There are a lot of things that go into being light when spinning. The most important thing that a lady must do is be in control of her weight and be in control of her center so that she is not totally dependant on the men's lead. The men only provides the initiation of the turn and the speed and amount of turns, the lady has to keep balanced and not pull down on the guy. She has to put in 50% of the work. There is a lot of technique that goes into that. What I do is first always have my knees bent, tighten up my stomach by pushing it in towards my spine, and spin on the balls of my feet. Also, the ladies' tension in the arm that is spinning is also key, there has to be a firm amount, not too strong and not too light. Also it has to be in a right angle all times plus she cannot pull up or push down with that arm, just keep her arm weight centered. Also, spotting is key as well. I try to keep my shoulders down by pushing them down to engage the muscles in the back.

Lastly, I try to keep all my weight on my toes and not on my heels, the goal is to keep your hips/pelvis over the balls of your feet so you are aligned with the body as if a straight string is running along through the body from top to bottom. Lastly, the way lady comes out of her spins is also important and that happens by keeping the knees and feet together when spinning and putting more tension in the legs and stomach when stopping.

Thank you for your kind words! As for the shoes, my performance shoes are from Freed of London which I love. I have not tried a whole lot of shoes but I can definitely tell you the names of some ballroom shoe companies. I have tried www.exoticsalsashoes. com (VeryFine)which are shoes that are cheaper than the average but the styles ave pretty typical, but they have a huge selection of styles and colors. I have also tried Dance Naturals which are also European like Freed of London but are pretty expensive and the comfortability is just ok. Also Burju from Hache Y Machete has some very beautiful shoes, check out her website www.hacheymachete.com. Lastly, I know there is Supadance shoes, Elegance shoes, DSOL online shoes, and many more but I cannot comment on those. Thank you again for your great comments. Good luck!

NY is the hub of salsa, so when it comes to social dancing and nightlife, there are so many options! The best thing to do when coming to NY and looking for places to dance is to check out the main mambo calendar at www.salsanewyork.com. Here lists everything that goes on in regards to salsa in NYC on a daily basis. Nightclubs run the salsa scene during the week, but on the weekends, you can find up to 5 or more socials in one night. Some of the top places to go at the moment are Taj (Mondays), Iguana (Tues), Imperial or LQ (Wed), Cache (Thurs) during the week. Some of the top socials to go to on the weekends are La Vieja Guardia (Sundays bimonthly), Jimmy Anton's (Sundays-bimonthly), Mambo Fateegz (Fri and Sat- bimonthly), Yamulee (Fridays-once monthly), Abakua (Fridays-once monthly) plus many more. So check out the salsa night life in NY when you get a chance! It is amazing!

As for shining, it really depends on what type of shines you are doing I believe. Yes for the majority of the time, I stay on the balls of my feet with my knees bent, and use the balls of my feet to push and pivot where I need to go. If you are doing more syncopated shines, your stepd has to be tighter and shorter. If you are doing more crossovers and using the chordbeat type shines, the steps can be little wider but still on toes with bent knee. I dont constantly keep my abs tight, it depends on what I am doing like spinning or changing direction alot (counterpoints). I do use alot of tension in my legs I believe and again really keep my wieght on the balls of my feet to push, twist, spin, almost do everything. Also, how you use your arms and body movement does play a role in balance and control.

This is the most popular question asked by beginners, although the most practical. There is no direct answer to this questions because there are so many factors that play a role in someone moving up the ladder in salsa dancing. Each person is different, each person has different strengths and weaknesses. Some of the main factors that influence how good someone gets are how often someone attends classes in a week and how much he/she practices between classes. Someone attending class once a week will most likely learn at a slower rate than someone who attends classes 3x a week. Also someone who mentally and physically practices/rehearses what they have learned in class regularly will retain info better and will be more and more familiar with the material. This includes going out social dancing, which is the best practice anyone can get. Social dancing is the time when you get to put everything into play and start developing a flow.

In addition, everyone learns at a different rate, some people are more visual than others and some are not. This will affect the learning curve as well. Lastly, someone's drive/motivation plays the biggest role I believe. How bad someone wants to learn and the positivity they bring will definitely help someone learn anything, including salsa faster!

Boogaoo (boogalu) aka shing-a-ling is a funky mix or fusion of Latin and Afro-American music and dance which became popularized in NYC in the mid 1960s. It captured audiences of Latin and non Latin people because it incorporated many other popular music at the time such as rock and roll, R & B, doo-wop with Cuban son montuno. Because many of the popular clubs in the 1960s like the Palladium started having non Latino partygoers, this crossover musical style of Boogaloo derived.

Boogaloo included the use of English lyrics as well as Spanish and entered the mainstream through the American Bandstand television program. Established Cuban-influenced orchestras also recorded the occasional boogaloo, including Perez Prado, Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. The term boogaloo was probably coined in 1966 by Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz. Some of the biggest boogaloo hits of the 60s were "Bang Bang" by the Joe Cuba Sextet, which in 1966 sold over one million copies and "El Pito." Hits by other groups included Johnny Colón’s "Boogaloo Blues", Pete Rodríguez’s "I Like It like That", and Hector Rivera’s "At the Party". Boogaloo also spread to Puerto Rico, where top band El Gran Combo released some material.

Boogaloo was a short-lived dance which only lasted into the late 1960's. It emerged as the popularity of charanga music was waning and before the emergence of what is known today as "Salsa." The real reason why its popularity decreased is not 100% known. Some speculate that it was the introduction of Salsa by Fania that brought its popularity down. Some say that those who were not fond of the music and dance like certain Disk jockey's and band leaders stopped playing the music and stopped booking boogaloo bands.

Today boogaloo is reemerging into the salsa scene and is being heard more and more in the nightclubs and socials. Many dance boogaloo as if they were dancing Cha Cha Cha using the same timing. However, there is a funk and bounce that is added into the shines and little partnering which really complements the feel of the boogaloo rhythm.

This antiquated dance era is hitting the dance scene once again all around the world. Although its popularity was short-lived in the 1960’s because of its fast, syncopated and high-energy rhythm, interest in the pachanga is rising and is in high demand.

Pachanga became popular during the Palladium era in NYC in the early to mid 60's. It has been described as "a happy-go-lucky dance" of Cuban origin which consists of the bending and flexing of the knees as the upper body leans back and forward on the core beats (1,3,5,7) of the music. Pachanga is mainly danced during open shines but can also be used at certain points in closed partnering segments as well. One of the greatest innovators of this dance is Eddie Torres whose many demonstrations of this dance can be found on web, particularly on YouTube.

The most popular music for this dance is charanga music. This music has roots in Cuban danzon and is especially identified by the use of flutes and violins in their arrangements. Some of the more popular charanga bands that still can be heard today are Orchestra Broadway, Son Charanga, Sonido Ideal, Charanga de La 4, Tipica Novel, Pupi Legarretta, and many more.

Today, Charanga is making a revival in the salsa nightclubs and socials. Hopefully this time, it will have a longer track record than in the past.

Thanks so much for your message and thanks so much for buying the DVD I hope it has been helpful. There are many ladies who go through what you go through so don't feel stressed about it. One of the things you can do is maybe start putting together a small shine routine so that you can use when the guy releases you into shines. So in the beginning, you know what to do each time you shine. You can also use the same shines in a mixed up fashion. Once you have mastered those, then put together another sequence of steps that you like and work on that the next time you social dance. Another thing you can do is try putting on some music at home and practice over the shines you like and are comfortable with. Lastly, you can try to hook up with a practice partner 1-2x a week and work on the styling things you have learned and also play with what shines to use. You have to really be confident and believe in yourself. You know you have the material, just organize it, set goals, and do everything with some attitude, like you mean it and feel it. Don't forget the reason why you are dancing in the first place and let that take over you And just dance!