Salsa
New York & LA Style
New
York Style
New York style and L.A. style are very closely linked. Both styles
use the mambo step as a basic and are very linear in execution.
New
York has earned a reputation for dancing on "2" yet
there are many New Yorker's who also dance on "1". There
are two variations of the mambo step danced in New York, the contemporary
mambo (a.k.a. Eddie Torres style) and the Palladium style. The
Eddie Torres style is characterized by a continuous and smooth
body rhythm and passing of the feet where the non-weight changing
counts are on "4" and "8". The Palladium style
is very much like the 1950's Mambo whereby the non-weight changing
counts are on "1" and "5". Unlike the contemporary
style, it can be very staccato (fragmented) in execution depending
on the dancer’s interpretation and placement of the feet
on counts "4" and "8". The New York style tends
to have the most varied interpretation/ opinion of the basic step
than any other style so I am providing you with the most basic
explanation.
L.A.
Style
Los
Angeles style uses the contemporary mambo basic as well, but
typically executes
this step by breaking
forward on count "1".
The L.A. and New York styles consist of the same core components
that make up their incredibly diverse repertoire of moves. The
main difference is their approach to styling and flow of movement.
For
example, if you were looking into a window at a group of dancers
from both L.A.
and New York and
could not hear the music to determine
the count you should still be able to ascertain the style of choice
for each dancer. The New York dancers certainly have a more composed,
elegant, and smoother look and feel for the dance. The women in
particular tend to reveal a sensual quality to express the intricacies
of this dance. On the other hand, L.A. dancers would perhaps catch
your attention first with their incredible display of explosive
and technically challenging roster of tricks. The execution tends
to be crisp and sharp with a vivacious appeal. The L.A. men tend
to really surpass the basic expectations of a good dancer with
jumps, and flips, and splits, and spins, and…get the picture?
Love,
Peace, & Cross-Body
Leads…
