Are you looking for great MUSIC to dance to?
Here are some ideas.

Frankie Ruiz songs have a fresh and lively sound and are great to dance to. His CD Tranquillo is a special favorite, but all his music is wonderful.

The CD "Heavy Salsa" is also excellent. It has one great song after another. One of the slower songs on there that we liked a lot and often performed to is "Miciala."

Other favorite CDs are:

• Salsamania
• Cuban Salsa Jam
• The Best of Willie Colon

For dancing Rueda, the music of Oscar De Leon is considered top-notch. (Try his "En Vivo" which is a two-CD set.) Also Issac Delgado's "La Formula" is popular for rueda dancing. Generally, music is good for rueda dancing if it has a driving beat and few of the rhythm breaks which Latin music is known for. In short, you want music that "makes you want to dance" and has a clear and steady beat.

For teaching and learning, a very slow tempo is extremely helpful. The CD Chocolate--En El Rincon" is about the slowest salsa music around. The first three songs on that CD are extremely slow and the fourth is fairly slow as well. Also song number six on the CD "Salsa Fresca" has a relatively slow tempo and we have used it in classes. Once you get a move into your "muscle memory," then you can do it to faster tempos. But slow music works well for something that is first being learned.

If you want an easy way to purchase music, try calling 1 800 ASK-TOWER.
This is Tower Records' phone ordering number. They accept credit cards and will ship to your home in a few days. Very convenient! Plus they have quite a wide selection, can looks things up for you on the computer, etc.

One final comment: people dance best to music they have a lot of feeling for. So find some music that you love and use that for dancing. It will make a great difference in the "sabor" (feeling or flavor) with which you dance!!