Salsa – The Game of Playful Seduction

What is it about Salsa that makes it so “hot”? Why is the dance so popular? Here, I seek to explore why…

In this junction, it is important to describe the Salsa dance. Salsa is similar to Ballroom social dancing in the sense that it is a lead and follow dance, with the male typically leading and the female typically following his lead. The leader dances with the female as an extension of his body. His task is to direct her into a series of steps that incorporates spins and footwork. The follower must flow with him by following his push or pull, spinning when he spins her, stopping when he stops her, moving when he leads and waiting when he does not lead her. The crucial element in Salsa is that it is not choreographed: the leader may execute different steps as and when he wants to, and the follower is expected to go with his lead even if is it variations that she has never done before. If we see the dance as a game to be played, the ideal scenario is for the leader to direct her clearly and flawlessly into variations while executing his own steps and for the follower to follow his cue without struggle and in total compliance with his lead. Both may execute additional steps of their own to beautify and personalize their dancing (common term used is Styling), but they have to find an opportune moment to deliver it because it must not affect the lead or the following, which will disrupt the dance. Even so, there are many times when the dance is intentionally disrupted and the dancers break apart and dance separately (this is called Shines). Although the dancers appear to be dancing on their own with their bodies no longer in physical contact, they still maintain connection with their eyes. This happens for a few seconds and then they come back together again when the leader picks the follower up and leads her once again. In sum, the rules of the game differ for the leader and the follower. The former sets the pace and the latter complies with it. This is the bottom-most layer or what can be considered the ground rules for the dance. (physical sphere?)

There is a second layer involved within the salsa, which in my opinion, makes Salsa a dance rather than merely a series of steps to be executed. The factor that differentiates any series of steps from aerobics, martial arts and dance is the mind, which somehow labels salsa as “dance” rather then a form of aerobics or martial arts. The mind acknowledges Salsa as a form of dance due to its aesthetic appeal and the feeling of fun and enjoyment that is involved in the dance. There is something that the mind relates to so that all those dancing and watching the dance actually associate themselves with it. In Ballroom dancing and Ballet the dancers are focused onto a far-off something, a dreamy realm of fantasy or creation that they play in their minds as they sashay around the dance floor. This creates the dreamy, illusive and ethereal atmosphere you feel when you step into a Ballroom or watch a ballet performance. The dancers flow as one, melting together to form a series of fluid movements that delivers the body elegantly in consonance with their dreamy fantasy. In these dances, the mind is deported into an alternate realm of dreamy, almost surreal and timeless fantasy that somehow dominates the western forms of dance (so that it’s not explicitly sexual and thus appropriately suitable).

Salsa, however, takes on a different mental approach. In contrast to Ballet’s and Ballroom’s ethereal overtones, the Salsa dance revels and thrives in the present. There is no “far-off something”, nor a timeless quality that the dancers project out in Salsa. It is realistic and authentic, sometimes explicitly so. As such, those that embrace the sub-culture are acutely aware that Salsa is a sexy dance, which involves close body contact, and these people thrive in the realism of it. They daringly embrace and explicitly acknowledge the sexual overtones in their dance by maintaining eye contact while sexily dancing, constantly challenging and teasing their partners and the audience. It is a common saying that “Dancing Salsa is like doing it right on the dance floor”. This bold front is one of the attractions of the dance: those who Salsa, dare. So as Salseros, they are a different breed of people who are not afraid to embrace their sexuality, and in their dancing, confidently flaunt it.

With this concept in mind, we can now explore how these dancers express themselves in the dance, which makes the dance so “hot”. As the dance is that of lead and follow, the couple apparently flows together as one body moving to the music. Yet, beneath the surface lies a constant tension, a game of courtship. The man woos the lady with his charm while he dances, showing off his confidence and style while leading her like a gentleman; the lady may choose to accept the “courtship” or play hard to get and challenge him with moves of her own, etc. As the leader brings the follower into a series of steps, he challenges her to the moves, and she accepts the challenge by executing the variations he leads. However when they dance, they are not merely executing variations or choreography, for that would be boring. Rather, what is essential to the play and makes this dance unique is that the teasing reactions are on the spur of the moment; i.e., they are not choreographed but spontaneous. The dancers taunt and tease each other throughout the variations executed: one dancer would give the other a cheeky look as he/she suddenly does a sharp turn or a body-wave, hoping to catch his/her partner by surprise and gain the upper hand in their play. The other may choose to respond (retort?) with something of his/her own, or choose not to do anything and keep a cool face, seemingly unfazed by it.

In sum, the essence of Salsa lies in its play. Rather than merely displaying their sexual prowess, the dancers turn it into a game, involving not just their partners, but also the audience. In doing so, they break the mundane seriousness of the dance (which otherwise may be called exercise) and have spontaneous “fun”. And since this dance is merely a game, it is acceptable to openly “flirt” with different people throughout the night. Many dancers actually “play” at seducing their partners and then give a cheeky look or laugh to indicate that this is just a game, and that they are not really flirting but merely frolicking.

As can be seen, there is a sort of dual layer to the dance: 1) the ground rules of Salsa which establishes the fundamental physical techniques of how to dance, and 2) the second layer which sets the cultural norms of how to behave while dancing. These two are the socializing “norms” within the dance, and they work together – usually cohesively and sometimes destructively – to form the dance we call Salsa within the context of Singapore. The latter occurs when the ground rules are sacrificed for the fun of the game; e.g., the follower disrupts from following the leader by pushing him away or refusing to take his hand, teasing him and playing “hard to get”. However, this form of play cannot be done too frequently or she will be seen as being a “spoil-sport” by not allowing her partner to play the game.

Discliamer: This is only a very, very rough draft, so please don't quote me on this... It will be subjected to a lot of change.