Each class was so enjoyable and the time just flew by. With about 40 people in each class plus 8 awesome helpers, there was great energy and enthusiasm. The level 1 class was a bit worried in the first few minutes but within 15 minutes they were Merengue dancing and meeting new people. It is really great to start with Merengue because there is little pressure to coordinate. Even if students don’t get the hip/knee movement they can still start to understand rhythm and start to memorize choreography of turn patterns. I was so proud of the group. They got the moves easily, executed well and made it a blast.

With my level 2s and 3s, I noticed they were really worried that they had been off for so long and had forgotten some of the syllabus. Not to worry if you are in this situation. I always say it takes 2 classes to get back on track. The first class back you may feel a little forgetful and self-conscious but the review makes a big difference and so when you come in to class #2 you are ready to learn and feeling much stronger. By the end of class #2 you are back on track!

By the way we have confirmed our first outing for Friday January 18th at 9:15pm at Plaza Flamingo and will email the evite tomorrow.

Can’t wait to see more new students tonight at Eastminster!

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It was a great semester – it flew by faster then any other. I found the students to be really enjoyable – fun and dedicated and ready to learn. I also find that every year the students get better and I have to add just a little bit more to the syllabus to keep them challenged and progressing. Maybe it is that their practicing has increased or maybe I just keep honing my method of teaching and it is easier to get through the material. Whatever the case it is nice to see the students mastering difficult combinations.

Many people are worried about taking a month off of salsa…they may start to forget the moves. To combat this, make sure you practice. Purchase the DVD and work along it. Go to salsa clubs – there is a least one club open every night of the week. Go to the Monday Toronto Dance Salsa practice at Adelaide Club – there are still two weeks to go. Go to the Toronto Salsa Practice sessions on Saturday at Trinity Church downtown.

We also have one more outing on Friday Dec 28th at 9:15pm at Plaza Flamingo. Come out and support our team of helpers who have been practicing their performance routine for months and are ready to show you their stuff!

I want to thank all my students for a great semester – it was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again in January!

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The Salsa for Singles class is geared towards single people between the ages of 20-35yrs who want to meet other singles in their age range. It is not just for the point of meeting a potential romance. It is also to make new friends and enlarge your social network. The syllabus (what you learn) is exactly the same as our level 1 class. However, with this class everyone rotates so you get to dance with everyone in the class and it is a more social setting. Many students will form groups after class and go dancing on their own.

The 7 week salsa class that we have available occasionally is just salsa so it doesn’t have the Merengue and Bachata classes that the 9 week class has. The salsa syllabus is exactly the same but it is missing the other two dances.

Hope that helps clarify your questions!

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When my students experience a new class, many times they will confide in me that it was hard to get used to. I say this now because many of you have either new instructors as you move up or take make up classes with other instructors. Try not to compare. You will always have your preferences. Instead try to see the strengths in each instructor, helper and environment. Each has unique strengths which will assist you on your salsa journey. One may be better at breaking the move down, but the other may be more musical and can open your mind to new ideas or another may be more fun and inject a differente feeling to the dance.

I always recommend experiencing multiple instructors. I myself have been lucky to experience instruction from many different types of instructors. Each is so different. I travelled to New York to do a private lesson with Frankie Martinez. We almost didn’t dance for the entire hour – we just talked. It was extremely helpful. I did a 1.5 hour Afro Cuban class with him later in which he didn’t say one word – I found it an amazing experience. I have had instructors who were opposite and spent the whole time with detailed explanations and those were great too.

Don’t get me wrong – I always have my preferences and my favourites. But I know that I can learn something from almost everyone so the next time you find yourself doing a make up class or learning from a new instructor keep an open mind!

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Sometimes I do get returning classes that have forgotten all the moves of the prior level, especially after 2 months off in the summer. To combat this, make sure you go out and dance. We have outings every two weeks to practice at in addition to all the great clubs and practice sessions in Toronto.

The other piece of advice is that we send out the syllabus after every semester. Print it out, make notes while you can still remember the moves and even record yourselves executing the moves so that it is not such a shock to come back to class.

More new classes this week – can’t wait!

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Pease don’t sign up fo the level you believe you are ready for – it is rarely an accurate level because every school has a different syllabus or moves in every level. Our level 1 will not be the same as another dance school’s level 1. As well there are so many different styles of salsa. I have so many students who are preficient at the circular Columbian style of salsa but have no experience with the New York/LA style salsa which is definitely a different style and needs to be taught properly.

Instead, email us to set up a free assessment. We will gladly meet with you after class for 5 minutes and dance with you and let you know which level you belong. Sometimes it will disappoint a student to know they are not as advanced as thy originally thought. Please don’t be disappointed or upset to go back a level. It will only make you stronger and if you learn the first two levels properly you will have a very solid foundation and no serious issues when developing into an advanced dancer. However, if you rush your initial learning and skip crucial steps, you will always struggle and wonder why you keep hitting plateaus and can’t advance properly.

So always remember that every instructor teaches differently and to go back to level 1 can really only make you stronger.

Keep dancing!

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This is how I feel about drop ins. When you have different people coming in every week with different skills and knowledge it is very hard to keep everyone happy and keep the class progressive. With a group class everyone has the same syllabus to learn. You review last week’s work, you learn new material that complements your prior learning and then you put it together with everything else you have learned. This is truly the best way to learn. It is progressive and you will notice your development. There is a pattern to the learning that is optimal and you will see a difference quickly.

Drop ins definitely have their place but are really move geared towards those who already know what they are doing and are looking to learn a new turn pattern or move. That is why we have club classes available at our bi-weekly outing – to get that fix. Please don’t attempt drop in classes as a beginner. Commit to learning properly and you will see how quickly you progress!

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