INTERMEDIATE SALSA PATTERNS  
Phil Liggett
Pre-req: Beginning Salsa

Okay, so you know a little Salsa and you know how to move. Now it's time to add some new moves to your growing knowledge!

ADVANCED  SALSA EXPLOSION
- Rebeca and Bjorn
Prerequisite : Completed one level of Intermediate Salsa

Bjorn and Rebeca are well-known in the Houston area for their dazzling Salsa performances.   They teach a regular Saturday afternoon Advanced Salsa class.

This Explosion Crash Course will be a fast-moving, very Advanced class featuring styling and advanced patterns.  

 

BEG LATIN CHA CHA - Dakota
Pre-req: No prerequisite

Cha Cha is one of the Dance World's coolest dances. For one thing, it is an incredibly versatile dance. Cha Cha can be used to Tito Puente or Marc Anthony Salsa music, romantic Country-Western Polka music, Disco music with a Latin Beat, 50's Sock Hop music like "Johnny Angel", and popular music like Santana's recent Grammy winner "Smooth". 

Cha Cha patterns can vary from the simple to the complex and will even use double turns when the mood strikes. Best of all, the Cha Cha has an attractive hip motion that make pretty dresses do the exact same thing that Gap Khakis do for Swing dancing.

Cha Cha is flirtatious, sexy, easy to learn, and lots of fun! Plus you will get plenty of chances to use it during the party later on.

 

BEG MERENGUE - Jill
Pre-req: No prerequisite

Merengue is a major Salsa dances known as the
"Walking Dance". You take a step on each beat of the music.  

Featuring terrific hip motion and fun patterns, Merengue is a major dance in the Latin clubs ! Merengue is lots of fun and very easy to learn. 

 

BACHATA - Linda
Pre-req: No prerequisite

Bachata is a slow Latin dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is based on an ancient African dance rhythm known as 'Ibo' brought over by slaves stolen from the Nigerian Kwa tribe in the early 1800s.

Bachata lyrics are almost always about heartbreak or unrequited love. Known as  "la música de amargue" (the music of bitterness), it developed as music for the poorest neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic.

In many ways the history of bachata music is similar to that of American blues. Originally a rural, guitar-based form, bachata was the music of the poor and uneducated. Now it is entering mainstream Salsa music.

The lyrics often contain raw double-entendres and bawdy sexual innuendoes. Whether its the suggestive lyrics or the sensual style of the Bachata, this dance is starting to get a "bad reputation".  In fact Bachata has been compared to Bossa Nova, another Latin dance with a "bad reputation".

And now that you know about how naughty Bachata is, come learn how to dance it!

 

CUMBIA/TEJANO - Luis
No Prerequisite

Tejano Dancing includes the Cumbia and Mexican Polka.  Anyone who has ever seen Linda Cook and Timm Chavez dance a Western Polka with an unusual "Walk-Walk" style has seen the Mexican Polka (which obviously can be danced to Western Polkas as an interesting alternative to the regular Polka).