What is Salsa on 2?
Salsa on 2 is a little harder than Argentine Tango, but is really fun once you get it!
Salsa is a dance for Salsa music created by Spanish-speaking people from the Caribbean. Salsa dancing mixes African and European dance influences through the music and dance fusions that are the roots of Salsa: Son, Guaguancó, Rumba, Boogaloo, Pachanga, Guaracha, Plena, Bomba.
On 2 timing emphasizes the conga drum’s tumbao pattern, and encourages the dancer to listen to percussive elements of the music. Advocates of New York Style consider this to more accurately reflect the Afro-Caribbean ancestry of the music.
Many also refer to this style as “Mambo” since it breaks on beat 2 of the measure, though there are other dance forms with a more legitimate claim to that name. Mambo has been taught in ballroom schools throughout the world since the 1950s. For years ballroom competitions have featured Mambo as a competition dance.[1. "Salsa" on Wikipedia]
