Is Salsa Easy to Learn?
When I started taking Salsa lessons at Toronto Dance Salsa I had two left feet. I did not grow up dancing! I was an awkward, overweight kid, with no coordination, no confidence, and no rhythm. Yet I did it! I learned to dance, something I thought I could never do and I now run Canada’s largest Salsa Dance School. So is Salsa easy to learn? Absolutely! Simply follow the tips below.
Pick the right school
Salsa gets incredibly hard if you are doing drop-in classes. Pick a school that has structured courses. When a schedule isn’t consistent, the material can change, and you can become overwhelmed. A weekly class is perfect. You sign up for a level and learn things progressively, so learning Salsa is interesting and fun. You will feel challenged but not overwhelmed. When you choose the right type of class, Salsa becomes very easy to learn.
Progress not Perfection
The key to making Salsa easy is to focus on having fun instead of obsessing over perfecting each move. Just like any new skill, the aim should be continuous improvement rather than flawless execution. It saddens me when I see students being hard on themselves for not nailing a move. The real goal is always progress. If you were able to perform the move one out of five attempts and then improve to two out of five, that’s significant progress! Remember, your mindset should be to enjoy yourself, not to strive for perfection. The bonus is that when you embrace the fun aspect of Salsa, you’ll progress faster, making the learning process even easier.
Just Dance
Merely practicing during class won’t make Salsa easy. Go to the parties and social events organized by your dance school. These gatherings provide a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and have a great time, but more importantly, they make learning Salsa effortless. Like learning to drive, Salsa relies heavily on the amount of “road” time you get. If you were to learn to drive solely through videos or books, your skills would suffer. Dance follows the same principle. The more you dance, the more you will learn and improve. At our school, we arrange student-friendly socials and parties where dancers of all levels, both from our school and outside, come together to enjoy, connect, and practice.
Salsa is easy to learn if you pick the right school, focus on progress, not perfection and dance at every opportunity.
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If you have any questions you would like me to answer there are many ways you can contact me: message me on Instagram (torontodanceSalsa), on Twitter (#torontodanceSalsa), on Facebook (Toronto Dance Salsa) or email me at [email protected].
