Los Angeles style is strongly influenced by the basic mambo step, swing and Argentine tango styles of dancing. Part of the uniqueness of this style is that the dancer emphasizes the first beat and combines two elements to the dance: the forward backward basic and the cross-body lead. This style is very technical and requires intense dips, flips, jumps, splits and spins. The dance is showy, theatrical and sensuous. Pioneers of Los Angeles style include Albert Torres, Joe Cassini, Edie Lewis, Josie Neglia and Janette Valenzuela.
New York style originated in the 1960s when Cuban dissidents introduced the mambo to the area. The style eventually evolved to combine mambo with New York jazz and swing. Percussion instruments play an important role in this type of dance, with the second beat being emphasized rather than the first. The intensity of this style is emphasized in the timing of the moves and its use of body waves, free style and shimmying. New York salsa is mostly confined to the east coast of North America, Puerto Rico and Central America. The 'Jimmy Anton Social' in New York has been running since 1933 on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month, and provides New York style salsa dancers with up-tempo salsa, emphasizing percussion orchestration. Eddie Torres, Seaon Brystol and Juan Matos are all influential New York style dancers.
Cuban style salsa (also known as 'Casino') is danced in a circular motion comprised of different patterns of arm and body movements, including double hand holds. This style is danced on either the upbeat--beats two, four, six and eight, or the downbeat-- beats one, three, five and seven. A major element of this type of salsa are the adjustments that each dancer must acquiesce to the other in order to perform the many turn patterns of the dance. The percussion segment of the dance breaks the partners into solo acts, allowing the partners to allure each other with sexual gyrations without physical touch. Casino salsa originated with a combination of the Cuban Son partner dance and movements from the Afro-Cuban Rhumba.
Rueda de Casino (also known as 'Salsa Rueda' or the 'Casino Wheel Dance') originated in Havana, Cuba in the 1950s. This style of salsa positions dancers in a circle and follows moves called out by one person. Swapping partners is a common part of this dance. Rueda de Miami (known as 'Miami-style') evolved from the original Rueda de Casino and is a more formal style that incorporates moves from both Rueda de Cuba and Los Angeles style salsa. One college group, the MIT Casino Rueda Group was formed in 1999 by four dancers, Brian Purville and William Melendez from California and Loreto Ansaldo and Aparna Das from Boston. The group eventually recruited more dancers and began choreographing dances for the Movements in Time Dance Company. Currently this dance group holds workshops and performs at various MIT events and off campus sites.
Cali, Columbia is known as the 'World's Salsa Capital', as salsa is the most popular style of dance at their parties and nightclubs. In this type of salsa, dancers move from side to side, focusing on endless foot movement. The upper body remains stiff, and there are no turns involved in the dance. Simple spinning is only done by the female dancer. The Encuentro de Melomanos y Coleccionistas Festival is a yearly event that features music collectors and experts on salsa history.