Now is the time to shake off the winter cobwebs and move. Timothy Brown looks into dance forms around Dunedin. Today he looks at salsa.
Salsa to most New Zealanders is the spicy dip to accompany chips.
But increasingly it's another another spicy kick being associated with the Spanish word for sauce in the deep south.
Salsa is an increasingly popular dance style and that is because of its freedom and no-holds-barred style, Salsa Moves teacher Kate Rios says.
''It's completely improvised,'' she said.
''There's no set routines and you don't need a set partner.
''It evolved in the club, it didn't evolve in the dance school.
''The music evolved first and then the moves followed it.''
Salsa originated in Cuba in the mid-1970s, evolving from earlier styles such as Son, Son Montuno, Cha cha cha and Mambo, and incorporating elements of swing dancing, and Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean dances.
The origins of the name of the dance are more murky.
Some believe ''salsa'' used to be shouted by musicians playing the genre, while others believe it is simply a marketing tag dreamed up by record labels. They, it is said, chose ''salsa'' because of its association with hot and spicy.
Some maintain the term comes from the mixed nature of styles which constitute salsa, just as salsa - the Spanish word for sauce - is a mixture of different ingredients.
Despite its seemingly intricate moves, anyone can learn salsa.
''It's a low-impact dance,'' Mrs Rios said.
''So anyone can dance. If you can walk you can dance, but it is also very good for building up fitness.''
While it was common for people to dance by themselves, the dance really lit up when two dancers tangoed.
''There's one person that needs to take the lead,'' she said.
''But the roles come together very nicely. The man plays a very masculine role and the woman plays a very feminine role.''
The dance could also be learnt at any age.
''There are children 3 or 4 dancing salsa,'' she said.
The eldest person she taught was 70 and had been dancing for only four years.
The youngest was ''my baby''.
''He's 2 years old, he loves it,'' Mrs Rios said.
''I was teaching when I was pregnant, so he was probably dancing in the womb.''
However, it took some time to master salsa.
''It's like anything, it takes two years to get it,'' she said.
''But you can definitely learn to dance salsa after six weeks.''
Salsa
Does salsa make a good wedding dance and how quickly could a couple master a routine?
Yes, it makes an amazing wedding dance and we normally have couples that come in for four classes and they get a simple routine in that time.
Describe salsa in three words?
Passionate, connective, exhilarating.
Why salsa?
You can go anywhere in the world and dance in a club with salsa. There are some dances like ballroom that you can only do in a hall, but with salsa you need only a very small space to dance.
What is the perfect song for salsa?
Bemba Colora by Celia Cruz.
How many people are required for a performance of salsa and what is the maximum number that can be involved?
I do a solo routine and probably 20 is the maximum. You can do salsa by yourself, salsa by couples and salsa by teams. It's open to a lot of interpretation.
