Master the art of salsa dancing in the comfort of your own home (or classroom) with a high-quality and easy-to-follow series of videos. An instructor and his partner demonstrate all the basic steps, and a whole rhythm section gives background music to rehearse. With nearly two hours of instruction, all downloadable to the tablet, you can improve your salsa anytime, anywhere.
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App Overview
The home screen of Pocket Salsa puts you in the action immediately. Just clear some room for dancing, tap on any video, and follow along! The app's home page is organized into four clear sections, described below.
Library:
Tap here to find a scrolling page of over 100 short video clips, each with a new salsa step. Every lesson begins with a demonstration of a specific dance move in action, and is then followed up with an instructor breaking down where to move your feet (and when called for, hands) on each beat:
- Scroll to the desired lesson by flicking your finger up or down on the tablet screen
- Download the video you choose to your tablet by tapping the star-shaped Download button on the bottom left of the video image
- Tap the video image to begin watching
- As the lesson plays, tap the screen to access the pause, fast forward, rewind, and volume controls
Rhythms:
Twenty-one different songs give a variety of tempos to listen to as you polish your dance moves. As you scroll down the page, the beats progress from basic, one-instrument rhythms including clavas, pianos, and cowbells, to full orchestral compositions with horn, flute, and electric guitar overlays. Simply tap the rhythm of choice and dance away!
Podcast:
This section offers more than 60 advanced lessons that progress at slightly quicker clip than those in the Library, with the assumption that you've already mastered the basics:
- Tap the podcast you'd like to watch
- Pause, fast forward, fast rewind or control volume using the controls at the bottom of the page
- For greater control, slide the elapsed time controller at the top of the page to the left or right
- Press Done in the top left to exit back to the home screen
Videoclips:
Nearly 200 videos from salsa dancing events across the world are in this section, showing up close examples of the dancing life that awaits those who venture from the practice floor to the salsa club floor:
- Tap on the video of your choice
- Press the Play button in the center of the screen
- Facebook and Twitter share icons appear; tap the Share icon to find more options:
- AirDrop
- Add to Reading List
- Copy
Instructional Ideas
- Spend a unit of PE having your kids master the art of salsa
- Study the culture, past and present, of this popular Latin dance
Classroom Considerations
- The video assumes that you'll have plenty of room to spread out, so make sure there's enough room for everyone in the class to have personal space
- Download the app ahead of time as the initial download takes quite a bit of time (since all the videos are saving to the tablet)
- Depending on your school's Internet restrictions, you may not be able to watch videos in the Videoclip section
- You may want to disable social media in the tablet settings
Pros
- Steps are clearly shown from multiple angles to support learning
- Break down of basics extends to every facet of the dance, including how to hold hands
Cons
- Spanish translation is included in one of the beginning videos, but not in others