NY Style On2 Latin Dance Class (Cycle 6 thru 4)

New York style is danced in a line similar to LA Style salsa. However, unlike LA style, it is danced on the second beat of the music (“on 2”), and the follower steps forward on the first measure of the music, not the leader. The etiquette of New York Style is strict about remaining in the “slot” and avoiding traveling dancing in a sandbox area with a lot of spins, turns and styling. There is greater emphasis on performing “shines” in which dancers separate themselves and dance solo with intricate footwork and styling for a time—suspected origins from Swing and New York Tap.

Though he did not create New York style salsa, Eddie Torres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Torres) is credited with popularizing it, and for having the follower step forward on the second beat of the first measure.

There are two distinct developments of New York salsa as a music and dance genre:

Primary original evolution from

Mambo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambo_%28music%29)

era when Cuban music was introduced to New York due to influx of migrating Cuban dissidents and Latin migrants during Pre/Post Cuban Revolution in the 1950s and 1960s. This era is known as the “Palladium Era”. At this time, the music and dance was called “Mambo” or “Rhumba”—connoting the general term without being specific. The most famous dancer during this era was Puerto-Rican descendant

also known “The King of Latin Beat”.Secondary evolution during the late 1970s, Latin migrants, particularly Puerto Ricans, contributed to the New York salsa development during the “NuYorican” era of

Héctor Lavoe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9ctor_Lavoe)

which greatly popularized salsa as a term and modern Latin music throughout the world. Salsa superstars were “discovered” during the era, such as

Ray Baretto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Baretto)

(“The Godfather”) and

Celia Cruz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celia_Cruz)

(“The Queen of Salsa”). There are also salsa artists that transcend both periods, notably the legendary Puerto Rican

Tito Puente (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_Puente)

(“The Mambo King”).

These two developments create a fusion of a new salsa music and dance genre, different than its Latin American and L.A. Style counterparts.

New York style salsa emphasizes harmony with the percussive instruments in salsa music, such as the congas, timbales, and clave, since many or all of those instruments often mark the second beat in the music