Exotic Dancing

What is the difference between salsa and latin dance?

ALSO, what is the difference between latin ballroom and latin dance? thank you!

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1. Latin dances are generally faster-paced, more sensual, and have more rhythmic expression. The latin dances are for couples, typically a man and a woman. Partners sometimes dance in a closed, tight position, and sometimes hold only one hand. Latin dancing, as Latin music, is sultry and physical. Quick paced rhythms and playful movements make the various Latin dances endlessly entertaining, sometimes even breathtaking. The Latin dances are derived from the music to which they are danced. The component of the music that most differentiates the dances is their fast or slow tempo. Salsa is most often danced in partners, but there are some types--such as the Suelta--that can be danced by a single person. Salsa dancing is usually found in a range of 70 to 140 beats per minute. Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. Latin dancing can refer to two distinct groups of dance, either social Latin dancing, or ballroom Latin dancing. Social, or traditional, forms of Latin dance, include things like the samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, cumbia, rumba, cha-cha-cha, bolera, and many others. Formal ballroom Latin dancing, on the other hand, includes only five styles: cha-cha-cha, jive, paso doble, rumba, and samba. It should be noted that neither jive nor the cha-cha-cha are Latin in origin, and for this reason the style of dance is sometimes referred to as Latin American dancing or International Latin dancing.
2. There's no generally accepted definition for latin dance, though it's more or less a term for those originating in Latin American countries or from Latin American populations in the US. Salsa began as an advertising term for Fania Records back in the 70's to help sell their music, mostly mambo but also other forms from Latin American artists. It has become a name for various mambo variants. In that regard, it's something akin to "swing," which describes an entire family of similar dances and related music groupings. The Latin half of International ballroom includes cha cha, paso doble, rumba, samba, and jive. Note that jive, typically danced last in Latin competition, is not derived from Latin America but is grouped with the others because of similar characteristics: it's danced without continual body contact, and steps are taken on a bent knee, with the toe taking the step before the heel lowers. That compares to the heel leads typical of forward steps in the Standard dances. It's remarkable that tango, with its heel leads and close contact, is a Standard dance, not Latin. Note that studios that do a good business in Standard and Latin dances will often also offer social dances, which may contain several dances of Latin American origin, but they're classified as social dances.
3. Latin dance is a set of competitive dances mostly originating from latin america. The dances are Cha-cha, rumba, samba, jive, and paso doble. These five dances make up the set of latin dances competed for in world, continental, and national competitions. This set of 5 dances was originally laid down in the 1950's I believe. Salsa is a more modern dance.