In Volume II, Lisa and Andres build on the steps and lead/follow techniques that were introduced in Volume I. In addition, they show you more advanced turning combinations and new ways of moving across the dance floor. They also pinpoint suggestions for developing your own style. In addition, equal attention is paid to both the leads and follows so that you become a dynamic couple and a solid individual dancer. With these new patterns, your passion for Salsa and your confidence on the dance floor will continue to grow. In this volume, the following steps are covered:
Basic three turn combination
Hand over heart turning combination
Hand over shoulder turning combination
The wrap
Adding style to your dancing
The walk
Putting it all together
With a bit of practice, you will soon become a Salsero.
Instruction for all volumes in the A Taste of Salsa series is given in both English and Spanish.
Customer Review: Great basics
If you are a novice and looking to learn in a correct and structured way, these videos (Vol I & II) are very sound and easy to understand. The videos are introductory, so if you already know the basics, perhaps they are not for you. Don't pay attention to the criticism of those who weren't smart enough to read the description and look for more information about the videos from the internet or the instructors' website. The videos are clearly labeled basic. That's why they are titled "A Taste of...." I gave it four stars because even though the intent to make the tapes universal by making them bilingual is good, it does tend to slow the lessons a bit. Why not use subtitles for the alternate language?
Customer Review: Salsa Instruction Starts Here
For those who wish to learn salsa through videos, this is the one for you. True, there are excellent intructional videos in the market; but without a strong basics, all those fancy moves shown in more advanced videos will not work for you. The dance instructors give you enough tips and alert you of common pitfalls so you can start dancing with proper form and style.
North America comprises three enormous countries, Mexico, the United States and Canada, plus a plethora of small nations in Central America. Total population reaches more than 500 million. English, Spanish and French are the main languages, not counting original Indian dialects. In comparison, the European Union (EU) has 27 countries as of 2008 with a total population also close to 500 million. GDP per capita is also similar, $25,000 for North America and 26,000 for the E.U.
There is however a huge difference between these two powerful regions; while Europe has shown that it is possible to create a suprastate without affecting local cultures and nationalistic feelings, Canada, the United States and Mexico have limited their cooperation to NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement); recent criticisms by presidential candidates notwithstanding, the treaty has benefited the three countries by increasing trade and creating jobs. The question remains: "Is it likely that we will see an alliance similar to the EU in North America in the next 10 years?".
The idea has surfaced recently to adopt a single currency, the dollar, for all NAFTA countries. It is a fact that you can travel all over Mexico and Canada without ever exchanging your U.S. dollars for the local peso or Canadian dollar. So what's holding up the change? One word only, Mexico. Nationalism surfaces in the Aztec country whenever a foreigner suggests changing national symbols, such as language, currency and/or PEMEX (the nationalized oil company). While moderate Mexican politicians attempt to strengthen the ties with Washington, the far left led by the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) organizes public manifestations, occupies the podium in the federal Congress and makes a huge nuisance of itself. As a result, relations between the two countries hover between glacial and warm.
The major thorn in our relations is without a doubt illegal immigration. Since there is no easy solution, except maybe opening the border completely to persons and merchandise, poor Mexicans will continue to seek a better life in the U.S. and American immigration officials will continue returning some of them to their native country. It is an endless and frustrating game of human ping-pong that is costing millions of dollars and thousands of lost lives. Building a wall on the border will of course not solve the crisis; it will only make us look foolish in the eyes of the world.
It is important to go back to historical roots to understand the innate distrust in all things American on the part of Mexicans. Our southern neighbor has lost half its territory to the extremely unfair Treaty of Guadalupe in the 19th century. A heavy-handed United States has always imposed its will on Latin America, beginning with the Manifest Destiny declaration and the numerous military interventions throughout the years. Latin America has been known as the "backyard" of America and until recently, only Cuba had been able to challenge our mighty power.
To answer the initial question regarding a possible supra-alliance among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico requires a good knowledge of history and a profound understanding of the undercurrents of nationalistic forces in the respective nations. The extreme right in the U.S. rejects Mexico as an unworthy political partner; the extreme left in Mexico rejects any possible alliance with the U.S. as a submission to an imperialistic power. Republicans speak of a nation besieged by corruption and of Mexican politicians "bought" by drug cartels. Mexican intelligentsia accuses Washington of not doing enough to crack down on American drug dealers, leaving the main task to the Mexican military.
An American Union in the offing? Not in the next 10 years, not in the next 20 years. It would require a political earthquake in both countries, Mexico and the U.S. (Canada is already integrated into the American political sphere). It would also require for Mexico to equal the American and Canadian levels of prosperity amongst ordinary people, a factor which would automatically solve the immigration problem. Meanwhile, Washington would do well to pay more attention to Latin America and less to other parts of the world. The results would certainly be worth the effort.
I was born many years ago in Geneva, Switzerland, where I learned various languages, including English - the Brit type - before emigrating to America where Uncle Sam was waiting in ambush with the draft. I wasn't a citizen but that did not matter to the government, and I suddenly found myself doing push-ups in front of a barking top sergeant. After 3 years, I married a beautiful Mexican lady who convinced me to live for several years in her country where I learned a lot about Latin America.We now live in Brownsville, Texas, where I teach special education in a local high school.
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