style  Reggaeton & Bachata

We list & review over 500 Salsa dvd video

style  Cuban - NY - LA

Salsa Dance Instructional DVD

This is without the finest Salsa instructional dvd we have ever seen.
This three angle view make learning Salsa so easy. 
You can view the whole dvd from the front, back, above angles or just a move. 
You can rewind a move & watch it from a different angle. 
I also like the memory feature that you can rewind as much of a chapter as you like. 
There are twenty-six lessons with each step shown several times with very detailed instruction. 
Instruction is given for both males & females steps. 
The instruction is from the absolute beginners level through to the most common Miami Cuban Salsa moves. 
If you can walk you can dance this style of Salsa. 
This video is suitable for Rueda groups & Salsa Casino dancers. 
With the review with music chapter. The instructor gives you the chance to practise the steps learned. 
Gigi calls out the steps & gives key points as you dance with her to the music. 
This is the first Salsa instructional video to do this. 

We have had great fun dancing to this chapter.

Beginners	NY STYLE - Level = Absolute Beginners The Red Hot DVD's lessons are divided into chapters meaning you can skip to the lesson you want or you can repeat the lesson for as long as you want. This Salsa DVD starts off with a demonstration of the style of Salsa taught by Ron & Bethana.  Ron & Bethana are teaching what I describe as the fourth major Salsa style.  This style of Salsa is international. I have never been to a country yet or nightclub where someone was not teaching or dancing this style. I am not sure of this style's history so it may have started in New York. In my current city over 75% of the Salsa schools teach their basic techniques this way. This DVD has a huge market. This couple teach a very smooth flowing Salsa. The basic video teaches you the fundamentals of Salsa. They both take turns teaching so you get both sexes views & steps. They break the steps down for both sexes so if you are single you can learn the steps as well. Ron counts the beats + Quick Quick Slow + adds music. They teach Cuban motion for the basic step. They break the steps down in directions like front, side, back. They give you options for these basic steps. They teach basic combinations so you can add the steps all together to produce a good flow. This is a good basic very detailed video to teach a good flowing Salsa. It is suitable for couples or singles. I would also recommend this video for beginner Salsa teachers. Note : This is one of my most favorite styles of Salsa. I use this style for Salsa Romantic & for modern NY Salsa music. This is an On 2 NY style.
Intermediate	This DVD follows the same pattern as their Beginners video with very smooth flowing combinations taught in detail & in all directions. The video starts out with an On 2 demo then a curved basic with a shine. This is used to explain On 2 NY rhythm Salsa dancing.  One of the key points of this video is the turn combination that teaches you how to combine basic shines ( solo steps ) into your couple dancing. This video is a good intro into couple shine dancing.  This video contains few steps & combinations but is very detailed. The teaching style is slow & includes all directions & includes some nice styling. A practical breakdown of the steps is given. Then On 2 count of the steps is given as well as a music On 2 demo of all steps.  This is an easy-to-learn NY Salsa video. This teaching style is great for dancers without partners to train with. Most of the key points for their first video also apply to this video. They teach a very smooth flowing Salsa. They give you options for all the combinations. Overall a nice video with some very well known steps.
Advanced	This is a basic Advanced social DVD. The video again follows the same pattern as their other videos.  The steps are easy to learn. The steps in this video could be learned by any level dancer due to the teaching style.  This video combines some traditional steps with some modern NY Style steps.  A very smooth flowing Salsa with no breaks or stops between the moves. One step flows effortlessly into the next.  With this video you end up with some very nice flowing Salsa combinations. They offer options on several of the steps.  The video is full of some fairly common moves. They show both Men's & Ladies styling for the moves.  Overall the three Salsa videos produce a very nice easy to learn flowing Salsa. I like & use this style. The teaching in these videos is also good for those practicing without partners as the steps are broken down into Male & Female parts very clearly.  The videos teach all the standard techniques you need for basic social Salsa. These videos are also a great series for the person who is just starting to learn by video.
Mambo Shines	Learning shines by DVD is so much easier than by video it is not funny. You can repeat the lesson for as long as you want which makes learning so much quicker. This is an excellent Shine DVD for beginners. This is my pick for Mambo Shines for absolute beginners. This video starts off with a demo of the shines taught in this video facing the camera. At the end of this video a demo is given facing away from the camera giving you the back view so you can practice the shines with them.  The instruction is very clear. The shines are repeated several times facing the camera then away from the camera giving the back view so you get both instruction from the front & back making the shines easy to learn. The music is ideal for learning the shines as it is a nice pace for instruction.  Both Ron & Bethana are performing the shines as Ron teaches them so you get both the Men's & Ladies styling at the same time. Bethana includes some nice Ladies styling to the shines  A combination of the shines is given first, then each shine is taught, then the whole combination is taught.  Ron teaches the most common NY shines in this video.  This is a great first video for learning NY shines. Highly recommended.
	Videos to buy by Cultural Explosion The most enjoyable fun Salsa teachers on the market. A lovely young couple who love to dance & teach. Diana is the most enjoyable female Salsa teacher on the market. Great sense of humor. Very enjoyable. The teachers have fun & enjoy what they are showing you. Neal & his female partners No.1 most enjoyable video to learn Salsa from. I am going to review these videos as a couple of videos because if you are a beginner you will need to buy the beginners video first. In the Intermediate video they refer to step combinations taught in the first video. You can buy the intermediate video separately they just have some of their own terms for some common Salsa steps.
	Both videos are very good value, 52 & 45 min long , well produced good pause but they most importantly have a SLOW MOTION ON ALL COMPLEX MOVES as well as the normal speed , plus the breakdown of the steps. They give you both forward & back views plus both sides for cross body leads. They do not over detail the footwork but I feel it does not matter as you can rewind. They add several styling combinations to a move so you can choose what you like. They teach the women how to be sexy, dramatic, & romantic. They give the men tips on what behavior women find acceptable & what is not. These tips on how to avoid being slapped!!! are a must view for all male LA style dancers. The teachers give you warnings on possible injuries on the turns to protect your partners. Both the videos are full of useable steps & combinations. I enjoyed the fact they explained how to make the common combinations out ot the steps shown. They show steps in both videos that nobody else does but also give you the most common steps. I really enjoyed the Intermediate video. Very nice combinations. Although there are some known NY steps. I feel these videos could also be used by LA style dancers as well. I really have only one complaint about these videos. Cultural Explosion is a well known & liked performance dance company going by the Salsa message boards. I would of liked to have seen a small clip of one of their demo's in the back or front of these videos. The clips they do show are too short & just make me want to get my hands on any advanced videos they may make in the hope they will show some of their demo's. They have short clips of Salsatrio, etc.
	I was watching this video with a group of my Advanced social Lady dancers & within 2 minutes of this video playing Diana had all of us smiling & laughing. The interplay between Juan & Diana keep us smiling & laughing throughout this video. They are fun teachers who enjoy their Salsa dancing & teaching. This couple are the first Salsa teachers I have seen on video that I would like to take classes with. Their Salsa classes must be fun. Although this video is not called a Ladies Spin video I feel it is great for this. The video is full of double, triple & quadruple turns right up to the 20's + spins. Diana gives some great tips on Ladies spinning. The video is also full of Ladies styling tips. The step combinations are shown & taught on ONE  & on TWO so all dancers can learn the steps. The steps are danced to music on ONE & on TWO. This video teaches one of the most famous steps, the "Coffee Grinder". I have seen this step being taught in other Salsa videos but I like Juan & Diana version of teaching it the best. As most of the steps in this video were being shown. The ladies with me were calling out, 'Neal's social'. Most of the steps in this video are what I like to use with my Advanced Social Ladies. This video is full of steps I like to use. This video was like watching my favorite moves been shown. My styling is different than that used in this video so I was able to get some new endings or variations of the steps. As all the turn combinations are shown with several different styling & endings or versions you end up with some impressive steps. The moves by Super Mario from England were nice. The video is very good value for money. It is a good length & the picture quality is amazing.
	Josie Neglia set of Salsa videos. LA STYLE Level = Beginners Intermediate + ( Not really for absolute beginners ) Dance Hot Salsa 1 video starts out with some nightclub & class clips. The instructions start off with sections on subjects like Salsa music & rhythm. These sections include general tips with written key points on the tape. The most important section for me was the Leading & Following Hold section. This is a must view for all females. Note the placement of Jose's hand on Padre's shoulder. This is the correct position. Many Salsa teachers fail to show this important hand position which leads to mix ups when you are doing certain advanced turns. Included is a written card with the tips & the steps in the video. Josie counts the beats then dances the techniques with music. Josie then finishes the tape with a demonstration of techniques. There are 25 steps shown in this video. They are all shown first in a combination dance then each is shown separately. Video is 45 minutes long. Although this video teaches from the beginner level the steps are fast paced. I feel this video is better suited to those who understand the basic steps.
	Dance Hot Salsa Video 2 Levels 3 & 4 dvd Level = Beginners Intermediate + Dance Hot Salsa 2 video follows the same pattern as video 1 but with more advanced BASIC steps. There are 22 steps shown in this video. A person with rhythm will be able to do any of the techniques in both Hot Salsa videos with ease due to the teaching style shown. Both videos teach basic Salsa steps. Together both videos give you a total of 47 Salsa steps. All you will need for nightclub dancing. Video is 45 minutes long.
	Josie's Advanced Salsa Variations dvd Level = Beginners advanced to Advanced This is a strong LA Style video. I will not give a breakdown of the steps as I assume Amazon.com will do this. The video starts out with a warning about possible injury's & the flooring you should have for the advanced flips. The sections are divided into into (1) Footwork. Female then Male shines then together shines. IMPORTANT : The shines are only shown facing the camera. NO BACK VIEWS. Also the feedback from students is you will need a good pause & still advance on your video to learn these shines as the instruction is fast. Shines are solo steps done away from your partner. You can either do the same techniques or your own separate steps. (2) Turns. From basic to advanced. (3) Dips & Drops. On the Death Drop. I would ask that you use a palm to palm grip when you are first learning it then go to fingertips. (4) Lifts & Flips. The techniques range from advanced Basic to Advanced. Some are awkward & some are finishing display techniques. In the short demo section in the front of this video is the most advanced flip which is not taught in this video. It is the last technique before Josie introduces herself. It only shows the start of the technique. There are some good techniques in this video. It even has a good start technique of a Cuban enfolding turn ( Trompo). It is fast paced & average length.
	The Top Latin music dvd of 2002. I think it is great. Great Salsa & Merengue songs. Great looking females dancing. This is a must have for your music video collection.
	Salsa Dancing Guide for Beginners  This is an excellent instruction dvd.
	Have not seen
	Have not seen
	Salsa Caliente With Olga is the recipe to help you spice up your dance moves! With easy step by step instruction, you will learn the salsa and merengue, while keeping fit at the same time! Program includes: Merengue Warm-Up, The Basic Steps, The Salsa, The Mambo, The Rumba, The Charanga, Dancing With a Partner, Salsa Turns, Merengue Dance, Cool Down. Features the music of Merengada and bonus tracks from Orquestra Aragon and Company Segundo.
	Style=LA  type=more performance than social  There are so many bad points for this dvd I do not know where to start.  At 35 minutes it is way too short for a good value dvd today.  The teachers bad technique & knowledge of Salsa & Cuban dancing is an embarrassment.  I would not let these teachers out of a beginners class.  Do not bother to buy. There are other far better instructional Salsa dvd's being sold on Amazon.
	Style=LA  type=more performance than social  Most of the bad points in this couples first dvd are repeated in this 2nd dvd.  Do not bother to buy.  There are far better Salsa instructional dvd's being sold on Amazon.  This dvd is a waste of money.
	These dvd's are okay for beginners who really do not know anything about Salsa but for advanced dancers are a waste of money.  At only 35 minutes per dvd they are not good value for money.  The techniques these teachers perform in the first two dvd's are really bad. I have been reviewing Salsa dvd's & videos for over 12 years now & these two teachers are among the worst I have seen.  This series is not recommended
	These dvd's are okay for beginners who really do not know anything about Salsa but for advanced dancers are a waste of money.  At only 35 minutes per dvd they are not good value for money.  The techniques these teachers perform in the first two dvd's are really bad. I have been reviewing Salsa dvd's & videos for over 12 years now & these two teachers are among the worst I have seen.  This series is not recommended  We brought all 4 dvd's & feel they were a waste of time & money.
	The Salsaville.com dvd's are the best produced.  Full menu/ chapters. Video dvd's by Master Salsa Technician Eric Freeman  Most highly praised series by advanced dancers Hot Moves for the Salsa Addict Video 1 & Video 2 dvd These  2 videos were the most highly praised Salsa videos on the Salsa Message boards in 2001. Every message poster had nothing but praise for these videos.  These videos are the sequel to the popular Cool Moves 2 video. These videos are packed full of moves/ routines/ demos.  They are very good value. The moves are a mix of LA, NY, Cuban steps. All the moves can be incorporated into LA or NY style. The moves produce a good flow.  The most important thing about the moves taught is that they are leadable & followerable without warning. The male can just lead a female that knows these turns without any tips or warnings.  Eric Freeman has provided a very detailed & accurate review of these videos on his site.  I would class the level as very good beginners to intermediate with some advanced . Most people would class this video as intermediate to advanced.  (Note: My grading standard is a lot higher than most as I have to provide scope for the very complex advanced moves not been taught in any video yet. By this I mean the advanced flips used in performance Salsa.)  I highly recommend these videos.  http://salsaville.com/salsaville_DVD_videos.htm
	Hot Moves for the Salsa Addict, Volume III Quick Review: This is our 5th MUST BUY Video Advanced & interesting moves. Very good flowing moves. Beginner to Master level & unique moves The first move is one of our favorites. It is part of a series of moves performing Salsa with only one hand & arm. We use this series as a rest period/song rather than leave the dance floor. It also enables you to get close to your partner as well.  ( Before we go on with our review we would just like to say this. This video has many moves that can be used by physical therapists to teach people in wheelchairs how their partners can still dance with them. This first move in this video is used by Neal for women with only one arm how they can still dance. Many of the chair moves can be used by males in leg casts or wheelchairs.)  Move No. 12 is a MASTER LEVEL move. This move alone is worth the price of this video. Excellent move with a very detailed breakdown.  The styling & unique rotations for many of the moves make them well worth learning. The very detailed moves / twists/ dips done to various musical counts make this video suitable to all styles of Salsa dancers.  There is a cross section of moves from basic social to more performance type moves. There are moves that will suit all levels & types of dancers in this videos.  Move 23 is a favorite. It is part of the Kissing dips series. You do not have to kiss your partner but this is a great dip for it.  In the advance classes here most people dance with their own social partner so we teach this dip with a kiss to the forehead or lips. It just adds to the romantic feeling you can get if dancing to Salsa romantic music.  The sit down moves were excellent. The moves teach you how to have fun & use your dance floor area to enhance your dancing style.  Move No 41 are a must see for all males. Knowing this move alone was worth the price of this video.  As males we all have danced with women that we do not want to for various reasons. This is the best & firm & politest way to get rid of them. Even the women here laughed & could understand the need for us to learn this move.  We would just like to say that it very rude for males to refuse to dance with a female if he is free. This is part of the Salsa culture.  Overall an amazing video with some very unique moves.
	Hot Moves for the Salsa Addict, Volume IV This video is full of interesting variations of some common & not so common moves. There are some unique moves plus some quite flashy/ performance moves.  The moves are all very well covered. Common mistakes are well covered.  Many of the moves will make you stand out from the crowd.  We really liked the forehead caress dip. This type of caress is very popular in South America ( not in a dip) where it was a technique from the 1930's in Brazil.  There are some very complex enfolding turns.  There are also some of the best ending techniques for songs that we have seen.  Overall a very good continuation of this popular Salsa video series. Well worth buying.   http://salsaville.com/salsaville_DVD_videos.htm
	The original video, "A Demonstrational Video of Cuban-Style Salsa Dancing From The Source ..." is a series of demonstrations of some of the best dancers in Cuba. This is my favorite demonstration video. The music is great & I just put this on & relax to some great dancing & music. You can also learn from it by pausing & slow forwarding the moves. Now, as a sequel, Eric has his two favorite couples/teachers (who appear in the demo video -- Joel & Yaqueline and Ibert & Sunny) teaching a series Cuban-Style Salsa moves. (A list of these moves appear in "The Guide To The Videos" which you can find on the web site.) The new videos are part of the ¡Salsa a la Cubana! video series, and are called:
	Video#1 covers the level of basic steps shown in Eric's Demonstration video. It teaches you a series of standard Casino moves along with numerous concepts particular to Cuban-style Salsa. This site provides testimonials from satisfied customers . Online sample clips of the videos This video teaches the fundaments so the techniques can be learned by anyone. This video is suitable for all Casino dancers.
	Video#2.  This is the first Advanced video on my list. There are some very complex moves here for both male & female dancers. Both videos teach traditional & modern steps to the most advanced level. The Demo's provide additional steps not taught on the videos. Review: Due to the complex & advanced nature of some of the turns in the advanced video I recommend that you do not try these moves with anyone but a permanent & advanced partner. Some of these moves are too advanced for normal social nightclub use without practice. I have to look at a move & think about all the types of people who will buy these videos & where they will use them. This warning is geared towards beginner leaders who will try these moves in a nightclub on an unsuspecting partner. Some of these turns are seriously unique to update Cuban dancers. As most of you know as you advance in any dance the steps get harder & more complex. This video is not a gymnastic video but has complex enfolding & embracing turns. This series of videos is not really for beginners. You really need to be an advanced Salsa dancer. These videos do cover the basic steps but if you follow the dancers full movements you are getting an advanced lesson even in the most basic moves. Ladies you cannot just be lead through some of these moves. You are going to have to be an advanced dancer on your own. These dance steps will separate the great female followers from the great female dancers. Some of the dance steps for the male are amazing. I usually look at a video & pick up the move straight away. With this video I had to think & review what they were doing. This is the first video I have seen that is hard and is going to really teach me. You are both going to have to practice these moves. You cannot lead a beginner or an intermediate dancer through these moves easily. These videos teach moves not seen in the other Casino Salsa video. I am not going to give a break down of the videos as Eric's site has already done this. In far greater detail than I would. Eric has given an honest review of these videos on his site. Note: You will want to print out some of the pages on Eric's site for these videos. Eric has provided a massive set of written instructions for these videos on his site. In fact I think his review is better than mine. He covers all the points I would want to explain to you. Eric has provided On-line clips of the videos on his site.
	"Instructional Video #3: Advanced Moves in Cuban-Style Casino Salsa Dancing": 58 minutes in length  31 moves:  (click here for the complete list of these moves) 14 moves from Norberto & Yalenis  6 moves from Ibert & Rosa  11 moves from Yanek & Madeleine  3 demos (one from each of the instructors)  short clips of dancing in clubs and in the street  highlight clips
	Instructional Video #4: Advanced Moves in Cuban-Style Casino Salsa Dancing": 55 minutes in length  31 moves:  (click here for the complete list of these moves) 11 moves from Mario & Zoila  9 moves from Agustín & Yalenis  11 moves from Yoannis & Madeleine  3 demos (one from each of the instructors)  short clips of dancing in the street and in clubs  highlight clips
	Instructional Video #5: Multiple Partner Dancing and Rueda de Casino": 84 minutes in length (31 minutes is devoted to Rueda de Casino)  12 demos:  (click here for details about these demos) 4 demos of 1 man dancing with 2 women  1 demos of 1 man dancing with 3 women  1 demo of 1 man dancing with 4 women  2 demos of 2 men dancing with 1 woman  4 demos of Rueda de Casino  25 moves:  (click here for the complete list of these moves) 6 moves of 1 man dancing with 2 women  1 move of 1 man dancing with 3 women  6 moves of 2 men dancing with 1 woman  12 moves of Rueda de Casino  short clips of dancing in the street and in clubs  highlight clips
	Our review of 3 , 4 & 5 videos : It is always a pleasure to watch people who can dance well.  I watch hundreds of hours of dancing video each year & it is always nice to find  excellent videos. These videos contain some of the smoothest Salsa dancing I have seen.  It is so nice to watch really good advanced dancers.  When I look at an advanced video I am happy if I can find one new move per video.  In these three new videos from Salsaville all had several new moves that I had never seen before.  These 3 new videos contains some common moves up to some of the most advanced Salsa  moves I have ever seen.  There are a couple of what I class as Master level moves in these videos as well. These are excellent videos. Well worth adding to your collection.   http://salsaville.com/salsaville_DVD_videos.htm
	The Salsa freak ( Edie Espinoza )  These videos are best for visual students as the footwork instruction is not over detailed. Most of the footwork however follows natural body movement so I do feel the instruction is okay. I must point out I am not the target market for these videos. I am too old & traditional in my dance. Many of the moves shown in these videos have become "standard" moves for  West Coast Style Salsa
	NEW!!! Latin Nightlife  Edie, also known as “The Salsa FREAK” teaches a quick-start clear-cut beginner video covering the four standard Latin dances found at most Latin nightclubs, parties, and weddings throughout the world.  In easy to understand terms, Edie and her professional dance partners Al Espinoza, Rafael Ayure, and Elvis Arevalo demonstrate the basics of dancing Merengue, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, and Bachata.  The teachers Al & Edie are two of the most popular Salsa dance teachers in the world.  They bring in two other teachers for the Bachata & Cha cha to help with the teaching.  We have being waiting a decade for someone to produce a video like this.  An excellent video for all Latin nightclub beginners.  Highly recommended
	Mens Spins Video
	Advanced
	Beginners Step-By-Step  This is an interesting beginners video in that it combines beginner steps with some advanced styling.  They teach with back & side views of all the steps.  The instruction is not over detailed but the count is.  They cover common complaints of the moves shown.  The men's & women's parts are both covered for all the moves.  They have their own names for common moves.  Overall a good beginners video with some very good styling. A great way to look great fast.  Good LA Style
	Edie's World Famous Spins Video  The reason I have placed the spins next to the beginners video is that multiple spins for both sexes is one of the major characteristic's of the LA style. You need to learn how to spin straight away as it can take up to a year to learn how to spin well.  This video would be good for all Salsa dancers both male & female who want to learn how to spin
	Intermediate  This video is packed full of steps so the instruction is fairly fast but that is what a review button is for.  I found it interesting that they were teaching the Copa variations but they explained in detail how to include these turns into the LA Style.  They again include some advanced styling for both males & females.  Common mistakes are covered.  Some very advanced intermediate moves are shown in this video.  Overall an advanced level intermediate video with some great styling.  Good LA style
	Advanced Salsa / Hip Hop Fusion  This is a mixture of advanced turns with the start of the detailed Hip hop fusion. This video follows the same pattern of the beg & inter video. The instruction becomes more detailed as the moves become harder. This style of Salsa is in my opinion for the young & progressive Salsa dancers. This is the start of their own style of Salsa. It was interesting to view.
	Men's Styling  Some very interesting & unusual moves. Frankly I get in enough trouble with women without some of these types of moves.  These moves will certainly make a female take notice of you.  It amazes me how Cuban Rumba moves have changed over the decades. The new style moves in this video have certainly made me think. I must admit there is a must view move in this video.
	Lifts and Tricks  Some common to some very interesting moves ranging from basic social to advanced demo moves. The moves are a mixture of common Salsa moves to some specific LA style moves. There are some very good moves in this video. The instruction is more detailed than the other videos. I must point out some of these moves are very advanced. I have a video of one of Edie's dance partner's ( not Al ) almost standing on her during the LA Salsa Congress social night. These moves can be very hard to do in a nightclub.
	Hip-Hop Shines:  Solo Styling and Techniques!  One of the most important characteristics of  LA Salsa is the individual style of each person's shines.  I can pick out some school's styles but at the advanced level everyone has their own style. This video is an excellent way to start to learn your own style. This video follows the more relaxed attitude they have to shines in LA.  The shines are shown front & back with a rhythm count for the steps. This is an easy to follow set of shines until the hop hop. Then it gets really interesting for someone my age. Overall an excellent shine's video I would recommend the younger or more flexible crowd for the pop locking & hip hop.
	I would like to say here that I am a traditional thinking dancer in that I believe certain styling techniques should be done by females & certain moves look better done by males. I do not like males to do female styling techniques except maybe in FUN or to shock your dance partner. Other Salsa videos I have seen have been showing or having styling techniques that should be done only by females. I am well aware that in certain USA cities Men out number Women taking the Women's Styling classes. This is not the case with this video. It is aimed at ladies however because it is very clear in what it teaches I also feel it has some very good UNISEX styling sections. This dvd video is the best styling video I know off. The two teachers are both champion performance dancers who give some good demo's. The video has a fun feel to it. The video gives a written breakdown of what is it. Many of these sections are also good for males to view. With all the practical dance steps Edie talks about, She gives a solo demo then a demo with her partner. For Cuban dancers please take note of the Eagle technique. This is a very common group move in Cuba at the moment. I have seen dancers in Afro-Cuban & modern dance use this aerial technique. The female is lifted by the others dancers into the air where she performs this arm movement. It has several meaning's but the two most common are a reminder of the Cuban's who have left the Island & for freedom. This technique is a example of a dance movement with a social political meaning. Many Cuba dance steps & movements have a social & or religious meaning, esp the steps from Orisha dancers. Most of the moves in Edie's Freedom Concept can be done by either males or females. I must point out that if males are going to do styling try to limit it to only 1 or 2 styling moves per song unless it is a Gay song or you are having FUN. ( Tip ) You can also do many of the moves in forward basic Salsa/ Mambo position as well as the backstep. The video has Partnering techniques that is very good information for both sexes. Remember to try to take the song's origin or word's or your geological location into account on how much styling you do. This video is a very good length. It not only covers Salsa but Cumbia & Cucarachas styling techniques. I must say I liked this video. It was easy to follow & it showed several directions like front, back, side of the techniques. I feel it is good for both males & females for styling techniques.
so will not buy  this below video	This side top video by a couple who claim they are the salsa world's top instructors is a waste of time.  They claim their steps are unique but all I saw was standard techniques taught by other teachers who have been round for years. When I look at an advanced video I like to find one new technique or something new. This video has nothing new or unique in it.  With only 8 routines I feel it is not good value for money.  I feel the video is a promotional video for the teachers & not a serious teaching video.  I was not impressed in hearing from their students how good they are or how well Raul plays the piano,  ( he does not).  It is a nicely produced video but I would rather buy Razz M'Tazz videos for performance Salsa.

Most of the following have been reviewed in their VHS copies

 

Salsa Music DVD

	Luis Miguel is the first DVD we have brought because of other peoples reviews. This DVD lived up to it's reviews. It was great The clarity and sound is excellent on this DVD.  DVD is far superior to VHS for picture quality. This DVD includes all of his classics up to "Amarte es un Placer".  This is a great concert of Salsa Romantic music.
Aqui Esta La Salsa	Very enjoyable music video The tracks are  Regresa a Mi by Ernie Acevedo y Grupo Imagen. It took me a couple of listern's before I liked this version. Con Loco Desenfreno by Willman Cano Tengo Miedo by Just Like U Besame Y Abrazame by Pedro Arroyo Con La Mirada En El Cielo & Mentiras Tuyas by Pasion Juvenil. My favourite track Me Hacen Falta by Nayobe Me Pasa Igual A Mi by Miles Pena Dos Copas De Vino by Isla Caliente La Moneda by Ernie Acevedo y Grupo Imagen. Overall the tracks are very good. Nice dancing music with a good beat.
El Merengue Vol 2	El Merengue Esta Aqui Vol 1 Nice South American feel to the Merengue. This is a good video for the family. It's okay just not great.  El Merengue Esta Aqui Vol 2
	What can I say. The Queen of Merengue does it again. This is a great dvd video.  A must buy.
Merenhits 2002 (2002)	Very good Merengue. Recommended
	Cubamania DVD Contains live performances of some of Cuba's finest musicians. The Salsa flavor is apparent in every aspect of this slice of Havana, which includes interviews, in-the-studio footage, a virtual tour of the city, and Salsa dance lessons. Showcased artists include Bamboleo, La Barriada, Klimax, Chika Del Son, Angel Bonne, Arte Mixto, and more.  This was a zero cost production DVD. The video & audio do not always match. It was no a worry for me but for some nit pickers they have given bad reviews becouse of this. The video's are good & the music makes me want to dance so I like it.

Felipe Polanco is considered between the best dancers and choreographers of the world.  He's the creator of his unique style where he is distinguished by elegance, taste and a big combination of steps, that makes his style one of the most claimed in the world. This representative that we can really call salsa puertorriqueña is recognized as one of the best ambassador of P.R. in the whole world.  Usually the first video from any Salsa teacher is not very good. This first attempt by Felipe is better than most of the first attempts I have seen from other teachers but it was just okay not great.  The New York shines in this dvd are great. Although Felipe's way of explaining his basic step needs work. It is a ContraBody basic not a normal Salsa basic. I felt he needs to explain this better. Felipes basic Salsa partner position is about a decade old & incorrect. This basic arm position come from the USA movie, "Salsa". The reason this position is incorrect is it limits the advanced turns you can perform with your partner. Refer to Josie Neglia's, " Hot Salsa" for the correct position.  The basic Cuban step was also good.  Overall a good first attempt but he needs to explain his style better.  The dvd has both a Spanish & an English breakdown of the steps.  http://www.steps4salsa.com/videoshop/default.php?cPath=1_63

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Cd - rom

The best aspect is the video clips. I found this to be very good for the person interested in Cuban dance history.
You can also buy this cd-rom direct from Cuba. Different cover but same cd-rom
The only warning about this cd is it resizes your windows display to a smaller than 800x600.
You will have to re-size your display when you exit it. Let me know if you do not know how to do this.

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 This is an enhanced CD with video footage of the band performing, brief video interviews with guest artists, historical photographs and biographical data, altogether confirming the artistry of one of Cuba's national artistic treasures

Not all DVD players will play Region 1 ( USA ) DVD.
The first PAL DVD player I brought did not, even though the shop said it would.
I had to take a Region 1 ( USA ) DVD in to the shop with me to make sure I could find one that would play it.
If buying USA DVD's & you live outside the USA you will need an NTSC capable TV with AV leads on it.
The video output from a PAL DVD player from a Region 1 ( USA ) DVD is NTSC 3.54 which is pure NTSC which
cannot be seen on a PAL only TV.
I have tried running this signal throught an NTSC/ PAL video machine first but it is still pure NTSC.
You will need a DVD player that plays Region 1 ( USA ) DVD.
I would buy a Region 1 ( USA ) DVD first the go shopping for a DVD player.
The cheapest DVD players are regional DVD players that only play the video code & region you are in.
Buy mid to upper range priced DVD players & make sure you explain to the shop what you want it for.
There are also three types of code on a Region 1 ( DVD ) so it can make things interesting.