Dancing ‘on 2’

Why do so many good dancers choose to dance ‘on 2’?

Watch the dance floor: some couples move with more fluidity, more sensuality, even when the music speeds up. Their rhythm seems more measured, more musical, and you sometimes hear accents on the 4th and 8th beats, a nod to the bass lines, the tumbao and the clave.

This ‘on 2’ style is directly rooted in the origins of salsa. Cuban son, the direct ancestor of salsa, was already danced this way, on the ‘montuno’ step.

And cha-cha-cha, which has made a strong comeback in recent years, is also danced naturally ‘on 2’.

In 2001, we introduced the ‘típico’ step and the New York style to Brussels. Since then, hundreds of dancers have discovered this style, and some have even become teachers (you may know them… without knowing where their passion comes from 😉).

But is the transition to ‘on 2’ difficult?

A little, at first. Like everything worth doing. But it is often easier and more enjoyable than taking your first steps ‘on 1’.

And if you choose the right level (we will guide you), practise with pleasure (essential) and your teacher is skilled (our specialty), you will quickly take to it.

Dancing ‘on 2’ is not simply « shifting everything by one beat »: it is learning to listen more attentively, and to feel the rhythmic richness of salsa. It is a new door opening onto more finesse and more pleasure.

And rest assured: you can still dance ‘on 1’ whenever the opportunity arises. But beware: the risk is that you will develop a taste for ‘on 2’ for good… like me in 1997 😄