Music and Learning Tips for Students

LEARNING TIPS: HOW TO SALSA

Don’t procrastinate! Samantha is a great instructor but I can’t emphasize enough that you need to practice 15-20 minutes a day to progress. Learning Salsa and Bachata is like learning any other art form or sport. If you practice piano once a week, it’’s going to take forever to learn. And you don’t need a partner. In fact,
it’s best to practice by yourself when you’re just learning. You can focus on your technique without the variable of another dancer. When Samantha’s two sons were learning to dance, they didn’t have a partner for the first year! They just practiced footwork and technique, which is why they rank among the elite dancers in the
Salsa world.

Guys often worry about learning lots of combinations in the beginning rather than focusing on good technique. What women really want is a good connection and a good lead rather than lots of poorly executed combinations. Remember, she’s the picture and you’re the frame. And it’s your job to make her look and feel good. Be patient — dance can be a lifelong journey.

And a word of advice to both men and women. Dance to dance. Dance SIMPLY to dance, don’t dance for a reason or with an agenda. When people dance for ego,
to have people look at them, for approval, or to feel good about themselves they separate themselves from the dance and from the music. Without getting too philosophical or Zen, dance is a metaphor for life in so many ways. Let’s just say that “doing to do” will lead you along a joyful experience whereas “doing to get” will not.
There are many Salsa and Bachata dance teachers out there. And all of them are the best at something. No one teacher is the ideal match for everyone. You’re free to shop around and when you find one who fits your style, stick with him or her and learn everything you can. Each instructor has a different approach and a different style of teaching. For instance, we teach the progressive Basic while many Salsa instructors teach the traditional Basic. Our classes tend to be highly technical while keeping it fun. Other dance schools may focus more on the social aspects. Nothing wrong with that, but if you bounce from one instructor to the next and approach learning like a dilettante, your experience will be half-baked and you won’t fully realize what an instructor has to offer. And look beyond just Salsa and Bachata for inspiration. It will make you a better dancer.

Private salsa lessons are an excellent way to supplement group classes or take by themselves. Many people think that privates are mostly for advanced dancers. In fact, it’s most beneficial to dancers at a beginning level. This is the point in which we can focus on refining your technique and tailor the lessons to your individual needs. Samantha is an experienced dancers who understand how proper technique can improve your dancing and make it more enjoyable for both you and your partner. We do our best to teach technique and give feedback in a group class but it’s impossible to provide the level of feedback and fine tuning we offer in privates.

Buy some Salsa and/or Bachata music to help motivate you. Look for slow to medium music when you’re just learning. Practice will feel more like play. Dancing to music forces you to pay attention to timing and rhythm. You’ll begin to develop a sense
of musicality as you feel the music and your body becomes another instrument in the band.