Salsita Dance School
Salsa Dancing is a contagious, addictive and its popularity is growing rapidly in the Top-End Darwin NT. Salsita Dance School, the oldest and larges Salsa dance school in Darwin focusing in five of the most popular Latin dance styles around world, each styles is divided into two levels and each level is divided into four syllabus, for a more comprehensive teaching, learning methods.
Salsita Dance school was founded by Joao Pereira in 1998 teaching some of the best salsa dances in the Northern Territory, at the same time teaching the art of dancing to hundreds of Territory residents.
1.SALSA, (On 1) 
Salsita's main Salsa style is based on the LA Style. LA Style is linear and is loaded with spins and dips. LA Style is commonly seen in Salsa clubs and Shows, as it is glamorous, fast and often displays complex lifts and drops.
2. Cuban Salsa 
Originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha. Became popular about 1954. Cha Cha is an offshoot of the Mambo. In the slow Mambo tempo, there was a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to, calling the step the "Triple" Mambo. Eventually it evolved into a separate dance, known today as the Cha Cha.
The Cha Cha Cha is a derivitive of two Latin American dances; the Peurto Rican Danzonette and the Cuban Danzon. However, the Cha Cha Cha distinguishes itself from all the other Latin dances by a vocal trademark; namely voices singing in unison with no vibrato.
Cha Cha Cha is diversified, savory and inviting in its various forms...Bolaro Cha Cha Cha, Mambo Cha Cha Cha, Danzon Cha Cha Cha and perhaps even a Samba Cha Cha Cha...brass, strings or reeds are used melodically and in rhythms against a solid Latin rhythm section with voices in unison predominating throughout."
The dance consists of three quick steps (triple step or cha cha cha) and two slower steps on the one beat and two beat.
3. Merengue 
This vibrant and fun style is Danced on every beat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Merengue is renowned to be one of the most popular Latin dances. The Merengue is dance on the spot, this means that it doesn't move around the dance floor like some other dance styles, so it is ideally suitable for small, crowded dance floors. Merengue is a fun dance with simple steps so it is easy to learn quickly and the "1-2" march-like rhythm moving your hips from side-to-side making it a favourite throughout the world. It is the perfect dance to learn for those planning a honeymoon Caribbean, Latin America and South America.
Its origin is Angola (West-Africa) and brought to Dominican Republic and Haiti by the slaves in the late 1700’s. In Latin -America there are two alleged versions of Merengue derivation. The first story alleges that the dance originated from slaves who were chained together and forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second says that a hero in one of the Dominican Republic revolutions was wounded in the leg. On his return the people dance in celebration and out of sympathy, everyone to limp and drag one foot.
4. Bachata
"Bachata" music, originate from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, emerging in 1960's with a flavour of "Cuban Bolero" (not to be mistaken with Spanish Bolero).
This ultra-romantic and sexy dance is executed with only four beats per bar. Three are three steps and then a one-beat pause lifting the hip in one direction (side-close-side) and then a hip motion taken to four beats of music, then repeat the same action in the other direction.
The counting of the timing is "one, two, three, lift; one, two, three, lift". Like all the Latin dances the basic steps are easy to execute, the hardest part is to learn how to move the body. Remember!!!!!
Without the hip motion you are not dancing Bachata.
5. Samba-de-Gafieira 
The New American Dictionary of Music describes Samba as "a very lively Brazilian couple dance of African origin in 4/4 time). Generally, Samba is counted in 2/4 time (2 beats to a bar of music). The only important thing to remember is that the dance is done in triple time - meaning, three steps are performed in two beats.
There are many versions of the Samba - Mesemba, Carioca, a Baion, a Batucado, Conga, Carnivale and so on. Each is similar with the difference mostly in the tempo played and variation in the technique. The variety of Samba taught in North American and European ballrooms tends to be waltz like - smoothly moving around the floor with a steady bounce. The Samba presented here acknowledges the dance space restrictions of a crowded dance floor and is performed curving the steps more or less on the spot (not moving outside your space).
