Salsa Dance for Beginners
Here’s most of what you need to know to be able to start your Salsa journey as a beginner.
Mindset. I talk about this a lot in my classes when brand new students join and walk in through the door, all nervous and shy, not sure what they got themselves into. I tell them that all they need to do is bring a smile. You’re here to have fun. You’re here to connect with people. You’re here maybe to feel a little more confident on the dance floor. You’re here to feel less trapped in your body, to bring out your inner masculine or feminine side, to just be a human and connect with another human. But it always starts with just come in to have fun. Whether you have two left feet or you have some dance experience, you’re enough. That’s important for me. There were so many times when I was taking dance classes that I would put so much pressure on myself that I would become stiff and awkward and miss the instructions. I was so stuck in my head thinking “I need to nail this move down. I need to get this right. I need my partner to smile and if she doesn’t smile, then I’m doing a bad job.” That’s not good, that’s not good for you, that’s not good for your partner. That’s not good for the class. So everyone’s mindset should be that you are there to have fun, because if you end up actually letting yourself have fun within a couple of months, within a year, you’re gonna just see how far you can actually get in dance.
The moves. Now, I’m going to mention all the moves that you actually do need to know so you can dance at least a song or two at a nightclub and not feel lost. Some of this might be jargon but definitely at our school as a beginning dancer you will still be able to do all of these moves. Basic right turns for followers and leaders. A cross body lead, a cross body lead with an inside turn, open breaks as well as basic combinations where the leader and follower both turn, closed hand positions, open hand positions and a few other moves that I want to leave as a surprise for when you do take classes at our school. No matter where you end up taking classes you really want to make sure that you get to learn all those things. Those are the basics that every beginner must know.
Bonus tip – Don’t do drop in classes. At Toronto Dance Salsa we have found that the best experience you can give someone is if you come on a weekly basis for a course. You take Salsa Level One, Salsa Level Two etc. This way we build your skill set and confidence, especially as a beginner. It can be intimidating and challenging if you’re dropping into random classes that are unrelated and sometimes you’re expected to know things that you have never learned, which just adds extra stress. So, I want to encourage you that when you do look for a school, find one like Toronto Dance Salsa where you can come in on a week to week basis. Consistency in everything in life is key. And I want all the students, all dancers to dance till they’re 150. But to be able to do that, it’s hard to build a strong foundation when you’re learning random things. So having a consistent class on a week to week basis, where you have the same instructor, the same classmates is really important, especially for beginners.
I can’t wait to welcome you to our big family, have you come in week to week, have fun, connect with new friends and let loose to amazing Latin songs. Click here to check our current schedule.
If you have any questions you would like me to answer here are some ways you can contact me: message me on Instagram (torontodanceSalsa), on Twitter (#torontodanceSalsa), on Facebook (Toronto Dance Salsa) or email me at [email protected].
