Salsa dancing has become popular over the years, the dance is so well loved that different regions started to have their own distinctive styles. L.A. Style Salsa, as the name implies, is from Los Angeles, California. It is very much influenced by Latin Ballroom, Swing, Mambo and Argentine Tango. This style of salsa dancing incorporates many other types of dance including jazz, hip hop and ballroom. It is challenging for the dancers and very entertaining for those watching from the sidelines. What can be noticed most in L.A. Style salsa is the presence of stunts, lifts and fancy aerial work. It is a very sensually elegant dance that involves a lot of theatrics, aerobics and suave footwork or “shines”.
The L.A. “shines” are a series of spontaneous of seemingly free-style steps that combine complex footwork and intricate hand and body movements. During “shines” the couple move apart from each other in the middle of a dance to start their individual “shines”. This is in the same principle as the Cuban “despelote” that allows dancers to express their individuality. Shines are most often used where the music breaks into a fast, pulsating conga beat!
The L.A. Style Salsa is usually danced “On 1″ in the cross-body lead, although forward–backward basic salsa steps are also used. the leader steps forward on 1, steps to the right on 2-3 while turning 90 degrees counter-clockwise (facing to the left), leaving the slot open. In this move the man leads the woman across his body in a linear motion, very different from the circular motion seen in the Cuban Salsa style. Most of the dance moves however are still very much influenced by the Cuban and New York Salsa movements.
The style was popularized by well known salsa dancers like the Salsa Brava dance troupe, Vasque brothers, Albert Torres, Joe Cassini, Laura Canellias and Josie Neglia, among others. Part of its popularity is also credited to the broadcast of Mayan World Salsa Championships, World Salsa Congress and Bacardi Festivals, all yearly competitions that attracts many salsa competitors and enthusiasts.