It is possible in Salsa to let go of your partner and both do your own dance moves. These moves are called “Shines” (where you can “shine”). The leader and follower still dance “together” in the sense that both stay in the same line and follow the same beat. Often, the follower tries to mimic the leader.
Both can always keep doing a Basic Step. When transitioning back to dancing together (e.g. holding at least one hand), it is best to do this from a Basic Step.
Variants
There are many different moves possible to style up your shines. See the children pages for variants.