Salsa has become one of the most popular dances throughout Europe and South America, and in the last few years has known a great increase in popularity in Australia as well.

There are many night clubs where the salsa beats can be heard and danced to. It is a way of meeting and socializing with other people from different cultures, a way of expressing yourself, and escaping the daily routine.

Salsa is a latin dance originating in Cuba, and it blends the European and African popular cultures. It later spread to Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean islands. Salsa is essentially Cuban with deep Afro-Cuban beats, and additional musical influences from other dances with many elements from the sexy rumba.

According to singer Celiz Cruz, “salsa is just a different way of naming Cuban music…all Cuban rhythms combined under an only name.” But salsa in itself was born in New York toward the end of the 60’s, created by musicians of the poor Latin neighborhoods.

Salsa music is different from “dance” or “house” or any other styles; it’s normally played by a 12 piece band, or Charanga Orchestra, and has a totally different rhythm. It’s the syncopated rhythm of Salsa which enables the dancer to incorporate a variety of expressions in his/her dancing.

Salsa is usually a partner dance form that corresponds to salsa music. In some forms, it can also appear as a performance dance. It is danced on music with two bars of four beats. Typically the music involves complicated percussion rhythms, ranging from slow at about 120 beats per minute to its fastest at around 180 beats per minute.

Salsa is a slot or spot dance. Unlike, for example, Waltz or Samba, in Salsa a couple does not need to travel over the dance floor much, but rather occupies a fixed area on the dance floor.