Can Anyone Learn to Dance Salsa?
YES! YES! YES! ABSOLUTELY! I’m living proof that anyone can dance! I did not start dancing Salsa until I was in my twenties. Which may seem early to some of you, but believe me it is much later than many people.
My story of struggling with dance was I had a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. It’s where my palms would sweat so much that I couldn’t even touch a girl’s hands. In my late teens and early twenties when my friends and I went clubbing, I could not understand the rhythm, I could not move my body. So even me – a shy, awkward, overweight guy with no rhythm, got treatment for my hyperhidrosis and started taking Salsa Level One at this very school that he now runs. But I’m not going to lie, it was HARD!
I’ll be honest, it was hard for me because I had two left feet. Heck, I had three left feet but the cool and amazing thing was every class, we just got to build on the previous class and so little by little, like LEGO pieces, I started to build my skills.
From absolutely nothing, I learned and grew and now I run Canada’s largest Salsa dance school! So if I can do it, no joke , so can YOU! You do not need to grow up dancing. We have so many dancers from a Latin background who join our school and are embarrassed that they can’t dance – but they learn along with everyone else. So you don’t need to grow up dancing but you do need to remember these things:
Focus on the Wins! I struggled with dance because every time I messed up, I was really hard on myself. You know that negative voice, our inner bullies that tell us we can’t do this or that and you that we should just quit? Mine was really loud and I had to learn to quiet that voice. The best analogy I can give you is that when kids learn to walk they always fall over, right? They fall over and what do parents say? They say it’s okay. You just fell, you can get back up. And kids do and they learn to walk. This brings me to the next point.
Be Gentle with Yourself. Dance isn’t something you can nail down in one class. It’s not something you can just nail down In one week. So just come in with a smile, Come in with a smile and focus on the little wins. You nail a move one out of five times when you first learn something. Then two out of five times, then three out of five times. This at least helped remind me that I was improving and growing.
Believe that yes, you can! This is just another reminder. Yeah, you can learn to dance Salsa and it will be fun! That’s our school’s focus and motto “This will be the best hour of your week!”
And anyone can learn. I’m a strong believer that whether you’re eight years old, or 88, it’s never too late to learn. You just come in with a big, wide smile and open heart and you let the instructor take over and make you feel good. When you join a school, as long as the school focuses on fun and connection – Learning is easy. Don’t you think? And that’s all we offer. And I hope I get a chance to be your instructor someday.
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].
