Salsa Social Etiquette
Looking to head to your first Salsa Social and you don’t know what the etiquette is? Maybe you just want more people to dance with you at socials. Below are tips I have learned through a lot of error…a lot. So ya…what you are about to read I wish I was told when I first started dancing Salsa.
Ask everyone to dance
One reputation that you never want to gain is that you only dance with the good dancers. This one is close to my heart but I believe that everyone belongs on the dance floor. One thing I am proud of at our socials is there are no cliques. Everyone gets along and dances with each other. There is no cool dancer corner and you definitely don’t want to give off those vibes. So dance with everyone because then everyone (most) will want to come back and dance with you.
Watch the cologne
A great piece of advice is, that if you can still smell your hand cream, perfume, and cologne 30 minutes after you apply it, you put on too much. If you are going out social dancing and are coming straight from work or worse from a gym, you probably don’t smell fresh. So yes, it needs to be talked about. One of the worst feelings is you finish a dance with someone and at the end of the night, you still have their smell on you. Be responsible, come in fresh and don’t put on too many strong lotions/perfumes.
Be gentle
This tip goes especially to leaders but also to followers in Salsa. Don’t yank on your partners’ hands or push so hard that they need to see a chiropractor afterward. Sometimes leaders get rough to force a move on a follower that’s not at that level or just the leader can’t lead it. I have heard of one dancer’s shoulder being dislocated. The reverse is true as well when followers clench on the partner’s arm and swing and yank it like a bungee cord. I always say, on a scaled of 1 (feather connection) and 10 (cement block) you want to dance anywhere from 1-3 in tightness more than 7-10.
Looking to pick up some dance moves? Check out this article “Salsa Dancing for Dummies”
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