Many dancers are very confused about timing in Salsa and Mambo

Didio Barrera (Professional Dancer and Instructor as well as the Director of Music at the Emerald Ball)

"I think that Salsa is what they do in the streets. Sometimes they play it a little too slow ? it should be very fast. They're not really doing what you see in the clubs. The mambo was something that went wrong a long time ago! (laugh) It should have never been broken on "two". If you watch the old Mambo dancers, they go one, and they go one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, kind of like a hold but it's broken on the wrong time. Take anyone that I've ever seen and put on music and they'll break on one or three. They'll never hit that "two" ? it's very difficult. But, it's already made like that. Like international rules. You're stuck with it."