because it is Valentines Day (soon) – you can have something to practice with that special someone .Enjoy and if you have questions, please ask it at our forums http://social.addicted2salsa.com !

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Salsa Dance Mixer for Beginners

So, here we are again with something short and simple just for you to mix it in to your other moves. Remember, it is not about having multiple long combos, but about putting smaller ones together in different orders. That will keep your moves fresh and keep the ladies guessing what you will do next. Additionally, for those who are thinking about on2, I make a small note for you to pay attention to the counting rhythm when performing the move. Enjoy! http://addicted2salsa.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

The Windmill Combo with Ladies’ Styling

In this episode of Addicted2Salsa salsa dance video lessons, we will show you how to perform a basic salsa windmill combination into what we call the hourglass copa. The Windmill is very similar to other moves you have done that require an cross-body lead with an outside turn, except this is just a variation in styling of that basic move. The hourglass copa is based off of basic copa move (a.k.a in-and-out), except that the lead requires the use of two points of contact on the ladies shoulder blades. At the end, Julie will break down some basic ladies styling techniques when performing this move. Finally having a womans voice in the video is refreshing! More videos at: http://videos.addicted2salsa.com

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Apple TV IPod Latin Ad : Mi Swing Es Tropical [UPDATED]

Now, I’m a big Apple fan. It is not that i’m a “fanboy” about their computers – it is just that I appreciate (and addicted) to good design, quality products and effect user interfaces. I also admire Steve Jobs.

Now, with that disclaimer and biased opinion of mine out of the way – I’m very glad they are putting more Latin music in their marketing. They just finished releasing a new IPod advertisement that features some Latin musicians and dancers with a bit more Latin feel to it than most of their previous commercials. If you did not know about Apple Inc, they are the ones that made that amazing little device that all of us salsero(a)s enjoy: the iPod .

With that said, you can spot a couple of salsa dancer silhouettes in the commercial. I am really digging the colors they also chose for the atmosphere.

You can view the full commercial here. This is my favorite IPod commercial to date! Thanks Steve!

Featuring Mi Swing Es Tropical by Nickodemus & Quantic featuring Tempo

Download

[UPDATED]: Posted the video from YouTbe (since Apple replaced with a Beatles ad). Also found the original music video of the full song.
[gv data="http://www.youtube.com/v/JvQWkbgWeVc"][/gv]

[gv data="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wa6R9Z576Yg"][/gv]

Filed under: random

Salsa Tag Team : All about teamwork..

If you haven't seen this video, well you are in for a treat. The guys from Salsa y Control (at least one of them) were dancing with Magna at the 2007 DC Salsa Congress. It's pretty impressive because she ends up being lead by both of them at the same time. Now, I've seen this type of thing done before (where they switch off), but this time, it's truly at the same time. This is a good definition of team work because some of these moves are pretty intricate and therefore hard to coordinate with two different styled dancers. Anyways, enjoy!

Filed under: videos

More Random Stuff : Might Morphin’ Salsa Ranger.. [Updated]

As you know, we ended up going to Los Angeles (2007) West Coast Salsa Congress a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise, I ended up meeting someone that I 'knew' from my childhood. As you can already tell, I used to watch this show called the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers – old kid's tv show where these teenagers had special powers to do some ninja butt-kicking. Anyways, to my surprise at the salsa congress – the Black Power Ranger now does salsa! His name is Walter Jones (known as Zack in the MMPR). I got a chance to meet him and talk to him for a bit on the saturday night event.

Who would have imagined? Well after doing a little more research, it ends up being he is pretty big in the LA Salsa scene. Even so – they were the 2004 Mayan World Salsa Champions! Impressive! I have a deep respect for people who support salsa. And for an actor (celebrity) to also be very supportive of the salsa scene requires great praise from all of us. It more than what most do.

[Updated] You can see his mad ranger skills (aerials) here:

Filed under: blog, random

Addicted2Salsa on Facebook..

Well, you know it was going to arrive at some point. A lot of people are in myspace. Now a lot of people are on facebook. Well, to make it fair for everyone on facebook to show some Addicted2Salsa group love – I created a world group for the website on Facebook. If you have an account you can sign up to the group and upload your photos and say hi. Have fun with it. But regardless of whether you use MySpace or Facebook, we are all addicted2salsa.

 

Filed under: website

Salsa Vintage : Our Latin Thing..

I have come to realize that the videos that I have come to enjoy the most are the ones that provide me an emotional connection to the past of salsa. Sometimes I wonder if this is my 'second' life since somehow watching these vintage videos makes me flashback to a time I was never born.

This video shows you a little more about the history of salsa. Selling Puerto Rican food cooked by the community. No big stage for the band. The crowd is all on the streets listening and feeling the music. The performers are playing on the small steps to a church. This is part of the old essence of the culture of salsa. The People's Salsa. Not commercialized. Powerful lyrics. The singers are still human, while iconic. In a time when Latino immigrants came to New York to find a better life, there always remained a sense of 'no matter what, we still have each other'. 

Filed under: vintage

Nice Tribute : Hector Lavoe iTunes Essentials

Browsing through iTunes on this Sunday afternoon – behold what I find. The nice people at Apple/iTunes made a great compilation of all the Hector Lavoe music that is available for purchase. I guess all my mass emailing and complaining paid off!

Now, I'm very happy for this because this means either two things: they have someone who is thinking about salsa music as separate to regular Alternative Latino Rock music, or they know that the new Hector Lavoe Movie is coming out and hence want to capitalize on people wanting to purchase his music.

Now of course I know it's the second reason, but hey – you can't complain when you are getting more Hector Lavoe Music.  Enjoy!

Filed under: music

A Weekend in Salsa : The 2007 West Coast Salsa Congress

So, after taking the rest of the video and editing it, I'm happy to start off a new series (that hopefully will continue). I had watched a DVD called On2005 A Year in Mamboland, and I decided to use it as inspiration on how to show all the nice video clips of social dancing at the 2007 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles California. I title this series: A Weekend in Salsa. I like the name because that usually when most of us go out for salsa during the week. Additionally, that is when most of the salsa congress events occur. Now, I have no real background in directing/production/editing so I did my best for my first shot. This is mainly for you guys to enjoy the dancing that goes on a salsa congresses during the night events. Again, please enjoy!

Filed under: salsa congress

Apple Launches iTunes Plus : DRM-Free Salsa Music

This is the day when the salsa-shoe hits the fan. I'm very excited to have gotten an email this morning about how Apple Inc. with record companies have decided to start selling DRM free music on their iTunes Plus music site. This is really exciting because soon, anyone with or without an iPod can buy salsa/latin music from the iTunes store and enjoy it anywhere they are. Not all of the music will be available DRM free, but supposedly by year's end, over 50% will be DRM Free and in higher quality. As far as score goes: Apple 1, RIAA 0.

UPDATE: For those who didn't know – DRM is Digital Rights Management. Basically they are the 'controls' the Record Industry Association of America has put so that people do not freely distribute music and protect against piracy. It's that pesky little thing that they put on the stuff you buy that prevents you from using YOUR music the way you are supposed to use it.

Filed under: music

Hacha y Machete Workshop at LA Salsa Congress 2007

Well, in my neverending quest to be the first to bring you the videos from the 2007 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles, California – here is an awesome workshop given by the famous duo Hacha y Machete . Now, Victor is a very smooth dancer – so I'm not sure whether he's the Hacha (Axe) or the Machete, however, you can see what they taught us. It was a slick and smooth combinations that has subtle flavor of style in regular moves to spice up any combination you currently have. Now, watch the video and pay VERY CLOSE attention to Victor when they do the pattern. He uses his hands to point and look – which causes the observer to look where he's looking causing a more stylish pattern. This is because it draws your attention from his hand switching and when you look back to the pattern – something else has happened. Magicians use this trick all the time. (See time -2:26). You can also see how he uses his subtle leg kicks to flavorize regular simple moves (see -1:41 and -1:35) . Another thing I enjoy is the subtle things – such as when he's starting to do the pattern with music, he drops slightly on his crossbody lead (at -0:53 seconds). See what else you can catch from the pattern – and practice. They are the best in stylized body-movement. 

Here is Victor and Serena Cuevas social dancing at the Congress event:

Filed under: salsa congress