Where salsa comes from

9.The dance branches out

The dancing followed the music. In Cuba, people danced casino (often in a circle, called rueda de casino). In New York, mambo dancers at the famous Palladium Ballroom created a fast, sharp style, mixing in moves from jazz and ballroom dance (one source also mentions tap).

Later, US dancers split into two main styles: LA style (“On1”), which breaks on beat 1, and New York style (“On2”), which breaks on beat 2, closer to the old Palladium mambo timing. In Colombia, dancers in Cali made their own fast, footwork-heavy style called salsa caleña.