Salsa As Your New Exercise

By Jennifer Ramos

Oftentimes, we would get an answer of going to a gym when we ask how we lose weight. Another common suggestion would be to go dieting. Unluckily, these things are easier said than done. Gym sessions would both be stressful, time consuming, and costly. With all the strenuous exercises there, you would not be interested in doing that. Aside from that, gyms are strictly for healthy people. Those who are disabled cannot participate or would have limited participation. This is why we must make use of the alternative way of exercise - dancing.

Salsa is one of the most popular and well-liked dances of today. It is considered as one of the trendiest dances today. It came from the Caribbean area as a social dance. It is also believed that it is a fusion of 3 other Latin dances such as Mambo, Rhumba, and Cha Cha. This gives the feel of dancing 3 dances at once. Another thing is that movies have also come up such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Dance with Me" which are starred by famous celebrities Patrick Swayze and Vanessa Williams. This justifies that the Salsa dance floor is not only for Latinos. Salsa has moves which are simple, yet very groovy. The steps are so catchy, even the older population would enjoy it. The moderately fast tunes used in Salsa would surely push people to move and dance which would burn the calories off. Additionally, the music of salsa is so cool and catchy that every beat would give fun.

The steps are very simple and basic. Simply put, the music is on 4/4 beat time. However, the 4th beat is always skipped. That way, the 4th beat is at rest during count, making the count go 1, 2, 3, rest, and so on.

When learning this dance, you should read this little overview:

Your stance should be in a way that you are standing with both your feet close together.

1st beat - Step your left foot forward. By doing so, you're also putting your weight on your left foot.

2nd beat - With the left foot still forward, shift your weight on your right foot. This may give you the idea of stepping your right foot in place.

3rd beat - Bring your left foot back in place with your right foot.

4th beat - This is considered as the rest period wherein you may prepare for the shifting of foot for the next beat.

Then repeat the steps using the alternate foot, which in this instance is the right foot. Of course when dancing with a partner, alternate feet are used when stepping forward. For example, the man steps his left foot forward while the woman steps her right foot back on the first beat.

Dance videos are available online which could help you better in learning salsa easily.

In conclusion, salsa is a dance that is embraced by different cultures in the world because of its simple basic steps and the fun atmosphere that it entails. It makes a good and enjoyable alternative for fitness for all people of all ages since it can be done every day and at any time, without the stresses accompanying the gym workout. - 31486

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