History of salsa

Salsa music is a fusion of traditional African and Cuban and other Latin-American rhythms that travelled from the islands (Cuba and Puerto Rico) to New York during the migration, somewhere between the 1940s and the 1970s, depending on where one puts the boundary between "real" salsa and its predecessors. The dance steps currently being danced on salsa music originate from the Cuban son, but has influences from many other Cuban dances such as Mambo, Chá, Guaracha, Changuí, Lukumí, Palo Monte, Rumba, Yambú, Abakuá, Comparsa and some times Mozambique even. It also integrates swing dances. There are no strict rules of how salsa should be danced, although one can distinguish a number of styles, which are discussed below.