In brief
The main purpose of this Salsa Method is to aid with learning salsa dance patterns. Since it can be quite hard to memorize and later on recall salsa figures and routines, we decided to break them down to simple 'easy to remember' elements and organize these elements into the logical categories. There are four categories of the salsa elements in the Salsa Method: Hand holds, Directions (or the directions where the dancers are facing), Actions and Positions. We believe that knowledge of these elements will help you to remember salsa figures. Thus, four categories of the salsa elements, their detailed verbal descriptions and visual examples (3 dimensional images) comprise the first part of the Salsa Method. The Salsa Method also offers a tool to write down salsa figures. This tool is our Salsa Language, which can be used to code each salsa element in order to write it down on the paper in a compressed form (just like a musician writes down a music score). Below you will find the detailed information on why we created the Salsa Method in the way it is and how it can be used.

Making difficult easy
Learning how to dance salsa, like most other learning processes, requires memorizing a considerable amount of information. Salsa is a very sophisticated dance and involves learning various aspects: among those are proper technique, styling, solo dance patterns and dance patterns for partner dancing. While technique and styling comes with the practice and eventually becomes habitual, dance patterns and especially partner dance patterns need to be memorized. Of course, the leader is the main person who should know (remember) what to lead, however it is also important that the follower is familiar with what can be led. Just to make life a bit more complicated, a good leader should not only be able to remember the patterns, but he should be able to create different combinations using pieces of these patters, or in other words, he should be able to improvise.

Many (if not all) dancers would have at some point experienced a problem with memorizing salsa figures. More figures we see, there is more to remember. Is there a limit to the number of dance patters that we can learn?

Fortunately, the human brain has an immense capacity to memorize information. However apparently 'in human thinking the principle of simplicity seem to operate'. In other words, we remember the simple explanations, phenomena or facts better and easier that the complicated ones. This principle would certainly apply to learning salsa patterns. Many of you would agree that longer and more complex the salsa pattern is, it is harder to memorize it and to recall it later on (on the dance floor). However, can we break salsa patterns down to simpler elements which will be relatively easy to remember? If we create a record of simple salsa elements in our minds, all we additionally need to memorize is the sequence of these elements for each salsa figure. Imagine that you have a pack of cards and you pull out different cards (from the same pack) to create various combinations. Or let's look at another example which is closer to our every day experience: when we are leaning a poem, we usually do not memorize the words, because we already know them; we just learn their sequence.

In the Salsa Method we decided to break down salsa figures to simple elements that would be easy to memorize and recall. Thus, the Salsa Method represents an organized catalogue of these elements and their verbal and visual descriptions.

Who should use the Salsa Method?

In our original intent, the Salsa Method aims at:

• Beginner dancers who are not yet familiar with the names of basic salsa elements (Hand holds, Directions, Actions and Positions). For example, you might be hearing terms like ‘hammerlock’ or ‘cross body lead’ but not know what they are.
• Dancers who wish to read the SalsaIsGood DVD scripts which contain a written description of all the moves and figures that we designed. Once you are familiar with the basic elements and their names, you will find it very easy to understand and memories the figures.
• All dancers who like salsa moves: understanding the basic elements will help you visualize how they connect and how they can be merged into the endlessly and smoothly flowing complex patterns.
• All dancers who want to experiment with our Salsa Language and learn how to write down their favorite figures. The purpose of the Salsa Language is to give you a tool to quickly write down a description of a salsa figure. Once you become familiar with the Language, you will be able to just watch a figure in a class or a club and write it down on the spot, like a musician writes down a music score.
• Salsa instructors, who may want to use the concept of breaking down salsa figures to Hand holds, Directions, Actions and Positions as a teaching tool.
  

Is this Salsa Method standard and accepted by all salsa schools?

No, this Salsa Method was designed by Thea Shavlakadze and SalsaIsGood, because we believe that it can be a very useful tool for learning salsa. You are encouraged to employ it for your own use or for your school, if you believe that you and your students can benefit from it. Also, when using the Method, remember, that different dancers may use different names to describe the same element. For example, Cuban names can be very different from the NY and LA names. Moreover, dancers who dance the same style can and do use different names for the same salsa elements. We tried to select the most commonly used terms.

And the most importantly, please write to us and let us know if you found the Salsa Method useful and if you have any suggestions to improve it.