Eddie Torres Lineage — Latham, NY
NY Style Salsa On 2
Learn NY Style On 2 from Felix Ortiz, who has danced and taught the Eddie Torres tradition for 25 years. Join the waitlist and you'll be notified when the next series, usually 4-6 weeks, opens at Baila Albany in Latham.
Style
On2 / NY Style
Eddie Torres lineage — linear slot
Level
Intermediate → Advanced
Strong On1 foundation recommended
Format
Workshop Blocks
Limited series, by arrangement
Schedule
Periodic
Returns as a series, or on special request
From the Studio
What You'll Get From NY Style On 2 With Felix
Beat 2, felt in your body
The first weeks retrain your ear and feet to find beat 2 in real music. Felix uses isolation drills, basic step practice over conga-only tracks and slow-motion partner work to lock in the new break. You settle into the conga’s tumbao.
The NY Style turn syllabus
You learn cross-body leads, right turns, hammerlocks, copas and shines, the pattern syllabus Eddie Torres formalized. Felix teaches them the way they were taught to him in the Bronx, with the lineage attached. You gain a shared vocabulary with NY Style dancers everywhere.
Musicality that changes how you dance
The final segment of every workshop builds your ear for breaks, hits and song architecture. Your dancing becomes a conversation with the orchestra. You hear the music differently and dance to it.
“On 2 isn’t a style — it’s a relationship with the music. The first time you hear the bass walk under your break step, you understand why this tradition matters. That’s what Eddie Torres taught. That’s what I teach.”
— Felix Ortiz, Founder & Lead Instructor
Workshop Schedule
NY Style On 2 runs as a workshop series announced to the waitlist, and it’s available on request in private lessons with Felix ($65 per lesson, $300 for five, by appointment). Strong On1 footing helps, and Tuesday at 6:30 PM Beginner Salsa at Baila Albany in Latham is the place to build it, with your first class free.
Common questions about On 2
What’s the difference between On 1 and On 2?
On 1 puts the break step on beat 1 of the 8-count phrase — the most universal salsa timing globally, and what we teach in our weekly On 1 salsa classes. On 2 puts the break on beat 2, which connects you directly to the conga’s tumbao and the bass walk underneath the music. On 2 is technically more challenging — it requires you to ignore the obvious downbeat and feel a less-prominent pulse — but the payoff is a deeper musical conversation. Most dancers learn On 1 first and add On 2 once their basic timing is secure.
Do I need On 1 experience before joining an On 2 workshop?
Yes, ideally. Felix designs On 2 workshop blocks for dancers with at least 6 months of regular salsa practice on On 1 timing or any equivalent foundation. If you’re brand new to salsa, start with our weekly On 1 classes Tuesday 6:30 PM, Tuesday 7:30 PM, or Wednesday 6:30 PM — the foundation every On 2 dancer needs. If you have salsa experience but want to accelerate the On 2 transition specifically, private lessons with Felix are the fastest path.
When does the next On 2 workshop run?
NY Style On 2 returns periodically as a series, not on the weekly schedule, and is available on special request and in private lessons with Felix. Series typically run 4–6 weeks with limited enrollment. Email Felix at bronxsalsero@gmail.com or call 518-334-3483 to join the waitlist for the next block. Waitlist members are notified first when dates open and get priority enrollment.
How do I join the NY Style On 2 waitlist?
Email bronxsalsero@gmail.com with the subject “On 2 Waitlist”, or call Baila Albany at 518-334-3483. You’ll be notified when the next On 2 series opens at 952 Troy-Schenectady Rd in Latham.
Can I start On 2 before the next series?
Yes. Felix teaches On 2 on request in private lessons, $65 for a single lesson or $300 for five, by appointment. To build your On1 foundation first, join Tuesday’s 6:30 PM Beginner Salsa class; your first class at Baila Albany is free.
Be first in line for the next On 2 series, or book a private lesson with Felix today.
What Is NY Style On 2?
On 2 is the New York-born variation of salsa where the break step falls on beat 2 of the 8-count phrase — locking the dancer into the conga’s tumbao instead of the downbeat. It’s the elegant, music-forward style codified by Eddie Torres in 1970s NYC, and the tradition Felix Ortiz has danced for 25 years from the Bronx to Albany.
The Mambo Kings’ grandchild
NY Style salsa was born inside the Palladium Ballroom on Broadway and 53rd in the late 1940s and 1950s — the legendary venue where Tito Puente, Machito, and Tito Rodríguez ruled and a multiracial dance floor invented new vocabulary every night. The dancers there shifted the break step from beat 1 to beat 2, locking themselves into the conga’s tumbao. That single decision transformed salsa from a downbeat-driven dance into a music-forward conversation between dancer and orchestra. By the time Eddie Torres — “The Mambo King” — began formalizing the style in the 1970s, the On 2 tradition had its grammar.
On 2 differs from our weekly On 1 salsa classes in feel more than form. On 1 timing puts the break on beat 1, the universal entry point that the global social-dance scene runs on. On 2 puts the break on beat 2, which connects you directly to the bass and the conga — a deeper musical connection that experienced dancers seek when they’re ready to refine their relationship to the music. Eddie Torres students teach Eddie Torres students, four decades on; this is a lineage, not just a timing variation. Felix Ortiz, Bronx-born and 25 years deep in NY Style, brings that lineage to Latham.
Who studies On 2 at Baila Albany
Intermediate and advanced dancers who have spent time on On 1 timing and are ready for the next layer of musicality. Couples preparing for salsa congresses or competition tracks. Dancers returning to On 2 after years away who want to refresh under a teacher with the lineage. If you’re brand new to salsa, start with our weekly On 1 classes and add On 2 when you’re ready — or book private lessons with Felix to accelerate the path. On 2 on special request is open to Schenectady On 2 salsa dancers, Saratoga Springs On 2 dancers, Bethlehem On 2 salsa students and Colonie On 2 salsa learners.
Eddie Torres & the Palladium Era
The On 2 tradition is the most documented lineage in social Latin dance. From the Palladium Ballroom in 1950s Manhattan to Eddie Torres’s Mambo Kings in the 1970s, every Bronx-raised dancer who calls themselves NY Style traces back through the same teachers. Felix Ortiz is one of them.
From Cuban Son to the Mambo King
NY Style On 2 is the direct descendant of the Palladium Ballroom mambo era. Tito Puente on timbales, Machito’s Afro-Cubans on the bandstand, and Tito Rodríguez at the microphone defined the New York Latin sound across the late 1940s and 1950s. The dance vocabulary that grew there — the linear slot, the cross-body lead, the shines, the breaks aligned to beat 2 — was an organic adaptation to the music being made overhead.
Eddie Torres, Bronx-born and Palladium-trained, formalized the system into a teaching syllabus starting in the 1970s. His Mambo Kings dance company toured the world; his students became the next generation’s teachers. The Eddie Torres method is now the international standard for NY Style salsa instruction — taught in studios from Tokyo to Tel Aviv. Felix Ortiz, also Bronx-born, danced his way through that same NYC Latin scene before bringing the tradition north to Albany. Twenty-five years later, in Latham, the lineage continues. When you take an On 2 workshop here, you’re learning what Eddie taught what was taught at the Palladium — a chain reaching back nearly 80 years.
Son Cubano — The Root
In eastern Cuba, son cubano fuses African percussion with Spanish guitar and the clave pattern. The 3-2 rhythmic spine that governs every On 2 phrase begins here.
The Palladium Ballroom Era
The Palladium on Broadway and 53rd becomes the laboratory. Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodríguez — the Mambo Kings — pack the floor every night. Dancers shift the break to beat 2, locking into the conga's tumbao. NY Style is born.
Eddie Torres Codifies On 2
Bronx-raised Eddie Torres — "The Mambo King" — begins systematizing the On 2 break step, formalizing turn patterns and shines into a teachable syllabus. The Eddie Torres method becomes the international standard for NY Style instruction.
Salsa Congress Era
Eddie Torres students fan out across the world. The salsa congress circuit (Puerto Rico, Berlin, Tokyo) makes On 2 the international standard for advanced social dancers. Bronx-born Felix Ortiz dances and teaches across the country.
The Lineage Reaches Latham
Felix Ortiz brings 25 years of NY Style On 2 to the Capital District. His weekly classes teach On 1 salsa as the foundation; periodic On 2 workshops carry the Eddie Torres lineage forward for dancers ready for the next layer.
On 2 Vocabulary
The shared language of NY Style On 2 — terms every Eddie Torres student learns, from the Palladium era to today’s salsa congresses.
On 2
“The Two”
The break step on beat 2 of the 8-count phrase. Locks the dancer into the conga’s tumbao for a deeper musical connection than On 1’s downbeat break.
Tumbao
“The Groove”
The syncopated bass and conga pattern. On 2 dancers feel the tumbao’s anticipation on the “and” of beat 4 — the engine pulling the dance forward.
Linear Slot
“The Slot”
The five-foot corridor of floor that NY Style partners share. The cross-body lead sends the follower across the slot; turns and shines fill the space.
Cross-Body Lead
“CBL”
The foundational On 2 lead: leader steps back, opens the slot, and guides the follower across. Every On 2 turn pattern is a CBL with something added.
Shines
“Pasos Libres”
Solo footwork performed when partners release hands. Shines are your conversation with the music — expression, not instruction. The signature flourish of NY Style On 2.
Mambo
“NY Style salsa, original name”
What the Palladium dancers called the dance before “salsa” was a commercial label. Eddie Torres still calls it mambo. Once you understand why, you understand the lineage.
Join the On 2 Waitlist
NY Style On 2 returns periodically as a series, and is available on special request and in private lessons. Email Felix or call 518-334-3483 to be notified when the next block opens — waitlist members get priority enrollment. Meanwhile, build your foundation in our weekly On 1 salsa classes Tuesday and Wednesday nights, or work directly with Felix in private lessons.