8 Essential Salsa Dance Tips for the Absolute Beginner

Learning to dance is a wonderful, fun activity that can be spoiled by the sometime confusing and fragmented nature of the Latin dance teaching business.

 I made a number of mistakes when beginning but luckily have kept going and can now offer readers the benefit of my experience. Here are my 8 Essential Salsa Dance Tips for the Absolute Beginner:

1. Do a little research first. I launched in and found the closest class. It was Cuban, and the teacher, although a great dancer seemed a bit weary of teaching and certainly hadn't studied how people learn. Choose the style (Cuban, LA Cross Body, New York Cross Body, Colombian) you want to begin with and find the closest classes in that style. Then;


2. Check out the teaching! We all have different styles of learning and Salsa dancing is quite technical (more so than Ceroc for example). You will need a good teacher when you are starting out and ideally a progressive course structure. Too many teachers give you a great new sequence each week that bears no relevance to the one before, thereby not building on or reinforcing core skills. If they don't let you watch a class or offer a free taster, you have to ask yourself why. You must feel that the teaching suits your learning.
3.  Find a class with social dancing afterward. When you start out, reinforcing each new salsa move on the dance floor, rather than in the classroom, is important - the context is so different. You will have your co-students to practice with and you can repeat salsa steps until you have them in your muscles.


4. Plan for at least 2 nights a week. One lesson a week will work but will take longer to improve. Too many nights at first may overwhelm you so, at first, 2 is a good number. I recommend 3, which brings me to the next tip.


5. Ask a co-student to practice with you. Even though 2 is probably your max learning classes at first, practicing with a partner one other night a week will really get your dancing up to speed quickly - you just don't get the opportunity to slow things down and go through things in any detail during a salsa lesson.


6. Keep a note book of sequences. Even though I record most routines on my phone camera - I have found the notebook really helps to commit a routine to memory. When you video a routine, you tend to just forget about it until you decide to practice it. When you write it down while it is still fresh, you activate more memory functions and the sequence seems to 'stick'.


7. Listen to Salsa music! I find it really helpful to get the music into your body. In popular music you don't dance to every tune - you find that some songs make you want to dance more than others. Well, it is the same in Salsa. Remember, salsa is an umbrella description of a number of Latin rhythms. You might prefer Mambo, Rhumba or Son Montuno. Older recordings usually say what the rhythm is. Knowing the songs also give you an opportunity to express yourself through 'shines'.


8. Have Fun - after all, its about having more fun. If you find you are feeling frustrated at your lack of progress, just carry on at the level you are at and keep attending and practicing. You will find it will soon 'click' for you.

There you have my general 8 Essential Salsa Dance Tips for Absolute Beginners. This is an important time in your learning and wise choices at this stage will make the whole process so much easier.

John Sammers took up Salsa in 2009 because he wanted to meet more people, he loved Latin music and dancing looked like a lot more fun than the gym. With a background in music and teaching John thought it would be pretty straightforward. Well, it wasn't an easy start because Salsa is a fragmented business with classes popping up everywhere and teachers who know little about teaching.

My articles are designed to help those new to Latin dance have an easier ride to fun! See my blog at [http://salsabeginners.net] for more tips and information