12-Minute Salsa Dancing Routine for Beginners

Hey guys , I'm Jacqueline and with health dot com .

This is Janet Lawrence , another editor with health and we are here with Rebecca Bloomberg .

She is this amazing professional salsa dancer .

She's here today to get our hips shaken a bit , your hips shaken a bit .

So we want you to get up , warm up with us , do the routine with us and I'm gonna let Rebecca take it away .

Hey , hi guys .

So we're gonna start up with the warm up .

We're gonna start with our chest .

So we want to stretch it as far out as we can and then when you wanna go back contract .

So like kind of like somebody's punching you in the stomach .

You want to go as far as you can front back .

Rent good , then put your arms out , gonna stretch to the side good .

You wanna keep your arms level to the floor ?

So it's parallel , right ?

So I shouldn't see this happening or this , right ?

Is this how we get your abs ?

Yeah .

Just keep doing this right .

Then you're gonna put your hands on your hips .

Now it's your shoulders that are parallel to the floor , right ?

So we go side , side , gut .

So now it's kind of like somebody's punching you in your rib cage very aggressively good .

Then we go front side , back , side again , front side , back , side , other way , front , side , back , side , front , side , back , side , good .

So this is to get our rib cage moving , right ?

Because we , when we dance salsa , sometimes they only explain the feet and you have no upper body movement , right .

So we want to be loose in our rib cage good .

Our other exercise , we're gonna have our feet pointing a little bit out heels , touching arms by your belly button , come up on your toes .

Heel should still be touching and sit into your left hip .

Now , you wanna be careful to cross over the knee , so there's no space between your thighs good and then we go up and send into your right hit gut .

So you're creating this little twist in your body , but this time just put your heel down and switch to the other side .

Nice and other way , make sure your heels are touching toes pointing out at all times good .

So you should feel your weight being pushed forward right ?

And should be on the ball of your feet , sort of on the inside of your feet .

Good .

So we do a basic account just like this gonna do it so slow .

So we go 123 and 567 .

It's good with the basic .

Hello and welcome to this passion for dancing lesson .

My name is Leon and this is Kim .

And right now we're going to be teaching you the cross body lead step in the salsa .

This is one of the most important steps you must learn if you eventually wanna move up to higher levels because lots of moves start and end with this move .

OK , let's get started .

Ok , ladies , let's do your steps now .

So Kim is gonna start with just uh half a basic here .

So she goes back replace and close .

And then this is really the cross but elite section ladies .

So we're gonna slow it down .

You're gonna go forward with the left first to step forward .

Now you're gonna pivot about a half a turn to the left , bringing right leg uh keeping the right leg on the floor and you can see it's kind of neat knee and then she's gonna go back on that right leg and then closing left foot to right foot , switching weight .

That's your steps ladies .

And let's do another angle for you ladies .

So again , you're gonna start with half a basic .

So back replace and closing together .

And now the cross body lead steps , Kim is gonna go forward with the left pivot about uh half a turn to her left and then step , stepping back on that right leg and then closing left foot to right foot .

Switching .

Wait , that's your steps , ladies .

Let's zoom in into your feet .

So let's watch this again .

What I gotta do is gotta open up , get out of her way and then she can step through with no problem .

And let's watch this from another angle .

So you can see the tracks uh the track that I'm creating right here .

So you can see .

So we go 123 .

See I open up , you can see she has a clear path to go through .

So we're not gonna hit each other and it's gonna work nicely again .

One to open up on three guys and 567 .

So that's the first thing to pay attention to .

The second thing you need to note is that when you actually uh lead the ladies across , you need to understand which arm is doing it .

Yes , it's not your left arm .

It's actually your right arm .

This is the one that you're gonna lead her forward across as you go back guys .

So that's the one you wanna lead and I recommend you practice without this arm .

Yeah , just like I'm doing right now .

So you can feel how when you go back , you bring the ladies across with you .

So it's nothing to do with left .

Everything to do with the right , all you need to do guys is make sure you connect this arm to your body and as you go back , you lead her right across .

It's not like you're really pushing her .

It's very gentle , it comes from the whole body .

Yes .

And now uh for the ladies for following , you don't want to start moving across the , the guy's uh space right away .

Yes .

So ladies , what you wanna do here is make sure you stay on the men's right side .

So , so Kim is right here .

She didn't pass me .

So we didn't end up like this .

Yes .

So ladies , you don't wanna go across too early or too fast or stay and then wait for the guy to actually lead you .

Yes , so that I bring her across .

So ladies , what you wanna do is when you close the feet here and you can see Kim is getting on her right leg .

Thank you for watching this video .

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Go 12356713567 .

Yes .

Then you're gonna do a Suzie Q so gonna cross left right left , right left , right left .

Yeah .

Basic .

Suzie Q let's just one time .

We're gonna do it for the whole bar .

So yeah , so you go 13567 then 1234567 .

Yeah , good cool .

Do it from our rumble from the rumble .

Yes .

So we go 123567 .

Front side , back side front Suzie Suzie Suzie Q .

Yeah and arms on on that funky last little move that up .

I'm giving you some central arms you're gonna care yourself all the way up .

Yes .

So you're gonna go 1357 .

Yeah .

Right .

Yes .

So see me out here .

Right .

So we go front , side , back , side , front and Suzie , Suzie Suzie Cute .

We're gonna stop here and you're gonna rotate .

We're going more .

What happens ?

I got Susie .

So yeah , 1357 .

You're gonna rotate to your right and catch yourself with your right leg .

One cross left .

Yeah , if we don't fall , I will be so impressed .

Put it in your mind but you won't fall anymore .

So from the Suzie Cute .

Ok , so we go 1234567 .

Rotate 1357 .

Yes .

So it's pretty heavy , right ?

Got it .

Yes .

Also for your if you want to add a little hip , you can circle your hips right to left .

Yeah .

With every step that you take which makes it look so easy .

All right from the top .

Then we try with music 56 basic 12356 .

Go 1235671356713571357 .

Yeah cool .

Hi , how do you feel ?

That was fun .

Yeah .

All right .

Ok so let's just do basic until I say go right .

Basic one here we go .

1256713567 .

Mhm .

Yeah that's all wanna do it one more time .

Yes .

Need to do it another time .

Yeah , so let's do basic 65676 .

Here we go before .

Nice .

Back to basic .

Yeah .

Yeah .

Go Cuba .

Yeah .

Nice .

I love you .