There are alot of different styles of Salsa out there, and sub-styles, and so on and so on. I want to give you a little intro to a few of them.

First up, Cuban-style Salsa Dancing. As you watch, take note of the calm upper body (aside from all that arm motion going on!), feet that stay underneath the dancers, and of course the very complex “pretzel” moves that they are executing with the arms. This is one of the hallmarks of Cuban salsa dancing. Also notice how, when they do move apart, it is very controlled (no rubber band stuff). The dancers stay very horizontally level (no bouncing up and down!), their feet and hips are keeping rhythm and moving without affecting their upper body at all, almost as if not attached

Enjoy!

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.

If you’ve never taken dance lessons before, it can be scary going to that first salsa dancing lesson. Perhaps you’re nervous about your (lack of?) coordination or rhythm. Worried about coming without a partner. Don’t know what to wear or what shoes will be appropriate.

Don’t worry…
Everyone feels that way. Relax and Just Do It! You will be glad you did.

Salsa dancing is a skill that anyone can learn. While a few people might pick it up quickly and easily, relax and know that for most people, it will take lots of practice to become good. But, the practicing is VERY FUN, so no problem! You won’t be expected to learn everything immediately, no worries. Take your time, enjoy each little achievement along the way, and ask lots of questions of the instructor(s) – they are there to help. The more you relax, the quicker you will learn, and the more fun you will have.

No partner? No problem!

In fact, you will become a better dancer if you dance and practice with lots of various partners. Couples that learn together and largely only dance with each other begin to compensate for each other’s weaknesses, and because of this, each never really knows what pieces that they *don’t* yet have down. So, when the occasion comes around that you do go to dance with someone else, someone who doesn’t know to automatically compensate for your missing pieces, they won’t be able to dance with you very well, nor you them. Leaders won’t know where they are weak in leading, and follows won’t know what moves they have trouble following. While having a dance partner can help get you more practice hours in, if you do, be sure to go out and dance with lots of other people, as often as you can. If you don’t have one, don’t worry – I became a very good dancer without ever having a dedicated partner, and I’m a better dancer for it.

Wear comfortable clothing to class, clothing that allows you to move freely, and ideally without extra fabric that will get in the way – avoid tops with long frilly sleeves that can get in the way, or delicate lacy sweaters that might get snagged on a watch or a ring. In fact, avoid as much jewelry as possible on your hands and wrists – your partners will thank you for it.

Eventually, you will want to get yourself some real dance shoes with leather soles, ideally suede. In the meantime, if you have shoes with leather soles and they are comfortable, wear them. If possible, avoid sneakers and other shoes with rubber or non-skid soles – you want to be able to pivot and spin easily. Ok, in your first class you probably won’t do a whole lot of spinning <grin> but pivoting is always important.

Ok, off you go! Find yourself a class and get started. And for practice in between classes (or to give yourself a head start before your first class), check out salsa dancing lessons on DVD – see my sidebar.

When starting out with salsa dancing lessons, there are a couple of ways you can go. You can purchase quality DVD lessons, or you can find a local in-person group class. I recommend doing both.

In-person group salsa lessons are very valuable for getting personal feedback on what you’re doing well, and what can be improved. Plus, you get to meet others who are learning and might like to go out to clubs with you to practice. It’s much less intimidating to show up at that club the first time if you have your fellow students with you.

But, the reality is that a lesson a week is not going to get you very far very fast. Salsa is not rocket science, but it does take lots of repetition to build that muscle memory that will allow you to advance on to more fun and complicated moves. So, also start investing in some salsa dancing DVD lessons that will help you practice often at home. Even if you don’t always have a partner at home, you can use visualization techniques while following along with the video, that are amazingly effective. I’ve used vizualization to learn many physical skills and I’m amazed by how much this helps. Just truly imagine that you have a partner with you, feel the muscle resistance and movement of your imaginary partner, and go thru the motions as realistically as you can. IT WORKS! Or, just go grab that cute neighbor down the street…

To get you started, here is an option for excellent quality salsa dancing DVD lessons.

More tomorrow to help you get started with salsa dancing lessons. Feel free to contact me with your questions!

Or, life lessons as learned by a Salsa Addict!

My name is Cali, and I began taking salsa dancing lessons back in 1998, on the heels of a divorce (of course!), and it has been my salvation! I’m addicted!

It is:

• awesome exercise (no other exercise is this much fun)
• a sport (there is always more to learn, always room to get better)
• a travel focus (I go dancing everywhere I travel, be it on business, or taking a true dance vacation!)
• my “Cheers” (somewhere I can always go, where people know my name!)
• the source of many many friends

and so much more…

On these pages I will do my best to distill what I have learned over the years, along with providing resources for learning to salsa dance and making the most of your salsa dancing experience!