Free Advice & Important Points When Dancing the Salsa

1. Small Steps. Salsa and mambo steps are very small. Keep the feet beneath the body versus taking huge break steps. As the music gets faster, smaller steps must be taken. Your feet should generally be less than one foot apart, usually less than 1/2 foot apart.
2. Foot turn out. Break steps should always have foot turn out. Never dance break steps in a pigeon toed fashion.
   
3. Don't "blend" the steps. Avoid "blending" the slow step with the quick steps. Instead, hold the slow step for the complete duration of two beats of music and delay stepping to the first quick prematurely. A verbal queue, if dancing on the "2" beat would be: 2,3,4, lift, 2,3,4, lift, 2,3,4, lift. In this case, the break step occurs on the 2 beat, the replace step occurs on the 3 beat, and 4 is the first beat of the "slow" step. Many mambo teachers say, "Nothing happens on the 1 beat." That's true in that a step is not taken. However, on the 1 beat, the heel is lifted and the same hip drops, as the same foot is released in preparation for making the upcoming break step on the first quick. In other words, during the "lift," the heel is lifted and the knee is bent as the same hip drops and weight then goes to the other foot. You could also use the verbal queue, 2,3,4, drop, 2,3,4, drop to remind yourself to drop the hip. This might help in developing "Cuban motion." Adding the "flick" action to your basic will also assist in preventing "blending," and premature movement to the first quick. An observer should be able to clearly discern your slow steps and your quick steps.
   
4. Weight transfer. To the extent possible, each step should be distinct and should entail a complete weight transfer versus a "shuffling" of the feet.
   
5. Soft knees. Cuban motion (that is, hip and body action) comes from the alternate bending and straightening of the legs. As a knee is bent, the same hip drops. Take steps onto a bent knee and begin weight transfer before the knee straightens. Rather than feeling like you are dancing lightly on top of the floor, you should feel like you are dancing into and pushing out of the floor. Before beginning any Latin dance, think about lowering yourself slightly, perhaps as if a glass ceiling is overhead. Do not stoop or compromise posture, however.
   
6. Don't over extend arms. In general, arms should not stay rounded with the elbows bent. Connections should be relatively short and connections should be very responsive to sudden changes in the direction of the lead. Don't allow elbows to collapse behind the body (the chicken wing look).
   
7. Posture, Frame, Connection, and Timing are the most important elements for any partner dance. Don't stoop or look at your feet. Don't allow your frame to collapse or loose integrity. Always maintain firm and secure connections. Never give up counting! Count the steps always but don't count out loud. Always start "on phrase" with the music.
   
8. Merengue: This dance uses the easy footwork timing of 1,2,3,4 or step, step, step, step - one step for each beat of the music. The key to this dance is the hip action. The "Basic" is a side-chasse to the left (for the Gentleman). The best verbal queue for this is: drop, together, drop, together, etc. The left hip is dropped on the first beat and the same foot is freed, next a small step to the left is taken and the right foot closes to the left (together). This is repeated. Thus the verbal queue: drop, together, drop, together to complete two chasse steps to the left. Without the hip action, the entire character of this dance is lost. A mistake is to tilt the top part of your body back and forth like an upside down pendulum.