It’s the best thing you can ever do on two feet! Salsa has improved every single aspect of my life. I didn’t even know I was starving for it until I first tasted it as a Salsa level one student in 2009. Here are the top three reasons why Salsa is the best and why you should start dancing now – today – at the latest this week. Just go – sign up for Salsa lessons at the closest dance studio – which might be us – Toronto Dance Salsa.
- You will find a positive community. I did not realize how much I needed a supportive family until I started Salsa lessons. When I started, I was struggling to get the moves. Like many people, I am super critical of myself especially when I am trying something different and learning something new. Salsa was not coming quickly or easily to me and I was saying negative things to myself. Yet when I was taking the classes, my Classmates, the Instructors, the Volunteers – everyone just cheered me on. They never made me feel bad about myself. Then when I started to go social dancing – everybody wanted to dance with me – even as a beginner. That helped me feel like I belonged. This positive community, this new family, was not one of the things I planned on happening but I am so happy that it did.
- Confidence. I never knew how little confidence I had in myself. Okay, wait – that’s not true. I was extremely insecure and I did know that. What I didn’t know was how transformative Salsa dancing would become for my life. I’m a strong believer that if you fake it, you can make it. When you dance Salsa, the dance teaches you how to stand more confidently and how to move more confidently. Dancing Salsa requires having your shoulders back and standing and sitting upright. Today we are on computers and cell phones and our postures are down and we are looking down. But the cool thing is your brain doesn’t know the difference – it just reads your body language. So as I started to move more confidently, my confidence went up. Confidence comes from competence and as I started to master Salsa, I just started to generally feel more confident in all areas of my life – my job, my relationships – everything. Salsa has been an incredible journey because it’s been an incredible discovery of myself.
- Energy. One of the jobs I had before becoming Director of Toronto Dance Salsa was as a security guard. I didn’t love it. Same for when I was in sales. Salsa was my saving grace. It helped me get through my weeks. Every time I would come into a Salsa class or go out social dancing I was energized. Salsa is all about energy. It is muy caliente and so those rough days at work or at home just melted away. I would forget my troubles and that Latin music would infuse my body and my mind and I would flow with the music, with my dance partners and with myself. It is just incredible! It is hard to describe if you have never experienced it. The closest analogy I can give is the feeling you had as a kid when you were running with wild abandon – just as fast as you could – no cares, nothing but adrenaline and energy pumping through your body. That is Salsa! No cares, no limits, no worries.
There are so many other benefits to dancing Salsa including both physical and mental health benefits. The only real question you have to ask yourself is “Why haven’t I signed up and how can I sign up today?” I hope I get to meet you soon whether it be social dancing or as a student. Or if you are reading this outside of Toronto, sign up at the nearest dance school and start dancing Salsa today! Once you start the only question you will ask is “Why didn’t I start sooner?”
I can’t wait to welcome you to our big family, have you coming in week to week, having fun, connecting with new friends and letting lose to amazing Latin songs. Click here to check our current schedule.
There are so many other tips I can give and I would love to hear from you. If there is a post you want me to write about, please get in touch with me through Instagram (torontodancesalsa), Twitter (#torontodancesalsa), Facebook (Toronto Dance Salsa) or email [email protected]
