Tag: United States

There are some religious taboos when it comes to dance other than religious reasons why on earth would anyone not want to experience the mind and body renewing energy that results from dancing? Truthfully, not all dancing involves the wearing of pink tutus and many forms of dance are quite masculine in nature so preserving masculinity cannot in any way be an adequate excuse for not dancing.

When it comes to dance there are many interesting and amazing styles of dance that span the globe. From the weapon dances of old (which are a perfect display of virility and masculinity though not widely practiced today other than in ceremonial dance) to the grace and beauty of ballet or ballroom dancing there is almost certain to be some form of dance that should appeal to almost anyone on the planet.

Native Americans had an excellent attitude and ideals when it comes to dancing. They danced for almost any reason and let the beat of the drum serve as their guiding spirit. Native Americans danced for worship, for rain, for joy, for grief, and to prepare for war. Their dances were heartfelt and as much a part of their individual natures as it was their tribal identities. Dancing was an essential part of their culture and heritage and is still passed on today though to a much smaller degree.

While some religions discourage dance, others embrace dance as a form of worship and commitment to their deities. Some encourage dance as an expression of praise. Others dance for the joy of the blessings and bounty of their gods or in submission to their gods. Regardless the fact remains that dance plays a vital role in many of the world’s religions. If you are a believer, I can think of few better reasons to dance than to express your beliefs in a physical form.

Some people dance simply because they like music and enjoy watching other people dance. There are all kinds of fun dancing styles that can be practiced alone, as a couple, or as a part of a much larger group. In the United States line dancing and square dancing are excellent ways to dance as part of a larger group as well as many types of competitive dancing and as part of a ballet company or other type of competitive or professional dance company. Couples dancing to some degree includes square dancing but other forms of dance such as ballroom dancing as well. Singles dancing is pretty much reserved to competitive dancing and often requires years of practice in order to perfect. Some people devote their lives to this sort of dancing and still never manage to make their mark on the competitive dancing circuit.

Dancing for fitness is another wave that seems to be taking the world by storm. There are many ways that this can be done and it is quite effective among those who would otherwise not exercise at all as well as those who simply love to dance. It is getting out of your seat and moving around to the music. Find a nice driving beat, close the curtains, and dance until you can no longer breath. It’s a great way to get that much needed exercise while having fun and not even realizing that you are (gasp) exercising. Mind over matter is a great thing. If it doesn’t feel like exercise then there is no reason for your body, mind, or spirit to protest, right?

Dancing is becoming somewhat of a novelty sport around the USA and around the world. Reality television shows such as “Dancing with Stars” and movies such as the one with Richard Gere-Shall We Dance have made ballroom dancing popular and attractive to the average person who would have never considered this form of dance before. With so many wonderful reasons for a person to dance why on earth wouldn’t you want to dance?

Ever had someone ask you to dance immediately followed by the question “Do you dance On1? Or On2?” If you had no clue what they were talking about, hopefully I can help.

This may come as a surprise, but there is not just one way of dancing Salsa. There are actually many ways to dance Salsa. You may see Salsa danced completely different from country to country and sometimes even city to city.

Here in the United States, we have two very popular ways to dance Salsa. They are called Salsa On1 and Salsa On2. So what does that mean? I’m glad you asked.

Some clarification first

Neither style is technically better than the other. You will find both On1 dancer and On2 dancers who swear by one or the other. And to each his own. I happen to believe it’s good to know both styles as this will make you a more versatile dancer and able to dance with anyone, anywhere.

Before we talk about the differences of these two popular styles of Salsa, there are two things you must understand: timing and the break step.

Let’s begin with timing. Timing is the ability to coordinate your steps with the appropriate beats of music. A basic step in Salsa is completed over 8 beats of music or 2 bars of music (each bar contains 4 beats). That’s all you need to know for the moment.

Next, let’s discuss the break step. The break step is the step taken immediately before a direction change. For example, lets say I step forward with my right foot and then backward with my left foot. The break step would be the step I took with my right foot because it was the step immediately before I switched direction to go backward. Make sense?

How does timing and the break step work with different styles of Salsa? A great question. Let’s start by talking about the On1 style of Salsa.

When dancing Salsa On1, we have six steps and two holds. Our steps happen on counts 1,2,3 and 5,6,7 of our 8-beat bar and our holds happen on counts 4 and 8.

The basic step in Salsa On1 from the leader’s perspective looks like thisthe first step is forward on the left foot on count ‘1’. The next step is backward on the right foot on count ‘2’. The left foot comes together with the right foot on count ‘3’ and count ‘4’ is a hold with no step. Pop quiz time. Which step is the break step?

If you guessed count ‘1’ you are right! That was the step taken immediately before the direction was changed to a backward step.

Finishing up the basic step, the leader now steps back with the right foot on count ‘5’, forward with the left foot on count ‘6’, brings the right foot together in place with his left foot on count ‘7’ and holds count ‘8’ without stepping. Again, can you guess which step was the break step? If you guessed the step taken on count ‘5’, you are on fire!

So, we give Salsa On1 its name because of the count that the first break step happens on. In this case, it would be count ‘1’ so we call it Salsa On1.

Just like Salsa On1, we have six steps and two holds when dancing the basic step in Salsa On2. The counts are the same 1,2,3 and 5,6,7 except now, the footwork pattern is different.

Again from the leader’s perspective

On count ‘1’, the leader steps back with his left foot. On count ‘2’, the right foot steps back passing the left foot. On count 3, the left foot steps forward. Again, do you know which step was the break step?

If you guessed the step on count ‘2’, then you should really be out Salsa dancing right now instead of reading this article. You are absolutely right! That was the step taken before the forward direction change.

Now continuing, the leader holds count ‘4’ without taking a step. He then steps forward with his right foot on count ‘5’, forward again with his left foot on count ‘6’ passing his right foot. And finally he steps back with his right foot on count ‘7’ and holds count ‘8’. The basic step is complete. Here’s your last chance to impress me. You know the drill. Tell me which step was the break step.

If you guessed the step he took on count ‘6’, you pass! Because the first break step of the leader’s basic step is on count ‘2’ we call it Salsa On2 or dancing on2.

So which style is better to learn? Neither style is technically better than the other. You may prefer to learn the style that is prominent where you live. Or you may decide to learn both to become more versatile. I prefer the On2 style because it is danced more where I live, but I also enjoy dancing On1. I suggest you learn both styles and decide for yourself which one you prefer or if you like them both.

Good luck!

Fitness instructors know 1st hand that participation in any of the well-liked Latin dance classes made available correct now need the correct Zumba shoes to attain the most efficient exercise with no acquiring damage. Standard dance footwear will not have sufficient support for your feet. You see, the Zumba aerobic teaching comes from the combination of fitness and dancing movements developed to develop equally pleasant and body weight loss.The proper footwear will probably be both comfy and lightweight which enables the entire body to transfer correctly as you go by way of a typical Zumba cardio class. The correct sneakers will give your feet the necessary traction and cushioning to decrease any excessive influence to the dancer’s legs or knees.And at instances you will discover unique criteria which includes the want for a wide fitting athletic shoe to use whilst you bodily exercising. The sole of the sneaker ought to deliver just the correct quantity of grip without having becoming overly sticky. Too a great deal grip on the floor will actually avert you from performing a amount of the fascinating Zumba dance steps that are a normal element of our classes.1 of our favored brands arrives from the fantastic men and women at Ryka, a shoe maker that delivers higher excellent fitness and aerobic footwear that are excellent for any Latin dancing design. The salsa audio we listen to so frequently inspires a lot of of the moves and approaches that call for the correct choice of shock lowering footwear. Nike also would make a wonderful dance shoe that consists of their Shox design. If you’ve ever twisted your knee or suffered a hair line fracture, you will start off to understand why we anxiousness the value of steady footwear. It is really so straightforward to turn your ankle or damage your hip and other joints if you’re not cautious. Check out to discover sleek soles – a lot significantly less tread is much better. And never overlook the lateral side to aspect support you will demand throughout class as properly.So why has this Zumba motion flip into so nicely-liked? We feel it is due to the fact the fitness routines perform major muscle groups and at the identical time it works by using dance styles that include the tango, samba, cumbia, and merengue. We can thank Beto Perez, the imaginative fitness instructor from Colombia, for developing Zumba. Back again inside the mid 1990’s, Beto had to improvise in the training course of one of his dance classes when he forgot to provide his common aerobics audio. Creating use of what he had with him at the time, he conducted his class by playing Latin salsa audio rather. By the middle of 2005, Beto’s fitness craze had expanded to above 100 nations around the world.Everyone desired to be aspect of his large Zumba dance parties, burn off calories and have pleasant also. Now “toning classes” are becoming incorporated into several of the fitness gyms around the United States. The dance moves in reality cover up the other workout movements so that you never even understand that you are exercising at the identical time. And certified instructors will tell you which you do not even have to know how to dance.

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