Beyond salsa dancing lessons, practice time is your friend! Go out to the clubs (alot of clubs offer a free lesson prior to the dance music starting, too!). Dance with as many people as you can, and don’t be afraid to ask people who are more advanced than you. A good dancer worth his or her salt will remember when they were new, and there were others who took the time to dance with them and mentor them a bit, and will know that they need to give back to the community in return. As I said before, if you have a partner, please try to split up often and dance with other people – your skills will vastly improve for it. RELAX! HAVE FUN! Really, no one (who is worth knowing) will expect you to be a great dancer immediately.
As a beginner, there are a few etiquette items you should keep in mind. (There are plenty of etiquette rules that apply to experts too, but we’ll talk about those later 
1) Dance Small! It really looks more elegant to take small steps than to take large ones, unless you really know what you’re doing. Don’t start showing off too soon. This makes it far less likely that you will bump into people, step on people, etc. Being an out-of-control whirling dervish out there is the fastest path to being in the group of people no one wants to dance with (or near!). Be aware of people around you, and go out of your way to avoid collisions.
2) If you do collide or step on someone, ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR MISTAKE! Apologize! If you’re a lady with spiked heels, please know that it is incredibly painful to have your heel on my foot, especially if I’m another lady with less than protective shoes… and injuries do occur (so say the little bone splinters I now have permanently under my skin on the top of my foot!)
3) Leads! No fancy dips until you really know what you’re doing! Your follow really can get hurt (I have had my head hit the floor with a thud), as can others around her when her spiked heel makes contact with their upper body or face. Again, another way to join the group of the least popular dancers!
4) Leads! Please protect your partner! Watch for people coming at her and move her out of the way. Make sure there is plenty of space for her before you send her to the other side in that cross-body lead, or whatever. She is in your hands! It is your job to make space for whatever it is you are asking her to do. If your instructors don’t cover this, ask them to!
5) Follows! While you are somewhat at your partner’s mercy, you are not blind! You have choices. Again, keep steps small and stay close to your lead – this is not swing and we don’t want the rubber-band thing going on (swing way out on a cross-body, and then come flying back together). Don’t do it! Salsa is much more elegant if you keep it under control, tight and small. Also watch out for people coming towards your lead out of control, and warn him. As you become more advanced, you can use a free hand/arm and gently fend off people – I do this ALL THE TIME! We’ll talk more about defensive dancing later
6) Be considerate! While I encourage you to ask dancers of all levels to dance, don’t ask any particular person too often unless you’re sure it’s welcome. While I do think it’s an experienced dancer’s duty to give new dancers some of their time, they also have the right to spend the majority of their time dancing at their level. Don’t make a pest of yourself, and those great dancers will appreciate your thoughtful consideration and also your enthusiasm for learning.
That’s it today…get out on the Salsa Dance floor, and I’ll be back with more.
