Salsa grew in New York in the 1960s–70s among Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latino musicians, building on Cuban son and the mambo of the Palladium Ballroom. New York style is danced in a line (‘slot’) and ‘on2’, breaking on the second beat to follow the conga.
In the 1950s the Palladium Ballroom on Broadway was the ‘Home of the Mambo’, where Tito Puente, Machito and Tito Rodríguez played for dancers of every background. In 1964 Fania Records was founded, and in the 1970s the Fania All-Stars turned ‘salsa’ into a worldwide label. Eddie Torres, the ‘Mambo King’ of dance, codified the on2 timing and taught generations of dancers in New York. Miami developed Cuban casino and rueda, Los Angeles its own flashy on1 style. A New York salsa social mixes partner work with ‘shines’ — solo footwork when partners separate.
