Usually, Salsa dancing needs music that is within the range of 160 beats per minute to 220 beats per minute. Salsa music is actually based the Clave rhythm that is used by the African percussions that are used in most Salsa music. An example of African percussions is the conga drum, which is very common in most Salsa music. It was observed that this form of modern dance is a combination of athletic moves and dance maneuvers -- with emphasis on extreme "power moves" with "freezes" during breaks in the music. The trend started with the Latinos and Black youths in Bronx, but was later performed by the general populace and eventually in the international level. Origin The Waltz dance style is actually derived and has evolved from two different Austrian styles of peasant dances from the 18th century, namely, the walzer and landler. During those ancient times, peasant dances were performed wherein the man and woman danced in a way that they were having close contact to one another, as compared to upper class dances, wherein the partners always kept a certain distance between them as they performed their dances. Modern dance choreographers have utilized traditional styles with emphasis on African American dance routines to create unique and active maneuvers that is common in today's competitive dance floor. Learning To Dance There is no fixed style you have to learn if you want to try out African American dancing. The dance form has taken its roots from the African American vernacular dance when captive African slaves entered the country in the 18th and 19th century. The early jazz dance maneuvers are clearly that of tap dancing. Where performers set their tap sets in line with jazz music. The traditional dance steps of jazz evolved to adapt to different dance styles in the 1950's, namely Boogie, Swing, Jitterbug, Cakewalk, Lindy Hop, and other popular dances in the mid 19th century. Jig When people hear the word jig , they don t necessarily associate it with dancing. For those people that don t know, a jig is actually a form of folk dance that is lively in nature. The name itself, jig , is actually derived from giguer , which is a French term that means to jump , hence, the lively nature of the dance.