modern cuban style

Salsa as any other social event evolves. The music, the steps, the dancers, the emotions.... On our courses you get to listen to pure cuban music which sometimes it is a bit more difficult than commercial songs. But as you start to understand it you'll get to love it, like many of us do. Cuban dance is about emotions and emotions are expressed differently as the time passes by. In Cuba dance has never been standardized. It could not be. Our dance style is based on what you feel at the moment, quoting Sandra, Modern Dance professor at the ENART Havana: ".. I dance my feelings this way here and now, tomorrow it will be another day and God knows how I am going to feel"

The Salsa term was invented in New York in the early 70's, but its roots are well set in the afro-cuban popular music. We Cubans never use the word "salsa". If you go to Cuba you can ask as much as you like, but you will not find a single Salsa CD. Cuban music CD's is the only music you can get. The modern style of cuban music is called "Timba" and reflects the result of the evolution on both dancers and musicians.

timba

The timba is the rebel dance, the voice made movement. This rhythm has the enthusiasm of the rumba columbia and the sensual moves of guaguancó (both Cuban dance styles). The African influence of rap and Afro-Cuban music have fully encountered with the timba.

Timba is the music played by bands like:

Los Van Van
César Pedroso
La Charanga Habanera
Manolîn, El Médico de la Salsa
Orishas
Isaac Delgado
Dan Den
Cubanismo
Revé y su Charangón
Adalberto Alvarez
José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda
Azúcar

It is not very elegant: By dancing the body projects human emotions and those are sometimes far from being elegant.

Academic...? Nope. This is the dance for cubans to show they are alive and kicking, in difficult times when making it through the day is the only thing that matters.

The music...? Those songs that in regular Salsa Courses and Salsa parties people find them very difficult to dance, either because they are "too fast" or "the rhythm sounds so strange" so the salsa steps feel very clumpsy and refuse to follow. Well, that's normal. For sure you cannot dance regular Salsa on Timba music.

And so, our Salsa courses are based on Cuban Music or better on the Timba... the voice made movement !

See also: practical information like dress code, who will be teaching you or go back to general info about our courses.