School: London Salsa with Nelson Batista

London Salsa offers salsa classes/events in the west end with Cuban dance legend Nelson Batista. Salsa is the most popular and fashionable form of Latin dance at the moment. Essentially Cuban in Origin, Salsa originated in the 1920's from an unlikely mixture of African Rhythms and the melodies of the Spanish Colonies. This was called ""Son"", which together with other Cuban rhythms like Rumba and Danzon, merged to create a rich four-beat musical style. In the 1950's, Jazz, Blues and other Black American rhythms begun to influence Salsa. At this time, horns such as the trombone, trumpet and saxophone were introduced giving the music its rich distinctive sound. Other Latin rhythms such as Mambo were incorporated into the Salsa musical structure; this was reflected in the dance, creating faster and more complex footwork with more twists and turns, giving birth to the extremely stylish dance we know today as ""Salsa"".
Nelson has performed in national theatre, having participated in the Danceworld 94 exposition. In 1992 he was called upon to choreograph and advise on the music for the production of Salsa Celestina at the Watford Theatre for which he received rave reviews. Throughout Nelson's career he has appeared in numerous TV programmes demonstrating and promoting Salsa Dance in London and the UK.