Free salsa tips for beginners. Learn
to dance salsa at your own pace.
dance tips for beginners The
art of salsa. Dance tips for salsa lessons and salsa workshops
Dance lessons are excellent for improving confidence.
10 things you need to know when
you go out salsa
dancing.
1 Good posture. This will automatically improve your leading and following ability.
2 A confident appearance. A lot of people will ask you to dance or ask your dance request if you look confidence, a good posture
suggest confidence.
3 An ear for timing. If you can pick up beat number 1 then that should be enough to get you through the night, if not, it could lead t
o a bad night of dancing. Try listening to salsa music in the car or walkman. It will help your timing on the dance floor.
4 An appreciation of other dancers on the dance floor regarding space. If the floor is crowded it is better to watch and wait
for space than kicking, elbowing and shoving into the dancers or even worse, using your dance partner as a weapon to knock people out
of the way. (I have seen it done).
5 A respect for your dance partner to lead and follow them safely. See point 4.
6 A creative mind. Learning to dance in the confines of a salsa class room where the music is deliberately slow, the moves are
choreographed so that there is no real leading or following is not good preparation for social dancing. The more exposure to the music
and real tempo of the dance, the better. Practicing basics steps and turns done to a fast tempo are the best ways to cope with salsa
musics fiery tempo. As soon as you make a mistake react by adding it to a different routine, this allows you to create new moves.
Interpret the music and make your own steps in time with the various instruments ;clave, bass, conga, guiro, piano, bongo,
timbales, cowbell, trumpet, sax.
7 An ability to accept criticism.
One of the worst things to happen during a night out is to be told your are a rubbish dancer, bad dancer, have bad timing, have no
rhythm, you’re not good enough. This will kill your nightout if you let it, you may even give up totally. If the criticism is positive
then try and take it on the chin and see it as a learning experience. If it is negative criticism made in a spiteful or demeaning way then
it probably reflects more on the person who is making the comment. Simply thank the person for their comment and walk away.
8 Courage to ask people to dance and the self determination to keep asking if refused a dance. How many times have you seen
someone walk across a large dance floor ask a guy or girl to dance and be refused, then the victim has to walk all the way back to
sit down, this is called the walk of shame and all dancers have gone through it. Really good dancers can lead beginners because they
are good leads and have an understanding of the basics and can enjoy even a basic mambo and side step by injecting fun into the dance.
If someone rejects your offer to dance because they think you are not good enough then it reflects more on them, do not be discouraged.
Here’s a few reasons why some people refuse a dance:
Top ten reasons or excuses dancers use not to dance. All of these are valid reasons provided they
are telling the truth.
I’m tired,
Got a bad leg,
thirsty and going to the bar,
going to the toilet,
promised someone else a dance first,
wearing the wrong shoes, usually a females reason or excuse.
you don’t dance on2
you’re only a beginner,
(I want to dance with the good dancers and if the good dancers see me dancing with you they will think I’m a beginner and wont dance with me.)
I’m a beginner you’re too good and it will be embarrassing.
None of the above should phase you and you should move onto asking the next person. Unless you have serious hygiene problems, are drunk
or aggressive, someone will see you asking and will in turn ask you to dance.
9 An ability to multitask. It is necessary to multitask to have a good night out dancing salsa, you need to keep an eye on who’s around
you when dancing so you don’t bump into them, follow the music, think of the dance moves, follow and lead your partners rhythm, cover up
mistakes, laugh at mistakes, keep an eye on your drink, purse, coat.
10 A sense of fun. If you fail at the first 9 points but go out with the intention of having a good nightout then people will see this and
respond in
a positive way, even if you are a beginner.