* Understanding the montuno
(upper line of displacing
beats, often done by
the piano) and the tumbao (which
is usually the
two-measure pattern in the bass, as well
as the basic salsa
percussion patterns, is very impe-
rative in
understanding how to dance salsa exactly in
rhythm, especially
in basic steps.
* Salsa often uses the 4/4 meter.
* In Colombian-style salsa (like Oiga, mire, vea of
Orquesta Guayacan),
the congas often accent beats
1 and 3 to get a
'cumbia' effect. In such salsas,
you can incorporate
cumbia movements (such as the
pachanga crosses or
swivels) to your salsa routine.
* In old-time Cuban salsa (like Vámonos pal monte of
Eddie Palmieri), you
will often hear the flute doing
riffs or solos, but
only if the singers don't sing.
* In the salsa en
guajira or salsa en guaracha
songs
(like Volver a verte of Oscar d'León), there
is a
Cuban-style cha-cha
and the tempo is usually moderate
(and in a few cases,
rather slow). In such songs,
you can add cha-cha
and/or mambo movements in your
salsa.
* When the congas, bongos, timbales, etc., do a solo
without the other
instruments coming in, it is suggested
that the couple do
exciting moves in shine position,
such as the full
chase.
* The 'mainstay' salsa figure, is usually the waist-silde
turn to the lady's
UAT.
* Putting several cross-body leads in succession is
also exciting. To
add some flair, make each cross-
body lead different
(for example, one regular cross-
body lead followed
by another one ending with the
lady's free spin
with catch finish)
* In the introduction to a salsa song, just before the
lead singer or
montuno-section (background) singers
come in, it may be
customary to dance in place in closed
position.
* When the brass instruments (trumpets, trombones,
etc.) blast away in
instrumental breaks, it is also
possible to do some
exciting salsa moves at this point,
such as a death drop
or the lady's crucifix dip in
back-to-back
position.
* If a salsa song ends with syncopated, short, mambo style
chords, it is
possible for both to do some syncopated
hip swivels, pelvic
rolls, or side-by-side arm movements;
or, they can
syncopate the rhythm with their lower
bodies by flicks or
kicks.
* If a salsa song ends on a long, sustained chord (usu.
with a tremolo in
the drums), it is possible to do the
continuous lady's
spin as many times as she can do until
the music stops
(where you can end the spins with a lift,
a dip, or a drop).
* Common measure structures in salsa include the 4-measure,
8-measure, and the
16-measure patterns.
* My top ten salsas for choreographing a salsa routine are:
Cali
pachangero (Grupo Niche)
Candela
(Fania All-Stars)
Juliana (DLG)
Lloraras
(Oscar d'León)
Me voy
pa' Cali (Oscar d'León)
Mi
tierra (Gloria Estefan)
No me
acostumbro (Rey Ruíz)
Quítate
la mascara (Hansel "El Gato" Martínez).
Salsa
con Coco (The Coco Band)
Volveré--Remix
of the Wilfrido Vargas' merengue hit (DLG)
MERENGUE
* The basic count in merengue can be either 1-2-1-2 or
1-2-3-4. It depends
on how many measures you count to
execute any merengue
figure.
* Usually, there is a repetitive 4-measure section in the
choruses of most
merengues, with only 2 chord changes
for each 2 measures
of music.
* Especially in the 1990s, the 'techno-merengue' was en
vogue. These
merengue have a strong bass-beat as well
as the traditional
Latin percussion. The bass beat
demands some shine
positions moves as hip bumps and
even waving at the
crowd. Look for the great merengue
'remixes' like Chasum Latinos (a remix of the original
samba song, Chasumba).
* Merengue-rap had become popular through groups like
Proyecto Uno (El tiburón, Está pegao), which is highly
recommended if you
want a merengue routine with some
rap in it.
* In the verses of the merengue, there will usually be
8 measures of music
plus another 8 measures usually
repeated in closed
structure and bass line. (16-measure
structures are also
possible.)
* When a merengue song ends in a "coup de grace"
chord
(that is, the chord
that brings the song to a surprising
end, it is sometimes
necessary to end in a styling pose
or static line,
usually with arms outstretched and to the
side.
* When only drums and percussion are playing, you can
dance merengue in
shine position and do such flashy
moves such as the
'lead-and-follow' chase.
* When the brass comes out over the band playing the
merengue, make the
moves exciting (for instance, use
a body-wrap
combination or hammerlock combination).
* Basket-whip turns and regular-whip turns (often called
carousel turns in
closed position or semi-open position)
are good substitues
to the regular natural top spins.
* If you love merengue in very fast tempo, use such
merengues where the
baritone or bass saxophone does
a montuno riff while
the rest of the band accompanies.
The saxophone
beckons you to incorporated lambada moves
in your merengue.
* My top ten merengues for dancing a routine are:
A
mover la colita (Wilfrido Vargas)
Corazón
de melao (Emmanuel)
Dame
un beso (Giselle)
El rey
de mambo (La Banda Gorda)
El
sapito (Doble Fila)
Give
It Up (The Goodmen)
La
morena (Grupo Kontrol)
La
Niagara en bicicleta (Juan Luís Guerra)
Mentrioso
(Olga
Tañón)
Suavemente
(Elvis Crespo)
