On this page are some of the more common salsa shines you'll come across. These are typically for when you've mastered the basics, got a few moves in your repertoire, and are now ready to add a little spice to your style. What are shines I hear you say. It is a term used to describe the footwork performed when dancing solo. They are also quite often used when an instructor warms up a class prior to starting.

Many of the shines have different names, so you may know them by another name depending on where you dance. For this reason I've tried to include the alternate names for each shine in the links below.

If you're still new to salsa, I recommend you first focus on perfecting your Basic Salsa Dance Moves before moving on to attempting these.

Crossovers	Flare	Grapevine
Side Tap	Suzy Q

Crossovers

A straight forward footwork that sees you stepping forward four times on every other beat, crossing your legs as you go.

Flare

The Flare is combination of crossing your legs followed by extending one leg to the side. Then bringing the leg back to cross over and repeat. The steps can look quite complicated when done at speed.

Grapevine

The Grapevine looks quite impressive to the untrained eye when done at speed. It's a series of side and back steps that take you away from your dance partner.

Side Tap

Nice simple shine where you step one foot to the side, transferring your weight and bring the other foot in to tap alongside. You then repeat with the other foot for a total of four times.

Suzy Q

This is a very common shine. It involves crossing your legs and stepping in groupings of three, while twisting the foot as you step.

Any Shines Missing?

Is there a shine I've not yet covered here? There is such a variety of shines out there, with many more variations on those, I couldn't possibly cover all of them. If there is a shine you particularly wish to see here, please let me know using the comments box below.

Basic Salsa Shines

Salsa Dancing/Performer or Competitive Dancer

Steps: