Spinning Tips and Secrets for Salsa Dancers Final

This is the final part of tips and secrets many renowned international Salsa dance instructors and performers apply to spin smoothly whilst dancing. In part 2, I gave away some tips on how to practice your spotting techniques. In this final article, I will explore some basic tricks to make your body spin around your axis without much effort. I will repeat what I have said earlier on: there are many ways to turn and spin in Salsa, so use the tips that work for you.

Stance

Make sure that your head and body are straight on the ball of your turning foot. Bring your shoulders to the back and flex your muscles. Keep knees slightly bent and your knees pointing away from your center. ALWAYS keep your feet pointing away from your centre. This is the “standard” Salsa dance position. Bring your shoulders to the opposite side – when you are spinning clockwise you will want to bring your shoulders slightly to the left – and keep your elbows away from your torso. Now, your right shoulder is at approximately 45 degrees away from your baseline, but your pelvis keeps pointing forward. Your right hand is directly in front of you and your left hand is at your left side. Keep your arms bent and your hands pointing towards each other. You will feel a slight pull on your abs.   

Turning Power

The power needed to make your turns and spins comes from your shoulders. To be more specific; the shoulder on your standing foot. If you are spinning clockwise – to the right – then you have to use your right shoulder and elbow to generate the power to spin. Pull your right elbow and shoulder to the back instead of throwing your left shoulder to the front! Let your body and left arm/hand follow your right shoulder & arm and bring your left hand to your right AFTER you start spinning. This means that your upper body starts to turn BEFORE you feel that you are spinning on your standing foot, and you are spinning backwards.      

Dont's

• Never use your free foot to generate spin power. Pushing off with your left foot when spinning clockwise will only bring your body and axis out of alignment.
• Do not stretch your knee whilst spinning. This will mess up your balance. Ballet spinning techniques only works for Ballet, Jazz and Modern dance. You want to keep the same height all the time whilst spinning. Start and end with your knees bent.
• Do not move any body pars whilst spinning. This will only throw you off balance. You have to think of yourself as a statue while you are spinning around your own axis.
• Do not put your weight on both of your feet. This will only make you shift your weight from one foot to the other, which results in you losing your equilibrium.  

Do's

• Hold your breath whilst spinning. This will make you contract your muscles and keep them contracted. Inhale before you start and exhale at the end of your spins.
• Drag your big toe of your free foot on the ground whilst spinning. A bigger surface is more stable than a small one.
• Keep the distance between – and the position of - your feet the same at the beginning and at the end of your spins.
• Make sure you SLOW DOWN just before finishing your last spin.

This is a clip of Lee and Shelly explaining basic spinning techniques at the MamboCity 5Star Congress in London, 2007.

Exercises

• Apply these spinning techniques with 4 quarter clockwise spins, followed by 2 half spins, and finishing with one spin. Then go back to making half spins and quarter spins. Repeat the process.
• Start your clockwise spins by dragging your left big toe as far away from your standing foot as possible. Try to draw (semi) circles on the floor, but make sure to not put your weight on that toe. Now, shorten the distance between your feet gradually until you can start spinning with both feet against each other. 
• Add a double spin to the sequence AFTER you have completely mastered the single spin. Your body has to keep moving in a constant speed just like the office chair in the second article. Your body finishes turning AFTER you have spotted the second time. Make sure you do not have to correct your stance after you finish your double spin. Count from one to eight before reversing the process.
• Add a triple spin to the sequence. “Punch” with your left hand in the direction of your right to generate more power. Remember that your body does not need a great amount of power to make the spins; it is your spotting technique that has to be flawless. You can also increase your speed by bringing your hands – not your elbows – closer to your body. Make sure to do this at the moment you start your spins. If you do it whilst spinning you will have problems stopping your acceleration. If you have problems stopping, then you can either press your left toe harder into the ground and/or you can bend your knees a little bit more. This functions as a natural brake. Apply these techniques just before your body faces forward. Remember, you want to slow down and not stop abruptly.

If you do not manage to execute your spins correctly, than you have to go back to the ones you did manage to execute flawlessly and analyze what you are doing. Do not let your quarter spin technique slack, because this is the same technique you are using for your multiple spins.

Repeat and mirror all these techniques whilst spinning counter clockwise.

BUILD ON SUCCESSES, and TAKE YOUR TIME!