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- *** out of ***** stars Review by Fabio SalsaIsGood
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The German title to this DVD may be intimidating, but keep in mind that it comes with a language option which allows you to watch it in English. It is a DVD for complete beginners, in which it is assumed not only that you know nothing of salsa dancing, but also you have never been exposed to its music, its culture or its history. It thus tries to reconstruct a ‘salsa’ atmosphere with an introduction about what salsa is and what it has to offer the un-initiated dancer. A more experienced dancer may find this a bit kitsch, and possibly not even recognise himself or herself in it but it does not hurt.
The teaching is extremely slow and detailed, which is what we may expect a beginner dancer needs. So are the demonstrations to music, which a beginner dancer could equally follow while watching the DVD. There are several interesting features in the DVD. First, it covers all the basic elements from the basic steps to a handful of basic moves which they call ‘choreographies’. Second there is a useful introduction to how to listen to salsa music with a breakdown of basic rhythms and instruments, which is surely useful for a beginner dancer. Finally, as a bonus, there is an intro to other Latin dances you are like to encounter in a salsa club, like Merengue and Bachata.
What I found a bit less inviting is the fairly formal approach to the dance, mostly consisting of a very rigid posture and very emphatic finale to the choreographies, involving some simple dips or theatrical poses, which are somehow at odds with the ‘complete beginner’ approach to the DVD. Still, altogether this DVD may be useful to anyone needs to go through the initial phases of a dance in a very slow and methodical manner.
(Posted on 3/10/2011)
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