About Salsa
Salsa is the most popular and fashionable form of Latin dance at the moment.
Essentially Cuban in Origin, Salsa originated in the 1920's from an unlikely
mixture of African Rhythms and the melodies of the Spanish Colonies. This
was called "Son", which together with other Cuban rhythms like Rumba
and Danzon, merged to create a rich four-beat musical style. In the 1950's,
Jazz, Blues and other Black American rhythms begun to influence Salsa. At
this time, horns such as the trombone, trumpet and saxophone were introduced
giving the music its rich distinctive sound.
Other Latin rhythms such as Mambo were incorporated into the Salsa musical
structure; this was reflected in the dance, creating faster and more complex
footwork with more twists and turns, giving birth to the extremely stylish
dance we know today as "Salsa".
The music spread rapidly with the large migration of Cuban and Puerto Rican
people to America since 1959. Many famous musicians, among them Tito Puente,
Tito Rodriguez, Celia Cruz & Mongo Santamaria began to play at well-known
venues in New York, such as the Palladium, establishing Salsa in the United
States.
More recently the music migrated to Europe. With the expanding Latin American
population in London there is now a thriving Salsa scene, with many Clubs
and bands involved in it.
