Conclusion

Each dance style can have varrying tempos.  The more fast-pased the song is, the more you feel like you're getting a work out.  If you're doing it right, your mid-section will burn.  I would say that if you're serious about dancing it regularly, the first year will be just getting very comfortable with the basics, and working your way up from there.  A basic youtube search will reveal wore fancy and elaborate, coreographed work that is really nice to watch.  There are bars and nightclubs, both upscale and casual, that I go to regularly in York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, and Baltimore.  You don't have to travel all the way to a tropical island to feel like you are in the center of one.  Another good thing is that when you are around the music and dances, there's a good chance the delicious food will be close by and other aspects of the Hispanic culture.  You may even learn parts of a new language.  Experiencing the music socially is more accessible than you might think.  It's also great just to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.  So now that you have been educated a little bit, and shown examples of the dances being demonstrated, I'm curious to find out how many of the people I polled are more interested than before they were formally introduced?