Are there any DVD's out there that you guys would recommend that really focus on footwork? I guess this also covers shines to some extent, but I am looking for footwork that I can do in partner dancing.
By footwork, if you mean the basic and some simple variations of it, then lots of salsa beginner DVDs take that up—each one teaches a few of these. Most of them will take up the basic, side basic, back basic, cumbia step, turns, etc, but a few do teach the SusieQ, front crosses, flairs, hook step and son on. I found Dave Paris and Stephanie Gunon’s set of DVDs really good for beginners’ On 1 instruction. For anything beyond that, I guess you’d have to look at shines DVDs.
However, if you’re a lady, you have a whole lot more options because the ladies’ styling DVDs teach a lot of lovely footwork. One of the best I’ve come across is Juliet McMains’ two DVD set on ladies’ styling… Variations and Syncopations. She does a whole lot of simple but lovely looking variations and shines and teaches them just superbly. All broken down carefully, shown from the front and back, with and without partner etc. Very well done instruction.
Olivia Dasso—the wonderful Olivia Dasso—has a DVD on ladies’ styling too and she takes up 16 variations on the basic steps. They’re quite pretty too. Her DVD is available from her own site,
http://oliviadasso.com .
Ron and Bethena Rosario’s Red Hot Salsa—Mambo Shines, has 3 combinations of shines, each made up of standard, well-known components like the SusieQ, the box step, back walk, swivel kick, hot foot, front crosses, flairs, hook turns etc. But these are danced on 2. If you’ve become really comfortable with timing enough to translate these into On 1 (presuming you dance On 1) you could pick up this video.