D.C.-based Bernstein spent her life as a math teacher at a small college in Maryland before falling in love with dance and committing to teaching salsa and rueda de casino for a living. After more than 20 years as a full-time dance teacher, Bernstein compiled her salsa knowledge for this comprehensive dance guidebook. She begins by defining salsa and rueda de casino dance moves and then describing them in detail, from the basics, like enchúfala, an underarm turn, to the more advanced, like sabrosura, a move that translates to “tastiness.” The author’s descriptions of these moves, included with their English translations, dive deep into the rhythm and how specific steps relate to the beat of the music. This guide also covers personal dance styles and how dancers can alter common turns to make them their own. A tip for the carnaval move, for example, is to adjust the dance circle when performing at a club so that “flashy arm movements are visible to those watching outside of the circle.” Bernstein notes that dance is essential to our well-being, and her enthusiasm for it is evident via the humorous “Side Notes” and “Tips” scattered throughout the guide, including pictures of joyful dancers from the author’s dance studio; she also includes a recipe for flan. Most interesting is the discussion of leaders and followers. In modern salsa and rueda de casino, leaders and followers aren’t gendered—all dancers learn both parts. Leading versus following is a tricky nuance that takes practice. For example, followers should “feel” what the leader is communicating and “make no assumptions.” To understand the instruction fully, readers must refer to the linked videos. Visual learners will especially benefit from toggling between the book and the videos or adding in-person dance classes to their dance education.

A comprehensive, hybrid guidebook for enthusiastic students of dance.

—Kirkus Reviews