Salsa, the meeting point of European and African culture in dance, has been heavily influenced by Puerto Rico. The first seeds of the complex genre that we know as salsa today were sown in 1960s New York, where immigrants such as Tito Puente and Willie Colon made the music and dance form popular. Incorporating rhythms from African-based music, traditional Caribbean sounds and American R&B, Puerto Rican salsa has laid roots that have been elevated into an art form.

The word salsa means “sauce” in English, describing music that spices and enlivens. The term salsa has often been attributed to a Venezuelan radio host by the name of Fidias Danilo. It is said that he presented music acts with the preamble: “A continueción escucharemos la salsa de…” (“now we will listen to the salsa of…”), then added the name of the next act. The dancing that accompanies such music is just as beautiful, full-bodied and very sexy. Although many practiced dancers are both flamboyant and precise, don’t let that intimidate you; it’s actually a relatively simple one-two dance.

At the Paseo de la Princesa plaza in Old San Juan, every Sunday features live salsa music along with free dance lessons from 3:00 to 5:30 PM. There are also many lounges and clubs around town that feature live music and salsa dancing, including the San Juan Marriott and La Placita (Friday and Saturday nights), Drums and Ajili Mojili (Thursday nights), and, incongruously, Logan’s Irish Pub which offers a free, hour-long salsa class every Monday night. Or, take your salsa lessons and dance the night away at one of Puerto Rico’s most hallowed institutions: the Nuyorican Café, a small, boisterous place with a musical soul.

Salsa is so popular in Puerto Rico that the World Salsa Congress & Salsa Open is held here every year in July, and the World Salsa Championships happen in December. Puerto Rico even has a National Salsa Day (Dia Nacional de la Salsa), held in late March. Each year is celebrated with a music festival at which fans enjoy leading salsa musicians such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Yolanda Rivera and Johnny Ortiz.

What’s more, the Caribbean island is home to one very interesting character, the salsa-teaching lawyer Rafael Cancel-Vázquez. After his outrage at the U.S. Navy’s cavalier use of the tiny Puerto Rican island of Vieques as a live missile testing ground, Cancel-Vázquez dedicated his career to environmental law and justice. In fact, the young attorney is so dedicated to his causes that he waives his salary at the law firm, and supports himself financially by teaching salsa lessons. This is why he is known locally as the “Salsa King.”

If you are learning salsa and wish to end your stay in Puerto Rico on the most romantic note possible, take advantage of a free event hosted by the tourism board: Atardecer Romantico, or Romantic Sunset. On Sunday nights along the charming streets of Old San Juan, the tree-lined Paseo de la Princesa is full of stalls selling food, drinks, arts and crafts, with the historic city walls stretching down one side and the San Juan Bay on the other. Catch free live music and join couples who dance in the streets. End a perfect evening by stealing a kiss at the Raices Fountain.

Finally, wherever you are, you can soak up the spirit of salsa by listening to highly-danceable songs from the likes of the following artists, as chosen by Rafael Cancel-Vázquez himself: Cultura Profética, Mima, Mikey Rivera, Robi Draco Rosa, Fiel a la Vega, Los Cafres, Lauryn Hill, and Manu Chao.

More Resources

Viva La Salsa – Complete Guide to dance salsa in Puerto Rico

Music of Puerto Rico

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Image 1 – Salsa at the San Juan Marriott Resort
Photo courtesy of Marriott

Image 2 – Salsa-Teaching Lawyer Rafael Cancel-Vázquez
Photo courtesy of EchoingGreen.org