00:00Hey guys, it's Lucy Fink, and in this edition of Try Living With Lucy, I'm bringing out my inner dancer.
00:06I asked my Instagram to let me know which styles of dance they wanted to see me try in five
00:11days of dance,
00:12and then I picked out my five favorites for this episode.
00:14So for the next five videos in the Try Living With Lucy series, you're going to see me learning one
00:19of these dance styles.
00:21Today's pick is salsa.
00:25Earlier this morning, I went to the world-famous Copacabana nightclub in Times Square to meet with Atoy Juliana,
00:32the founder of the Latin dance company, Baila Society.
00:35I'm a salsa teacher and performer, and I have been dancing salsa for 15 years.
00:40Salsa is a dance form that originated in the Caribbean.
00:43It came through the African slave trade, and it's got a mix of African rhythms and some modern ones.
00:50But what I find to be the most interesting thing about salsa is that whichever Latin American country you're in,
00:55the style of salsa they dance is going to be different.
00:58And even here in the U.S., different regions have their own distinctive styles.
01:01For instance, L.A. style salsa is different from New York style salsa.
01:06In New York style salsa, you'll hear a lot of sirens.
01:10Just kidding.
01:11First things first, you can't dance salsa in sneakers.
01:14I can't?
01:14I brought heels, so...
01:16Okay, please.
01:16I would say that we wear them because they're sexy, but I have lots of other reasons, too.
01:21They distribute your weight more on your toes, so you'll feel a little lighter as you dance.
01:27So we're dancing on our toes, we're kind of leaning forward, we relax our spine.
01:31I have to say, I never wear heels, so I'm actually a little nervous about breaking my ankle.
01:37This is something I thought would take 30 seconds, and it wound up taking me way longer.
01:42Wait, how does this work?
01:44It's a struggle just to put the shoes on.
01:4620 minutes later...
01:49The shoes are on.
01:50Salsa is primarily a partner dance where there's a leader and a follower.
01:54So Ah-Toy brought along her business partner, Joseph, to be my salsa dancing partner.
01:59But before I could dance with him, I needed to learn the dance on my own so that I knew
02:02how to move and so that I didn't step on his toes with my dancing heels.
02:06So we started with a basic step.
02:08I think Lucy is a very musical person, so she's going to have an easy time picking up
02:13the rhythm, and I think that if she allows that rhythm to come into her body, she's going
02:17to do a great job at salsa.
02:19So we're going to relax our spine, and then we relax our knees, sort of unlock them.
02:24Your hips are going to float back behind you, your chest is going to float forward.
02:30So you're going to step in your right foot, and then your left.
02:32For now, don't worry about the movement, let's get this rhythm.
02:34It's the same movement as when you're walking, your right foot goes forward, and your opposite
02:39arm goes forward, right?
02:40It's actually really hard to walk like this, and it's also really hard to have salsa like
02:45that.
02:45Yeah.
02:45The same kind of styling for each step.
02:48Okay?
02:49Let's do a salsa rhythm.
02:50It goes.
02:51Quick, quick, slow.
02:52Good.
02:53Quick, quick, slow.
02:54Quick, quick, slow.
02:55That is going to be stuck in my head forever.
02:57And then after I got the forward and back basic step, she taught me the side basic step.
03:02So see how instead of putting the foot here, I put it here.
03:04Yep.
03:05Right, left.
03:06Right, good.
03:07Left, right, left.
03:08I learned a right turn.
03:10Slow.
03:10Quick, quick, turn.
03:12Quick, quick, slow.
03:14Together, back step.
03:16Oh, together, back.
03:17Okay.
03:17And then she taught me a move that she coined the work it step.
03:21Work it.
03:22One.
03:23Three.
03:24Five.
03:25Seven.
03:26So this is slow.
03:27Yeah.
03:28One.
03:29Two.
03:29Right.
03:30Three.
03:31Done.
03:32Work it.
03:33Yeah.
03:34That's it.
03:35Okay.
03:35So you have the basic step, side basic, a right turn, and the work it step.
03:41I've got four sequences.
03:43I think you're set.
03:44You think?
03:44Yeah.
03:45Ready for a partner?
03:46Let's practice this with music.
03:48Okay.
03:48And then we know what we're doing with our partner.
03:54Nice and small.
03:57Ready for a turn?
03:58Yeah.
03:59Go.
04:04Awesome.
04:05I'm really surprised.
04:06I think you studied beforehand.
04:09I swear to God I didn't study.
04:12You're a good teacher.
04:13I think you learned salsa on YouTube.
04:14I'm feeling like really into the groove.
04:17Then it was finally time for me to partner up with Joseph.
04:20Now we're going to learn how to talk to each other with our bodies.
04:23Salsa etiquette.
04:24How do you ask someone to dance?
04:26If you don't speak the same language, this is sufficient.
04:28You're not trying to have too many rules that you have to memorize.
04:32It should feel natural.
04:33And you did exactly right.
04:34It came right to me.
04:35That's your first follow, right?
04:36Moving in time with Joseph felt a lot different than doing the moves on my own.
04:40All of a sudden I felt like I was part of a new dance, this duet, where I needed to
04:44be
04:45totally receptive and paying attention to Joseph's moves and intentions if I wanted to be prepared
04:50for what move was coming next.
04:51Quick, quick, slow.
04:53I messed up a ton of times.
04:54I stepped in the wrong place.
04:55I twirled in the wrong direction.
04:57Turn to face your partner but leave your right leg behind you.
05:01Quick, slow.
05:02That's it.
05:03If you're new to salsa dancing, you'll also feel the body movement from him.
05:07I feel it in his shoulder.
05:09I feel it in his hands.
05:10But making eye contact with Joseph was really helpful.
05:13We practiced a cross body lead.
05:16Cross body lead.
05:17Five, six, seven.
05:18Good.
05:18A right turn.
05:20Quick, slow.
05:21Quick, quick, slow.
05:23Quick, quick, slow.
05:24Fantastic.
05:25So what did you feel?
05:26I spun without hurting him.
05:29That helps.
05:29As they say in the princess diaries.
05:31That helps.
05:32So once I had the dance down, it was time to change into the proper attire.
05:38Ooh.
05:40Atoy brought me this beautiful costume that she made.
05:44At first, this outfit was incredibly intimidating to me.
05:48Woo!
05:48Nice.
05:50So I'm in my baby suit.
05:52So running around the lobby of the Copacabana wearing this at 2pm was a little odd.
05:57I'm ready to go.
05:58But changing your outfit can be so beyond transformative.
06:03I feel right.
06:04I look right.
06:05Let's salsa.
06:06All right.
06:07Things to remember.
06:09Eye contact.
06:11Smile.
06:13Trust your partner.
06:14Got it?
06:15Got it.
06:15All right.
06:16So we turned on the music and I gave it all I've got.
06:21It's really fun being the following partner in salsa because you get to live in the moment.
06:25Whereas the leader is always thinking of the next step and they're living in the future,
06:29you as the follower just have to listen to their cues and follow the body language and
06:34you get to live entirely in the present.
06:36And every time you receive a new cue, it's like muscle memory.
06:39Your body knows what to do and you effortlessly go into the next move.
06:48Yay!
06:49Wepa!
06:50Woo!
06:52Awesome.
06:54That was awesome.
06:55You were great.
06:56It was also amazing to watch Atoy and Joseph dance with one another because they're really
07:00two pros.
07:01But as they told me, they actually hadn't danced together in over a year.
07:05But from the outside looking in, you'd think they practiced this routine last night.
07:09Woo!
07:09Once you learn it, your body never forgets it.
07:11Wherever you live, I would highly recommend you get out there and take a salsa class of
07:15your own, whether you're looking for something new to try or if you just want a fun workout.
07:19And I may or may not be at the Copacabana next week in my blue feathery suit shaking
07:24my hips like there's no tomorrow.
07:26So I'll see you there.
