“Wait a second, if I learned how to dance salsa at my local club, shouldn’t I be able to dance with everyone, anywhere they play my favorite salsa music?”
The quick answer is NO.
For those that are unaware, there are multiple ways that salsa is danced around the world. Though salseros may enjoy dancing to the same songs, the timing, and footwork can vary completely…making it almost feel like a completely new dance. Some of the more popular forms of salsa dancing include:
- Casino
- Los Angeles (On1)
- New York (On2)
- Rueda
- Colombian/Cali
Due to these differences in style, even if you see an amazing Casino-style salsa dancer, you shouldn’t expect that they would know how to dance On2. In regards to Colombia, here’s an example of what generally comes to mind when salseros hear the words Colombian/Cali style salsa.
The general misconception is that you’ll have to learn the blazingly fast footwork found in Cali style salsa in order to dance in Colombia, but slot dancing is actually the dominant style found in most of Medellin’s local clubs. So if there’s one style you want to learn before heading out to Colombia, and want to dance with most of the people in the salsa clubs, my recommendation is to…
Learn to dance salsa On1
*But don’t fret New Yorkers, as seen in the vid below, you will also occasionally find a crew of exceptional dancers killing it on2 in Medellin!
Mapes24 
Hello everyone! I like this report about different ways to dance this rhythm. I really like dancing and my favorite place is Dancefree. I go to the group classes and stay for the party. Here’s a link to get info: http://www.dancefree.com.co/
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Can one who studies Cuban Salsa easily transition to Colombian Salsa? What about the ease of transitioning to on 1? Thanks!
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