As most of you already know there are different styles of salsa dancing. In the States the two most popular are On1 and On2 (also referred to as mambo). On1 is danced mainly on the west coast (Los Angeles Style) and On2 is dance mainly on the east coast (New York Style) and everyone in between can go either way. Most of us here in Indianapolis dance On1 if you did not know. To give you a quick and dirty description of the two dances, On1 dance is more flashy and showy while On2 is smoother and focuses more on the social aspect of the dance. While there are many exceptions to the rule, I just wanted to give a brief description of the two.
Here are two video clips comparing both On1 and On2 dancing (from a performance perceptive) to give you a feel of the two dances. Notice that on2 does not rely on tricks and lifts like On1, but more on styling. As I stated before these statements are not hard facts, but generalizations that have many expectations to the rule.
On2 example, Eddie Torres & Nancy Ortiz
If you are interested in learning more about On1 and On2 dancing check out the Widkipedia definition of salsa dancing.
