History and Characteristics of Salsa

        The origins of Salsa are not easily defined.  Who invented Salsa?  The Cubans, the Puerto Ricans?  Salsa is a combination of many Latin and Afro-Cuban dances.  Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight beats of music.  The dances share many of the same moves.  In the Salsa, turns and wraps have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different from those of Mambo.  Salsa is often danced smoother than traditional Mambo.

        Salsa has a similar rhythm to Mambo but does not contain the prominent conga drums.