Tango Dance Moves for Beginner

Tango dance is very popular in social circles and at parties and Tango dance moves are energetic, expressive of emotion, seductive and joyful. Tango is danced with partners and they perform the dance with precise yet passionate energy. Tango like various other dances also has a lot of offshoots which are equally popular. Some of the popular styles are Tango Argentino which lays emphasis on complex footwork and thence earning a name “war of legs”. The Canyengue is another Tango offshoot but fairly similar to the original dance. Then there is the Finnish style of Tango, the Ballroom Tango which was evolved due to European influence and a quite a few more styles. The basic Tango dance moves will be similar in all these styles and the additional variations, twirls and sways as well as the music used differentiates the styles.

Some of things to keep in mind while learning the Tango dance steps are the expression, the posture of your body, the basic moves and the promenade moves and the arm holding technique.

The Expression: Your emotions of happiness, intimacy, seduction, passion should be expressed through the way the body moves in tune with the musical rhythm and the foot movement.

The Posture: Both partners should hold their body with a slight rigidity which will give a resistance that will maintain balance and help the lead to direct and the follower to respond. The hip movements should be well defined to accentuate the passionate energy and in comparison to the hips the upper part of the body will be fairly still.

The Basic Tango Dance Moves: The male lead takes three steps forward left, right, left for the first three beats, then follows up with a sideways move to the right with right foot on the fourth beat and on the fifth beat brings left foot to rest by the side of the right foot. In the complimentary Tango dance moves, the female follower takes three steps backward, right, left, right, follows up with a sideways move to the left with left foot and on the fifth beat brings the right foot to rest by the side of the left foot.

The Promenade Tango Dance Moves: This move is performed with the couple standing beside each other. They take 2 slow steps forward and then turn to face each other. The female follower does this by pivoting on her feet and turning 90 degrees. They finish by bringing both the feet close together. This move is performed for movement across the dance floor.

Hand holding: Female followers right hand resting on male lead’s left hand. The male lead’s right hand on female’s left shoulder and female’s left hand on male lead’s upper arm. Minimal eye contact is maintained and direction and response are only through fingers. You can learn the Tango dance moves by enrolling in a dance course for perfection.

Salsa Dance Facts and Tips

Dancing is a good hobby and can sometimes become addictive too. But no matter, dancing is a fantastic exercise and so you can kill two birds with one stone. keep fit and learn an art. So, which form of dance have you chosen? Is it the Salsa? Then here are some Salsa dance facts which will be helpful.

There are a lot of walk steps incorporated into the Salsa dance moves. So, if you just remind yourself of these Salsa dance facts whenever you practice, it will make it easier for you to learn Salsa dancing. In this article I am mainly mentioning the “DO NOTs ” in Salsa dancing.

Fact 1: Do not double step with the same foot:

Just like when you are walking the Salsa dance moves are always with alternate feet movements. How do you walk? left, right, left, right, left, is it not? Similarly in Salsa dance too , it is the left foot first, then step with right follow up with left foot again and then start again with right foot. Only the placement of the step may change from forward to backward and vice versa. Weight shift of the body from left leg to right leg and back will also take place naturally. So, if at all you do a double step, then you have made a wrong move.

Fact 2: Do not extend your Strides:

Another very important salsa dance fact is to keep your strides normal as when you walk. OK, do you want to know what a stride is? A stride is the the distance to which you keep your foot forward when you walk or the length between the two feet when you walk. A person normally maintains the same distance between his feet while walking and lengthens the stride when running or going somewhere in a hurry. It is important that you keep your stride normal while dancing the salsa. Why? Because the Salsa is a very fast dance and you need to alternate between quick steps and slow steps matching the rhythm and this cannot be done if you lengthen your stride. So REMEMBER: if you shorten your stride you will be too fast and if you lengthen your stride you will be too slow.

Fact 3: Do not restrain your hands:

There are some things which our body does naturally that we do not realize that it has performed an action. One example is the swing of our hands while walking. Just try keeping your hands still while walking and you will see that it is practically impossible. To maintain proper balance of the body our left hand swings when our right foot moves and vice versa. The same principle is to be followed while dancing the Salsa. This is a very important Salsa dance fact which you have to keep in mind while learning Salsa.

Origin of Salsa Dance

The origin of Salsa dance is a little tough to be traced. Perhaps the main reason is that this is also a dance which has mixed origin. Some say it came from Cuba and some say it came from Puerto Rico. So it is safe to assume that Salsa is a combination of a dances performed by Africans, the Latins, the Caribbean dancers as well as dances of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Or at least each geographical area has played a role in the evolution of the salsa dance.

Similar to the Tango, Mambo and other dances the Salsa too took wings and flew to the US in the early 1940s. Here in the city of New York the origin of Salsa dance got a face lift by the Latin, Cuban and Puerto Rican community and what we dance today as the Salsa is this modified version. Besides the modification the Salsa also borrowed some steps from Rumba and Mambo. Trumpets, Cowbells and Congas are some of the instruments which give accompanying music for the Salsa dance besides the Claves and the Timbales.

Since Salsa has borrowed steps from Mambo it is natural that there is similarity in dancing styles. Both have six dance steps for a count of eight and the moves are also distinctly similar at times. The difference is that the mambo is danced with maximum backward and forward movements and the Salsa has included a lot of turns and it has a number of side stepping moves like the chases.

Even though the origin of Salsa dance did not take place in New York, this great city is responsible for its name “Salsa”. This name was given to represent its mixed dance and music origin from different Hispanic countries and its music like Guarcha, Merengue, Cha-Cha-Cha-, Charanga, Rumba and mambo to name just a few.

The Salsa is a lively dance performed with passionate energy and with a lot of sensuous movements. Salsa is usually danced with a partner because of its sensuous and passionate character but can also be performed singly and appreciated for its footwork and dance moves. The origin of Salsa dance says that the name Salsa was aptly derived from the Spanish word “Sauce” referring to its spicy flavor.

The Salsa is a fast dance with some slow movement in between performed in two bars of four beats each with three dance steps for each of the four beats. The dancers shift their body weight during the skipped beat and raise heels and drop hips getting ready for the next step. The steps go left forward, right replace , both together, skip and then right backward, left replace and both together, skip. The Salsa can be performed in a range of 120-180 beats per minutes. Now that you know the origin of Salsa dance, I am sure you feel like learning it, right?

3 Salsa Dancing Basics

The Salsa is a fast, seductive, sexy and exciting dance and it is said that the name “Salsa” was derived from the Spanish word sauce which can be spicy, sweet and sour all at the same time. The dancers do not move around too much while dancing Salsa and sort of dance in a small area thus getting another name “Slot dancing“. These are some Salsa dancing basics which you should know.

A beginner’s primary moves of Salsa are very simple. This has an eight count rhythm divided into four beats each. One four beat count is called a bar and so the primary move consists of two bars of musical rhythm. In Salsa dancing basics there are steps for the first three beats and the fourth beat is skipped or just a tiny tap is done for comfort. The same is repeated for the second bar too. In a bar the first 2 beats are fast the third beat is slow finishing in the fourth beat. Since it is a fast dance the Salsa is danced to a count of up to 180 beats per minute.

The basic steps are as follows. Male lead in first bar: left foot forward step, right foot replace weight at same point, left foot back again to step beside right foot. (Optional: fourth beat, you can do a tiny tap with right foot for balance) Second bar: right foot backward step, left foot replace weight at same point, right foot forward again to step beside the left foot.(optional: you can do a tiny tap with left foot for balance).

The female follower does exactly the reverse of the male lead. What the man does in the second bar she does in the first, and what the male lead does in the first bar she does in the second bar. A variation and combination of the Salsa dancing basics form the moves for the rest of the dance.

Variation 1: Instead of stepping forward, you take a step sideways to the left; replace right and step back into position.

Variation 2: Instead of stepping backward you take a sideways step to the right, replace left and step back into position.

Variation 3: The Cuban style of Salsa ballroom dancing basic is followed by the Latin Americans in which there is cross body movement. The male lead takes a step forward on the first beat and on the second and third beat he steps sideways to right while turning at an angle of 90 degrees to the left. The female follower does the opposite and they will now be standing side by side. On count five the male lead takes a step backward and on six and seven a step sideways to the left and turn again 90 degrees. The woman does the opposite and by the end of the eighth beat they will be facing each other again only in opposite positions. Hope you can learn these Salsa dancing basics fast.

Argentine Tango Dance Steps

Tango is a dance in which a walking style of step is a basic part. Argentine Tango dance steps may look easy to learn for beginners, but as you proceed you will realize that there are complicated movements involved in this walking style too.

Switch on the music and with your eyes closed listen to the song imbibing the rhythm and beat. Concentrate on the major beat and start practicing to step on every major beat till your body gets a feel of the music and you are able to walk with eyes open stepping only on major beats. Try to master this Argentine Tango Dance step steadily.

Individuality of Tango Style
The feet stepping style in the Argentine Tango dance step is quite similar to the walk dance steps of various other dances such as the foxtrot, fast step, Texas Twin step and others. However these dances can be easily differentiated when you watch the movement of the dancers along with their partners and the way they interact while dancing the Tango.

One way of mastering this dance is by practicing to walk-dance without music. Each step you take should be with the balls of your foot rather than heels. Balancing on the balls of a foot is characteristic of jungle animals when they prepare to pounce on their prey like the lion or tiger. Imagining this posture will help you to assume the same powerful yet graceful style when you do your Argentine Tango dance step.

Tango Dance in block-like Pattern:
Have you been to Tango dance theme parties? By the way these parties are called “milongas”.Have you enrolled for any Argentine Tango dance step course? If you have then you will realize that the tango dance includes a huge variety of step patterns which at first sight seems very complicated and confusing. But in reality they are just a combination of simple steps mixed in varying ways to form a unique style.

La Caminata also known as “the Walk” forms the basis of Tango dancing. This foundation step will help you learn the mixed patterns and exclusive styles easily. The “Twin-Step walk” is a kind of Argentine Tango dance step which is performed in a block-like pattern. There are several variations of this step. Among the variations “The Stroll” is a hot favorite.

“The Stroll” (el paseo):
1. Partners face each other and keep their feet together like a normal standing posture. Keep weight on one foot.

2. Male partner takes a step forward with left foot following up with a step forward with right foot alongside the left foot.

3. Female partner takes a step back with right foot following up with a step back with left foot alongside the right foot. Retain weight on left foot to allow right foot to start the next round. Remember that your feet should never be apart at still positions. This is a basic Twin step walk which can be modified to vary dancing patterns in Argentine Tango dance steps.

Cha Cha Dance Steps Review

This is more detailed review article on the Cha Cha dance steps from previous post. The cha-cha-cha dance is an authentic Latin music style that is very popular at social events and clubs. It can be danced to either the Cuban music or the Latin rock or pop. This international ballroom music is very energetic and has a steadfast beat, thus an absolute blast for dancing to while also quite easy to learn. The most original Cuban cha-cha is sensual and involves very complex polyrhythm, which counts “two-three cha cha cha”.

Let’s see the review have been made by Louis (Dancing with the Stars) about the Cha Cha dance steps.

The Rhythm of Cha Cha dance steps are very easy and entertaining. That’s why it is so popular. Its 1, 2, 3 Cha Cha Cha. And another rhythm is 4 counts it’s counted by 1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4 & 1. The lead dancer (usually the man) would take a forward step with his left foot and retain weight on the right. It is a must that the right foot’s knee remains straight and get closer to the left knee from the back. Just before the left foot receives part of the weight it, should have straightened and the step flows with the second bean. Upon the second step, the full weight is returned back to the right foot upon the third beat of the bar. The three steps comprise the cha-cha chasse where the forth step would be split twice so that the count following three steps would be 4-and-1. A side step is then taken by the left foot while the right foot remains closed partially in the direction of the left. This would leave both feet beneath the hips and dosed together while the last step with the left leg is taken. The effect the dancer aspires to make would determine the length of the step the dancer would take in a chasse.

The girl will take a step backward with the right foot while the knee is straightened as the full weight is being taken. The other leg would be allowed to stay straight. The free leg may flex slightly but is not usually a deliberate attempt. In the Cha Cha dance steps, it makes cha-cha very unique and not the same as salsa where on the next beat that is –beat three, the weight is taken back to the left leg. For the cha-cha-cha the chasse is right-left-right. For the fundamental construction of the cha-cha dance, it is extended over two bars. At this stage, each partner is able to dance the steps their partner just danced.

Cha Cha Dance Steps

Cha Cha dance steps mainly consist of two simple movements namely: the Back Basic and the Forward Basic Movements. The Cha Cha dance steps are created when the two movements are combined or used jointly and in most cases with slight variations of the body position. A Cha Cha move can be described loosely as a series involving eight steps. The eight steps of the Forward Basic or the first move are created by combining the two simple and basic movements.

In the Cha Cha dance steps, it is sensible that the lady, who usually faces the man, performs steps that go together with those of the man or else the man will definitely step on her feet. For instance, when the man makes a forward movement with his left foot, the lady’s right foot should move backwards and vice versa.

While making the Forward Basic Move, the gentleman will make the Forward Basic Movement, and afterwards make the Back Basic Movement while the lady does the opposite. The lady will make the Basic Movement, and then make the Forward Basic Movement.

The Back Basic is one other important Cha Cha dance steps move, from where the fancy moves have originated from. The Basic Back move basically involves performing the Back Movement two times. The first step involves the man making a back movement using the left foot, reflecting the movements of the woman. Once the first step is completed, both partners step back. To prevent the lady from making a forward step, the man pushes himself away from her.

Cha Cha Dance Steps Timing

Cha Cha music similar to modern music is a four-four time, (that is a music bar has four beats and thus making four cha cha dance steps in each music bar). The fourth music beat shouts for one to step aside and close the step, by dragging the side of the foot and then closing by dragging the foot. Doing this produces the sound Cha Cha, which gives the dance its name.

There are teachers who consider the movements of Cha Cha dance steps as being slow, then slow, then quick-quick and slow- though this is rather confusing to novice cha cha dancers. To avoid this confusion, it is good to consider the dance movement as being rock, then rock, then side-close and side.

The dance’s timing has two parts. The first beat is static metronome where there is a flow through the entire music track, dictating the appropriate time for moving the feet. The second is the music’s tempo. The tempo is responsible for timing the duration of cha cha dance steps and how long a pause should last. The tempo also indicates what moves to be made and when they should be done. Furthermore, the music tempo times how fast a spin or turn is made. Understanding what needs to be done using the tempo, is likely to turn you to an excellent Cha Cha dance specialist.

Cha Cha beats in any song cannot be mistaken. First, one hears two slow, then three quick beats. In the Cha Cha dance steps, quick beats are the ones that make the dancer move to the side and then close, making a cha cha.

Let’s see what are the significant things Louis (The Star of “Dancing with the Stars”) have to say about the Cha Cha dance steps and moves. Or you can read the detailed Cha Cha dance steps review with video in this article. You will find ChaCha dance can be very easy to learn as beginner.