Salsa Dance Swindon

If you're new to salsa and wondering what the different levels entail here are a few pointers to start you off:

Introduction to salsa: (otherwise known as the 'intro' class) Due to the ever growing numbers on Monday nights we've added this short class to give those who think they have two left feet or who want to go that little bit slower to have 15 minutes of 'I know nothing so teach me' salsa. In the class we work on the basic footwork and understanding the music without the added pressure of having to 'do it' with someone else. This gradual introduction to partner dance works on your confidence so that your first attempts at dancing with someone are not your absolute first steps in salsa too.... slowly and surely, that's the moto - and it works! We advise you take at least four classes at this level before dropping it but take more if you feel inclined. 

Beginners: The beginner level class presumes that you already know the basic footwork which you'll have learnt on the first 15 minutes but we still go over this to help consolidate your understanding. Here we introduce salsa holds, leading and following skills etc. that will be the grounding throughout the salsa levels. We think of the two beginner levels as the foundations to a building - if your foundations are good you can build as high as you like! When you are comfortable at this level you can add the Improver class but it's good to keep your beginner level class going for a while as a warm-up and to keep your stock of foundation elements increasing.

Improvers: In the Improver group we take the standard footwork you learnt in the beginner class to the next level adding more footwork, more turns, cross-body standards, flourishes/embellishments and some basic dips. The most important things that I think this level concentrates on are style and interpretation after all, we're all individuals and you don't want to become a dance clone do you? This is where fledgling dancers get their wings and start to fly - but with guidance and at a manageable pace. You'll have a wide range of salsa styles used in classes at this level to enable you to dance with a wide range of partners at social events. Some of the styles used recently are Rueda, Cuban, N.Y., U.K. Club Salsa, Miami, merengue, and shines.

Intermediates: Yes, you know how to boogie by now and you're looking to add more styling, complicated routines with even more wow factor to your growing range of moves. You've got a good handle on timing and how to change your dance to accommodate the variables in the salsa you meet with during freestyle and with different partners. At this level you never need the instructors to remind you about your hands or weight displacement and you are comfy putting your own embellishments in - without them throwing your partner into a flat spin and destroying the dance! This is the level that you should think of as the one you will be dancing in for the longest - it is the main-stay of your dancing and represents one of the most important levels in dance. Salsa is a constantly changing dance and it is at this level that new styles are introduced before they're taken to new heights in the Advanced level and the wise salsa dancer will use this level to perfect their dancing staples - we have students who are very advanced but would not miss this level even after 2 or more years of dancing - and those are the most stylish ones on the dance floor!

Advanced: Okay, this level speaks for itself really! You should know the terms for the majority of leads, footwork etc. ( tho' as salsa is a dynamic and constantly advancing dance there will always be new moves.... it's impossible to know everything - that's what you learn in this class isn't it?) , be stylish and have a total grasp on timing in your freestyle excursions, have executed a range of dips with safe leads/good weight displacement, and most importantly be able to listen to instructions + have suitable fitness levels. It isn't enough to simply 'fancy having a go' because you want to experience these moves, you have to be ABLE to do them safely and without your partner being either put at risk or doing all the work for you. To put it simply - it takes work to get to this level and work to stay at it, but then nothing worth having ever comes from nothing does it?

Here are a few handy hints for those who are new.... and not so new, to the salsa scene.... plus a few answers to FAQ's we've come across for those who're contemplating going to their first salsa dance. I really hope that you find the information below useful and certainly if you're reading this prior to embarking on your first lesson it may just give you some useful tips or allay any fears.

A first time for everything:

Each week we have new people joining our salsa classes so you'll be in good company.... other, possibly nervous, first timers. You'll soon notice that the whole vibe of the salsa class is fun - we enjoy our teaching and salsa and I guess that comes across! Over the years we've noticed two particularly interesting phenomenon's in new students.

1) students who have a sudden interruption of communication between their brains and their feet
2) the student who thinks that unlike any other dance medium you will be a dance genius after just one class

The first is no problem as you'll find that all lines of communication work perfectly well again once you're relaxed and you just enjoy the fun of the whole thing. The second is more of a puzzle. I wish that it were possible for a student to be a salsa Prima Ballerina within the space of a single class but it's a skill that you have to learn and as a teacher I'm learning even now... that's what makes the dance so constantly exciting and why salsa has such a great reputation for people of all ability levels getting out there on the dance floor together - we're all learning from each other all the time.

Practice makes perfect:

At classes you'll hear me batting on about taking part in freestyle and going to gigs or other teachers events, this is because I really think that there's no better way to consolidate your class learnt routines and techniques than to put them into practice when you're not being governed by the predictability of a class environment. I know it's a bit spooky at first but it gives you such a fantastic feeling when you're on the dance floor and everything feels just right, or you excel your expectations or you're just socialising with other dancers that there's no way you should be missing out. Diablito students and instructors travel a lot and if you want to be sure of a few 'known' faces at events just check the board at classes to see where we're intending to go... and don't forget to add your name!
And here are some more handy hints and tips. The more irreverent of our tips may make you smile or wince if you've come across them but all are tips we've picked up over the years, added to by our own students and are hereby immortalised for you - enjoy! Don't forget to send us your own tips!

What should I wear? Whether you're a male or female the first piece of advice is that you wear something that is cool as you will get hot. Many dancers take something to mop their fevered brows and some take a change of top - just in case. I think it's a great idea to have a something spare to slip into if it's not going to be a drag carting it about - I guess you could always leave spares in the car and nip out to grab them later if necessary. Whatever you do, don't buy new shoes for the occasion as they're bound to cause blisters and we can't have that can we? Ladies ask more questions about this particular subject and my advice to them is that you wear what you would to a party, or what you feel comfy in, but be aware of bits of anatomy waywardly finding their way out of clothes of a risqué nature!

Am I really up to dancing outside of a class? When I first started salsa I was lucky to go to a salsa concert within the first month of starting and believe me, I didn't know many moves..... things were a bit slower in those days! However, the whole event was so inspiring that I just couldn't stop dancing.... even when my partner and I were making things up as we were going along to compensate for only knowing 6 basic items! I think that anyone can do their thing at a salsa event and there's no better way to show you what it's really all about or inspire you to get even better.

I'm on my own so will anyone dance with me? You'd be surprised how often this little gremlin lurks in the back of peoples heads. All I can say is that neither male or female dancers need a partner when they come to classes and it's exactly the same at a dance. Not only that but it's perfectly acceptable for either gender to ask someone to dance with them, even if they are with someone, and it doesn't matter what level of dancer they are or their prospective partner is..... salsa's a very mature style of dance and nobody will think you're hitting on them just because you want to dance!

What time is it best to arrive? This one always makes me smile as my response is always the same..... You get there when it's convenient to you, but if you want a short class to break the ice or 'whatever' then early is best. Tables are always in short supply at gigs and if you feel the need to have a table as a prop or to put your drinks on then an early arrival guarantees a table in the position you want.... but be prepared to share with fellow dancers as the later arrivals get there.

Got any more questions that I haven't answered? Send me an email and I'll try to update ASAP.

salsadanceswindon@live.com

Too tense? Both followers and leaders need to maintain the right amount of tension between themselves and their partner - too much and it's impossible to move each other too little and it's impossible to either give or receive those hand signals which make the whole thing happen. A good way to ensure that you have the right amount of tension is to stand and a normal distance to your partner with hands clasped at chest height, move outwards with just the balancing effect of your partner also moving outwards to stop you from losing footing. Check that you are both at the same angle... if one is doing all the supporting it may be that the others tension is too weak or that theirs is too strong - readjust! Now come back into each other. You should come in at the same angles and at the same time. If not, again you need to readjust your tension till you are equalised.
Get it in writing. If you have a habit of forgetting what you've learnt in classes why not write things down while they are still fresh? Many of our students, and visitors from elsewhere bring writing materials to classes with them to ensure that there's no chance of losing a cool move. (P.S. if you are ever asked to send someone copies of what you've written expect a nightmare as they'll want you to explain what you've written, don't remember it the same way or just generally want you to think for them... you have been warned!!!)
Hair extensions of rope-like proportions can wrap around your partner like a python - it's murder on the dance floor as they say!
Subterfuge! If you have a partner at home, however broad minded and supportive that partner may appear, it sometimes helps if you don't look as happy as you feel when you stroll home with a nights salsa behind that smile.......... I know it's a sad thing to say but many people get a little nervous when they think of hot Latin dancing and their partner in the same thought! When in doubt a number of our students have found that a little subterfuge helps. Wipe the smiles off your faces and mention the benefits of aerobic exercise and your life will be easier.
Light trousers are more likely to show sweat than dark ones... it's not for the slimming effect of black that it's worn on the lower half you know!
Cleanliness is next to Godliness in this dance - are you ever going to get hot! So any thought of nipping out without bothering to shower is going to come back to haunt you... and every partner who you waft over!
Changing for the better - well prepared dancers often take a change of clothes with them to gigs. This is great news for their partners as it means they stay fresh throughout even the hottest nights and has the added benefit of eliminating all those 'what shall I wear' problems for females as they have the option of wearing the lot... just one after the other!

Sachmo! For those who don't know, Sachmo was the nickname of the late, great, Luis Armstrong and what has he got to do with salsa? Well, nothing musically that I know of but he certainly moped his face with a cloth regularly - and as with the above 'tip' it's a great idea to have something that enables you to daub at your fevered brow!

Mints - you may not be a sweet chewer by nature but a discreet mint popped in mouth can keep your conversation sweet for ages. (I once danced with a man in London who didn't adhere to this and boy did I regret asking him, no matter how good a dancer he was - Karen)
Hand positions - the hand on the womans back really does mean BACK. Try to avoid letting it slip to her underarm as that's disturbingly close to her breast.... not that I'm suggesting that female salsa students have boobs that lurk under their armpits!