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- Clave: the two-bar rhythmic pattern that organises salsa music; also the two wooden sticks that play it.
- Montuno: the repeating piano pattern, and the call-and-response section of a song.
- Tumbao: the syncopated bass line, and by extension the groove of the band.
- Sonero: the lead singer who improvises lyrics.
- Coro: the chorus that answers the sonero.
- On 1 / On 2: whether the dancer’s break step falls on beat 1 or beat 2.
- Shines: solo footwork patterns danced apart from your partner.
- Guapea: the basic back-and-forward step of Cuban salsa.
- Dile que no: a basic Cuban move that brings the couple into the open position.
- Cross-body lead: the basic move of linear salsa, where the follower crosses the leader’s line.
- Rueda de casino: a circle of couples dancing called figures together.
- Timba: modern Cuban dance music that grew out of salsa in the 1990s.
- Social: an evening of free dancing, as opposed to a class.
