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Dance Instruction Videos |
I live in a small town in Oregon, and the nearest salsa class is 300 miles away, so I got three sets of how-to videos from sources I found on the web. I quickly became a fan of learning by video for several reasons. First, all the videos I bought were well-made and the quality of the instruction was excellent. Second, nobody is around while I watch and practice, so I don't feel self-conscious. Third, I am a fairly slow but very dedicated learner, and with video I can replay a certain step or move or even hand motion as many times as I need to in order to get it: the instructors never seem to tire of repeating over and over the very thing I'm stuck on. Here are my impressions of the videos I have used. 1. Josie Neglia's Dance Hot Salsa, volume 1 and 2. Each of these videos goes through about two dozen steps. Each step is taught in about two minutes, in which she breaks down the woman's part, the man's part, and then the couple demonstrate the step with the music. The instruction is very clear, and steps build on earlier steps in an orderly manner. The dancers break (step forward or back) on beat one, the so-called L.A. style. It is an especially good video for someone who wants to learn lots of different kinds of turns and couples routines. The instruction is almost all about the footwork, and there is little comment about other aspects of the dancing. The instructor is so attractive and so scantily clad, it took me awhile before I could focus on the instruction, but with superhuman effort and many repetitions I was able to accomplish this. 2. Eddie Torres's Night Club Style Salsa ,videos 1 and 2.This is New York style, where they break on the second beat. There are fewer steps shown, but more attention to details. There are a number of solo routines, or "shines" as well as partner routines. There is a section on how the basic steps go with the conga playing. Each lesson has a section called "style" in which the instructor comments on aspects of handwork, arm motions, footwork, (and about every five minutes on the importance of smiling). There are a half a dozen dancers, each one excellent and with small differences in attitude and movement, a real plus in my book. 3. Ron Montez: Salsa 1, from the Learn to Dance with Champions series.This video consists of 25 steps of ballroom salsa, and the basic steps are different. The lessons are very straightforward, the dancers excellent and unpretentious, the music awful to my ear. I have learned a lot from this video, though unless you're particularly interested in ballroom salsa the other videos are probably a better bet. This video was quite a bit more expensive, as well. |