West Coast + East Coast = Salsa Rivalry?

What's better, salsa or mambo? West Coast salsa or East Coast salsa? Salsa On 1 or Salsa On 2?

These questions use different terminology, but they all boil down to the same thing--a toss-up between the two major forms of salsa in the U.S.

It can get confusing since the two forms have so many different names. Here's the breakdown... Salsa On 1 is known as West Coast style salsa and is the main one danced in L.A.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's salsa On 2, or "mambo," which is the main one danced on the East Coast, particularly New York.

What's the Difference?

Mostly it has to do with where they break forward and backward in the music. On 1 dancers break on 1 and 5, while On 2 dancers break on 2 and 6. Here's how they look different...

On 1:

On 2:

Also, if you observe some On 1 and On 2 dancers, you'll see that the movement is different. From my observations, mambo dancers almost seem a little more subtle. They tend to glide and move more with the undertones of the rhythm.

Salsa On 1 seems to be more aggressive in its movements and more outright, which sort of goes along with the whole idea of L.A.-style salsa, which is all about the showy tricks and dips. (Check out my first blog entry for more info on L.A.-salsa style.)

The Roots of Division:

According to Enio Cordoba, owner of The Granada and Let’s Dance L.A. in Alhambra and a former international dance competitor, music has had a major influence on the differences of the styles.

While Cordoba said salsa came from Afro-Cuban roots mixed with European influence, it has evolved, leading to different styles after the incorporation of new elements over the years.

“The music that plays in New York is much more Latin jazz,” Cordoba said. “The music that plays in L.A. is a mix of the Cuban and the Columbian and the Puerto Rican because we get a little of everything. In the music that plays here won’t play in New York, and vice versa.”

That, Cordoba said, has led to the different styles. He said some other differences are that mambo dancers dance to a song's rhythm, while On 1 salsa dancers dance more to the tempo, or the audibly obvious beat of the music. He called this dancing to the "pulse" or "swing" of the music.

While some claim their salsa has the most sabor, Cordoba said it's all subjective. He said the best dancers are those who learn various styles, and those who learn to follow the music instead of salsa politics.

"If you’re a good dancer, you just go with the flow,” Cordoba said. “Everyone’s always trying to say, ‘My style’s better.’ People learn one way and they’re told that’s the right way to do it, and it is—in that part of town to that kind of music, dancing with that crowd… There isn’t one way.”

However, that still doesn’t stop some people from claiming salsa superiority. And that brings me to the question of: How much of that really resides in the L.A. salsa sphere? And what is that makes people choose one over the other? This led me to do some investigating out in the dance field…

What the Dancers Said...

First, I asked On 1 dancers why they like it better. Dancer Gio Galarza responded and dance instructor Rodrigo Guzman :

Okay, so they like the fast-paced, flashy feel of On 1. How about the On 2 dancers? A performer on the dance team Mambo Inc. Max Noxon, and a mambo instructor Katrina Jaffe responded:

But what about those On 2 dancers? It must be tough being in the minority.



And now for the final questions... How much of a rivalry is there between the dancers in L.A.? How brutal is it really? According to these dancers, there's some friction, but not enough to take the fun out of salsa dancing.

Even between the coasts, these dancers added that there's still respect between two groups. Katrina Jaffe said people on the West Coast can appreciate a good mambo dancer when they see one and vice versa.

Well, that's a relief! It looks like there's room after all for diversity on the L.A. salsa scene.

Mambo Inc. dancers Max Noxon and Rina Takahashi, dancing On 2: