Things to Know Before You Take Salsa Classes
When I started taking Salsa classes, I felt intimidated and overwhelmed. I had two left feet and was worried I was always being judged. I was wrong. When you pick the right school, everything gets easier. Here are three things to know before you take Salsa classes to ensure you have a good time and feel confident when you step onto the dance floor.
Couples vs. Singles
Taking Salsa classes as a couple creates the opportunity to bond and be playful. Signing up as a couple means you are only dancing with the person you signed up with instead of being in rotation. So a couple can be friends, married, dating, siblings, mother and daughter – whatever. You want to have fun with the person you signed up with.
If you do not have a partner to take Salsa classes with, pick a school that cares about balancing the numbers of leaders and followers so everyone can have an opportunity to dance and learn. Taking Salsa classes solo is a great way to connect with people with the same interests. Sometimes even our married couples choose to be in rotation because there are so many awesome people to meet in the classes. So the first thing to know before taking Salsa classes is that it doesn’t matter if you sign up as a couple or as a single, you will learn and have fun.
The moves
Before you sign up for Salsa classes ask about the curriculum. Beginner classes should teach the right turn, the left turn, the cross-body lead, the cross-body lead with a turn, and small combinations. These moves are the foundation of Salsa and the most common on the dance floor.
As a beginner, I believed that dancing Salsa was about doing fancy dips and fast spinning. However, after so many years of teaching, I can assure you that 60% to 70% of the moves you execute in a Salsa dance are the basic moves. Ask if you can dance to a song or two at a nightclub after finishing the beginner class. The answer should be YES! The second thing to know before taking Salsa classes is that you should ask questions about the curriculum first.
The Feelings
You should never feel intimidated. As a beginner Salsa dancer, I felt stressed and nervous; however, my instructor and the volunteers always made jokes and made the experience fun. Not taking things too seriously took away the pressure and facilitated learning. I think what makes or breaks an experience is the culture you’re signing up for, not the dance moves or style of dance you’re learning. Look at some Google reviews and talk to some current students. You’re not taking a Salsa class to become a professional dancer. You are joining because you want to feel confident, sexy and freer in your body. Also, you want to be part of a community. Dancing is just a beautiful tool. So the third thing to know before taking Salsa classes is to remind yourself that it should be fun.
Remember the things to know before taking Salsa classes are that it doesn’t matter if you sign up with a partner or solo, that basics matter and that fun keeps you interested and engaged.
If you can’t decide whether you should take Salsa or Bachata classes, click here to learn about the benefits of both.
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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]
