Salsa Dancing Can Spice Up Routine

Twenty years ago, I took an African jazz dance class from Russell Clark at the Main Street Gym in Venice. With the windows open, an ocean breeze blowing through the room, live African drummers pounding out complex and intense beats, and Russell leading us, the experience was tribal, cathartic, sweaty and oh so sexy.

We would start loosening up by isolating different body parts, rotating in turn the hips, buttocks, stomach, chest, shoulders, spine, neck and head. As we progressed and got looser, the drums would pound faster. And in time, we were encouraged to surrender to the music and the mood, letting our instincts take over. That meant abandoning ego and self-consciousness. Everyone in the class who was capable of doing that used the word “spiritual” to describe what happened in there.

What prompted my memory of those days was the recent Latin festival at my daughter’s elementary school. As soon as I stepped onto the playground and heard that irresistible music, I couldn’t have stopped my feet from moving if I’d wanted to. Apparently, nobody else could either. Parents and kids alike were dancing away.

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Like African dancing, salsa requires a real fluidity of movement. Your hips, your knees, your buttocks, your shoulders--everything has to be kept loose, because at various times you have to isolate each part in order to make the proper movements. You thrust your hips forward, tuck your buttocks back, rotate your hips, lift one shoulder up, drop the other down, thrust you chest out, etc. When you dance salsa, a primal, sexual energy flows.

And it’s that energy, more than a choreographer, that drives salsa dancing. While there are several different styles from around the world--Puerto Rican, Cuban, South American, etc.--there are, in fact, only a few basic moves shared by all of them: one, two, three, hold; forward, back, side to side, then diagonal; and so on. Once you master these, the dancing relies on your own creativity.

Best of all, salsa’s fluidity of style is an antidote to the kind of rigidity that often results from a standard exercise routine--say, running and weight training. That’s why I think it can round out anyone’s regime. For one thing, it’s a great cardio workout, both for veterans and beginners. For another, it improves joint mobility and keeps you loose.

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No wonder salsa dancing is gaining popularity so rapidly. All across the country, women and men, both couples and singles, are showing up at dance clubs, like the Conga Room in Los Angeles, and dance classes in their gyms. Some of them say they feel more comfortable on the dance floor than on the exercise floor and that they are less intimidated by people in street clothes on the dance floor than young women in tight leotards on a treadmill.

I know a middle-aged man who pretty much gave up all other forms of cardio exercise in favor of salsa dancing. Five nights a week he went to a club, dancing at least four hours a night. Not only did he have a wonderful time and meet his future wife, he also got in extraordinary shape, dropping at least 15 pounds.

“When I exercise, for some reason I’m always thinking about it as exercise--how many calories I’m burning and all that,” he said. “But when I dance, I’m only thinking about dancing. It doesn’t seem like exercise at all. I never loved exercising the way I love dancing.”

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My friend makes the point that I’ve been making for years: Taking the time and making the effort to exercise are both a lot easier when you find something you enjoy. Then exercising doesn’t seem so much like work; it’s more like play. You don’t have to kill yourself to get fit.

Besides salsa, there are a number of other Latin dance traditions--for instance, meringue, mambo, cha-cha and tango--to be enjoyed if you’re interested in augmenting your fitness regime with dancing. Check your local paper for dance clubs and health clubs in your area; and of course the Internet is always a good source of suggestions.

I hope you’ll try it. I’m sure that when you hear Ricky Martin or any of the great Latin bands out now, the music will start your feet moving and you’ll discover a workout that renews your spirit as well as your body. Just as salsa in the bottle spices up your dining room table, salsa dancing can put the cha-cha-cha back in your life.

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Copyright 1999 by Kathy Smith

Kathy Smith’s fitness column appears weekly in Health. Reader questions are welcome and can be sent to Kathy Smith, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. If your question is selected, you will receive a free copy of her new video, “Kickboxing Workout.” Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number.