If there are two or more dance schools in your city, chances are that the teachers of these schools – and so their students – dance in somewhat different styles and perform the figures in ways that are not quite identical to each other. Having traveled and danced in many cities in Europe, I have seen that this phenomenon is present everywhere: rarely can you find two teachers dancing really the same. Cuban Salsa allows this freedom as long as it is within certain limits.
The standardization of dances
Almost all dances spread globally have been standardized. Dances such as the Argentine Tango, Flamenco or Waltzer are roughly identical in any country. What normally makes the difference is, if anything, the methodology of teaching. This is also true for dances closer to Cuban Salsa, including New York style Salsa, Los Angeles style Salsa, and Puerto Rican style Salsa.
The good thing about the standardization of a dance is that you can actually practice it virtually anywhere and with anyone without having to re-learn it or adapt from time to time. The bad thing is that these dancers – don’t get me wrong – are all the same.
What about Cuban Salsa?
Cuban Salsa, for its part, is a free dance that leaves ample room for the dancers’ expression; a characteristic that makes it very dynamic and rich in possibilities.
Its varied physiology, however, comes at a price. In fact, some instructors have misunderstood or abused this freedom creating personalized styles but conveniently labeling them as Cuban Salsa.
Adding a personal touch isn’t inherently bad, as long as one does not overreach. When students from different schools struggle to dance together, we are instead facing with a new phenomenon that negatively affects the social essence of the dance. In such cases it would be more correct for instructors clarify that their classes deals with a personal reinterpretation of Salsa – something that often doesn’t happen.
This situation has escalated to the point of irritating important figures in Cuban folklore, such as Bárbara Balbuena, who, in her book El Casino y la Salsa en Cuba, harshly criticizes this trend, pointing directly at these “improvised” instructors. Notably, her critique also includes Cuban teachers.
The free expression of Salsa is indeed something else. When Salsa loses its roots it’s inappropriate to even call it “Cuban”.
Are you really dancing Cuban?
At the course presentation in the Academy I attended there were about fifty of us, and the Professor asked each of us how long we had been dancing Salsa.
Some, like me, were beginners. Others had been dancing for over 5 or even 10 years, including several instructors. The Professor asked for confirmation that we were all Cuban Salsa dancers and we nodded.
His response was unexpected, “So why don’t I see it? Why, when I watch you dance, I do not see you dancing Salsa the way we Cubans do?”
So why don’t I see it? Why, when I watch you dance, I do not see you dancing Salsa the way we Cubans do?
It took me years to truly understand the meaning behind those words.
The Cuban Style
Cuban Salsa is not a dance that came out of nowhere. It is the expression of a popular culture shaped by years of changes in Cuba. Cuban style is characterized by incorporating elements of older Cuban dances into Salsa.
Salsa itself – whose correct name is Baile de Casino – is only the latest addition to a long tradition, joining Afro-Cuban dances, Cuban Rumba, and Son. The Cuban style, therefore, is such when it blends elements of these dances within Salsa and the dancer is able to express them in perfect harmony with the music. The distinctive cadence of Cuban Salsa is the result from this fusion of cultural roots.
The distinctive cadence of Cuban Salsa is the result of the fusion of the cultural roots
At its core, Cuban style reflects a rich tapestry of Cuban traditions. While other genres like Merengue and Reggaeton are also danced in Cuba, they don’t belong to the island’s folklore because they belong to different roots.
To truly dance Cuban Salsa, one must immerse in this culture, understand it, and express it naturally and genuinely
The “European” style
The good news is that to appreciate Salsa we don’t necessarily have to.
Balbuena’s words deserve respect. However, the normal changes of times and cultures open new perspectives that cannot be ignored. Globalization has allowed Salsa to spread around the world and everyone dances to it driven by personal desires and goals.
In Europe, in particular, people take dance classes mostly for recreation. Europe itself is made up of many countries with profoundly different cultures. It is unrealistic to think that everyone must adhere rigidly to Cuban traditions and invests years and years in dancing solely to dance Salsa the way Cubans do.
Preserving the roots is a task for Cubans.
For us, it is important to understand what makes Salsa “Cuban” to understand the Cuban expressive foundations in order to assume a similar dance cadence. It’s up to instructors to honor and transmit the tradition – or clarify when they deviate from it.
This is why I believe there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to dance Salsa. People should choose the traditional style not just out of respect for its roots, but the prospect of becoming a dancer with elegant, expressive and rich movements; as opposed to the mechanical and depersonalized movements of those who lack the essence.