Cuban salsa, like any other dance, involves knowing and understanding the rhythm and dancing to it.
Synchronising your steps, your dance, with the rhythm of the music is at the heart of dancing. It means understanding the musical phrase of Cuban salsa, its rhythm, and the importance of counts 1, 5, 4 and 8.
So let’s see together, beginner salseras and salseros, how to find the famous count 1 in Cuban salsa.
Understanding rhythm in salsa
The musical phrase of Cuban salsa, or casino, is:
1, 2, 3, (4), 5, 6, 7 (8)
This musical phrase is divided into 2 sets of 4 counts:
- 1, 2, 3, 4
- 5, 6, 7, 8
This is the structure of all salsa basic steps and figures. This rhythm, shared by follower and leader, lets partners synchronise their movements with each other and with the music.
Recognising this rhythmic pattern and sticking to it throughout a song is fundamental to executing dance moves smoothly and in sync.
Finding the “1” in salsa music
“I lost my 1… where’s my 1?”
Identifying the first beat in salsa is crucial, because it marks the start of the rhythmic cycle and tells dancers when to start their movements.
To find count 1, listen carefully to the key instruments that often provide the rhythmic cues, such as:
- The clave
- The piano
- The bass
That’s why it’s very important to immerse yourself in the music; feeling the energy rising from the first beat can also help.
The 1 is the leader’s first step (left foot) and the follower’s first step (right foot). The leader is most often a man and the follower most often a woman.
Count 5, like count 1, marks the start of a part – the second one.
Tips:
- If you lose the 1, don’t panic: it comes back every 8 counts
- The 1 falls at the start of a sung verse
The importance of counts 4 and 8
Counts 4 and 8 are the breath of the musical phrase: very important pauses that are often badly taught, or not respected, by beginner dancers. In Cuba they say you have to “marcar” these steps – mark them.
These counts mark the end of the two sets of 4 and often serve as transition points or as preparation for a move, like the 8, which can be a “tap” in preparation for a vacila, setenta or sombrero.
The example of the 4 in the dile que no
It’s not unusual for a beginner dancer to forget to mark count 4 in a dile que no.
Its importance isn’t always well taught in dance schools, so women, or followers, cross over without marking a pause (the 4), swallowing a count, falling out of the rhythm and arriving in open position one count early.
Yet the 4 exists and is very important in a dile que no (“tell her no”). It marks the “no” (di: 1, le: 2, que: 3, no: 4) and lets the woman transfer her weight onto her right leg; she can even turn her head away from the man to mark the “no”.
This weight transfer also improves the connection with the man. The woman fills the man’s right hand with her shoulder blade and the man pushes/moves her to return to an open position.
Tips to practise and improve your sense of rhythm
Improving your sense of rhythm, working on your musicality and your ear, and immersing yourself in salsa music is essential.
Listen to it every day, actively, paying attention to the instruments and the rhythmic pattern.
Here is a good Cuban salsa casino playlist:
Practise your basic steps at home every day, focusing on syncing your first step with the 1 while respecting your step alternation:
- Man: left – right – left, pause, right – left – right
- Woman: right – left – right, pause, left – right – left
Online dance classes given by the best dance teachers are specially designed to teach you solid Cuban salsa basics and how to dance on time, which will serve you throughout your dance life.
So? Have you found your 1?
Mastering the rhythm of salsa, or casino, is a quest that requires all your listening and attention, patience and lots of practice.
By learning to identify the 1 and understanding the importance of counts 4 and 8, you will lay the foundations you need to become an accomplished salsa dancer, able to progress more smoothly.
