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Salsa Dance as it Demonstrates nonverbal imagry


To signal to each other they would exchange a certain look, the lead to the follow, to let her know that he was about to make a specific set of moves. Through this observation it looked difficult to be the follow but we soon realized that eyes were not the only form of communication between dancers. .
             The dancers also used their hands as a form of communication between each other. At one point of the Salsa night at a local salsa club, one of the more advanced dancers, not knowing that I was a beginner took my hand and began dancing with me. When he realized that I did not know how to dance he slowed down his speed and began to show me how to respond to his movements.
             The man who took hold of me pushed one of my hands up over my head and when I tried to twirl to the right he stopped and explained that his action meant that I had to twirl to the left. Again he pushed my hand over my head and this time I reacted by moving to the left but again he stopped me and said that this movement was different, that when he puts my hand between his fingers it means that I have to stay in a ready position while he did a spin and turn back to continue dancing. (field notes 11/04/03).
             I started to see how each different hand gesture meant something different. The lead needs to communicate to the follow what he wants her to do. After this realization I was able to interpret how each movement served a purpose. When I was observing the other dancers I saw that when the hand was moved up in a certain way and turned inward the follow had to turn in that direction. All of this communication is necessary so that the dancers can move in unison together. .
             The interaction between the dancers" bodies and the positions that they take shows Salsa as a very powerful dance controlled and dominated by the man. At one of the classes Shaadi attended she was able to dance with one of the instructors who demonstrated to her the proper position in which she had to dance.


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