Move · Videos · Technique · 13 min

Five Salsa Basic Steps for Total Beginners, No Partner

Five Salsa Basic Steps for Total Beginners, No Partner — video by Dancing with Gali Play · 12:41

Video by Dancing with Gali on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Gali slowly teaches five solo salsa basics (back, side, cross-back, forward, and forward-and-back), starting with a comfortable Latin posture, then practises them to music at tempo. Great for first-time salsa dancers.

  • 13 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • No equipment
  • Salsa

Good forDancing for fun

Open in VideosLog it in Train

Step by step 8

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Latin posture: weight centred and slightly forward, so your heels could lift; dance every step from here. 0:33
  2. Basic 1, back: step back and close, shifting your weight without leaning back or sinking into the heel. 1:07
  3. Basic 2, side to side: open to the side, change weight, then close; alternate legs on one-two-three. 2:55
  4. Basic 3, cross-back: cross the leg slightly behind and close, chest forward; mirror the teacher's legs. 4:10
  5. Basic 4, forward: step forward and close on one-two-three, keeping your weight going forward. 6:06
  6. Basic 5, forward and back: forward and close on one leg, back and close on the other; then swap legs. 7:07
  7. With music at full tempo: the back basic, then side to side and the cross-back. 9:20
  8. With music: the forward basic, then forward and back, changing legs. 10:33

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep your weight slightly forward so your heels can lift, even when stepping back
  • Open then close: shift weight onto the stepping foot, then close for the one-two-three
  • Mirror the teacher: move the leg that is directly in front of you, as if facing a mirror

What it works

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Hips movesweight shifts, open-and-close steps
  • Knees movesweight changes on soft knees, back and side steps
  • Ankles & feet movesheels lift as weight shifts, small steps

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

More like this

Browse all 764 videos

Video by Dancing with Gali; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety