Salsa

Salsa is not a dance like any other. It carries within it several centuries of displacement, cultural blending and resilience. Born from an encounter between Africa and the Caribbean, it crossed the Atlantic, transformed New York, and went on to conquer dance floors the world over. To understand its history is to dance with awareness.

African and Cuban roots

It all begins in Cuba, at the crossroads of African and Spanish cultures. Enslaved people deported from the coasts of West Africa brought with them their percussion, their syncopated rhythms, their relationship with the body and their religions. These ritual practices profoundly shaped Cuban music and dance. These traditions merged with the Spanish guitar and local musical forms to give birth to genres that still form the backbone of salsa today: son cubano, rumba and mambo.

Son cubano, which emerged in the 1920s, is perhaps the most direct ancestor. It is built on a dialogue between bass and percussion, a call-and-response interplay between instruments, inherited from African traditions. Rumba is more of a street dance — improvised, charged with a direct sensuality. Mambo arrived in the 1940s with its blazing brass and festive energy.

New York, 1960s: salsa is born in the streets

In the 1940s and 1950s, thousands of Cubans and Puerto Ricans settled in New York, primarily in Spanish Harlem and the South Bronx. They brought their music, their rhythms, and a way of dancing that would radically transform the New York scene. The Palladium Ballroom on Broadway became the temple of these new Latin sounds. Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Machito — these musicians laid the foundations of an urban sound, sharper, nourished by jazz and the energy of survival.

It was in this context that the term "salsa" took hold in the 1970s, driven by the Fania Records label and the Fania All Stars. The word — literally "sauce" — means a mixture, a fusion. It does not describe a single style but a family of musics and dances that share the same rhythmic DNA. Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe: these artists would carry salsa far beyond Manhattan.

The main salsa styles

Salsa is not monolithic. It has evolved differently depending on the cities and cultures that adopted it. Today, several major styles can be distinguished, each with its own identity.

Cuban salsa — Casino

Cuban salsa, also known as casino, is arguably the form closest to the origins. It is danced in a circular pattern, with rotational movements and complex passes. No straight line — partners move around a shared axis, in a spontaneous, warm dialogue. The rueda de casino, where a group of couples simultaneously exchange partners on calls from the madre, is one of its most spectacular expressions.

New York Style — On 2

New York salsa is associated with on 2 timing, but two distinct realities exist under this label.

The Palladium Style (or mambo of the 1950s) starts directly on beat 2 — the weak beat of the music, marked by instruments such as the clave and the bass.

The New York Style of Eddie Torres, codified in the 1980s, works differently: dancers start on beat 1, but the intention and foot accent are directed toward beat 2. Beat one serves as a launch — which is why the style is called "on 2," even though the foot touches the floor on 1. This subtlety allows it to combine the instinct of the strong beat with the musicality of the weak beat. It is a demanding style, very present in congresses and competitions, associated with cities like New York, Paris and Montreal.

LA Style — On 1

Developed in Los Angeles in the 1990s, on 1 salsa is danced in a line, with the first step on the first beat — making it intuitive to learn. Highly visual and spectacular, it incorporates many figures — turns, lifts, dips — inherited from California's show culture. It is the most widespread style worldwide.

Caleña salsa — Cali Style

From Cali, Colombia, this salsa is in a category of its own. The arms remain relatively still while the feet move at breathtaking speed — a fast, precise footwork pattern that is the style's signature. Caleña salsa is also a culture: Cali is a city where salsa is everywhere, and its dancers have developed an exceptional technical level. In Europe, it benefits from a vibrant community, driven in particular by Colombian, Venezuelan and Latin American diasporas.

Salsa in Europe today

Europe hosts some of the most active salsa scenes outside Latin America. Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Amsterdam each have dense scenes — events several times a week, international congresses, and schools teaching all styles.

The landscape varies by country. LA style (on1) and Cuban salsa are both widely taught across Europe. France stands out for its particularly strong on2 and Cuban scenes. Caleña has a vibrant presence wherever South American diasporas are well established. These scenes coexist in major cities but rarely mix — each has its own venues, networks and identity.

Where to start?

Both Cuban salsa and LA style (on1) are good entry points depending on where you are — check what is most available in your city. On 2 (New York style) is more suited to those looking for a finer musical connection and is often introduced at intermediate level.

What matters most at the beginning is not the style you choose: it is consistency. Two classes a week and social evenings are worth more than isolated intensive workshops. Salsa is learned as much in other people's arms as in classrooms.