r/Salsa

It’s almost like he is floating.
Absolutely zero bounce.
I want to just practice this at home until I perfect it.
Is there a YouTube video you recommend or something to watch and follow to be able to move around like he is?

Thanks

Hi, I had a question for fellow leaders: how do you maintain good frame when the follower you are dancing with is less experienced and doesnt have a good frame, or her frame collapses all the time? When this happens I notice my own frame collapses too.

Hi,

The title explains everything, but I've been dancing about one year, and I want to know if it is worthwhile to take Afro Cuban classes. Or is this something more intermediate/advanced dancers do? I am a male lead. Put somewhat differently, is afro cuban something a beginner lead should focus on?

Hey! I'll be in Japan for a few days, mostly touristic spots like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, any suggestions on places to dance to salsa? I know on-1, linear and cuban so style won't be an issue

I am happy I got asked to be DJ at a small event next Saturday.
I have only been dancing a year or so but I know Timba and Cuban music in general very well. The problem is I don't really know hits to make people dance... I listen to Pupy, Maykel Blanco, El Nino de la Verdad and such, but more from a musician POV.
So my question is: what are some popular songs I should sprinkle my mix with? Cuban or not. I should also mention, this will be a beginners event, so nothing crazy fast or complex.
Thanks in advance!

I feel bad. I am always that person who wants to help my friends who always say, "I need to be more active," to be more active. I had a best friend of mine die at 26 y/o because of reasons relating to weight and inactivity, so I'm even more annoying about it now with my friends and family. I love dancing, and it is my belief that anyone can enjoy dancing and anyone can learn. I had my friend sign up for a beginner's Cuban salsa class. They are always switching partners, and she is very new to the whole partner dancing aspect. She has refused to let people partner with her, as she has spent the last two classes basically just learning the 1,2,3 ... 5,6,7.... steps, which is totally valid for someone who has never taken a dance class. I've been taking this class for over a year now and still count in my head. Another part of the class that is upsetting is that she can't seem to do the 180 turns like in enchufla. She has a torn meniscus that they refused to operate on because she was "too heavy" (I always feel like this is a cop-out for doctors, because some doctors would have denied me a surgery I recently had for the same reason, but I was able to find a very skilled surgeon who had no issue). She is not able to do the enchufla or any pivoting on her left knee, as it will make it worse. I want to find a way to help her so that she can still do the move or enjoy the dance without exacerbating her injury. Does anyone dance with an injury like this? Have any tips? Or should I just beg for forgiveness and tell her this is probably not the activity for her?

So I (lead) recently leveled up to advanced classes at my academy, and honestly I’m loving the challenge, that’s exactly why I moved up. I’m still getting comfortable at this level, and there are a few other leads in the same boat who also stepped up from intermediate once it started feeling comfortable and somehow essy.

The issue is there’s one follow in the class who has a noticeably bad attitude, specifically toward the newer leads. Visible facial reactions to mistakes, palpable negative energy, and she’ll straight up take “breaks” mid-class to wait for the leads who have been at level longer to rotate to her. It feels pretty deliberate.

I’ve been in lower levels long enough to know that mistakes are the whole point that’s why we’re there. The vibe in every other level has been supportive and fun. This is the first time I’ve felt genuinely uncomfortable.

I don’t want to make the class atmosphere weird, and honestly the energy with everyone else is great. But if I could choose, I’d skip rotating to her entirely. Part of me wonders if I should just let it go, but another part of me feels like this kind of attitude is exactly what discourages people from progressing.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? What would you do?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The best I can explain is that there are at least two moments where the male singer does vocal buildups of a full scale, not major scale, and if I were to guess, after the first half of the song. In those moments it's just his voice or at least his voice is very forward and the clave and other percussive instruments stop, and it appears that a decent amount of people tend to know it.

Hello everyone, I'm looking for advices/tips from dancers on how to improve body movement and musicality.

For context, I've started linear salsa on 1 since january (27M lead, never done any dance before), I'm taking two classes a week, one for partnerwork and one for footwork/shine (1 hour each). Since April and now that I feel a bit more confident, I try to go to social at least once a week with others beginners from my class. I struggle a bit because I only know a handful of movements and I feel like I'm a stuck in a loop really quickly but I'm trying my best and enjoying it.

I've always been stiff, like really stiff, I can see it when I practice at school in front a mirror but last night during a social, I asked one of my teacher who was there if we could dance while another student recorded us because I've never took any video off me and I wanted to see a bit how it looked and how I could improve. My teacher agreed and we went for a dance. Another beginner then sent me the video on whatsapp. I didn't look it right there but when I got home, I looked it before going to bed and I was horrified. I LOOK SO STIFF !!! Of course next to my teacher I look even more stiff but I had never realised that my back and shoulder looked so straight. I looked like and electric pole !

I'm a beginner and I still have a lot and a lot to learn, but my question is how do you train musicality and body movement (outside of school and social) ? Have you recommandations of things I could train at home alone ? Even online ressources like youtube channels ?

Thanks for your time !

Hi, I am a beginner follow and currently going to two different dance schools for Cuban salsa. Both schools teach Dile Que No differently, which makes it hard for me to follow sometimes.

One school taught me that on count 1, the follow does a slight backward prep movement with the right foot. The other school says to step forward with the right foot on 1, no backward prep.

Can someone explain which version is considered better, or if there is even a “correct” way?

SCHOOL A

A total of $50 for a 6 weeks beginner course, one class (60 minutes) each week. Need more practice class during the week? you gotta pay $20 every extra class

15 years old dance school

2 teachers (a lead and a follower)

Studio has mirrors

There may be mismatch of numbers of leads/followers, you will just have to wait/do your stuff until next partner rotation

School has perfomance team

Class is more technical, serious, students go to the class to learn and dance, not to chat. You might not even know anyone by name.

Teachers are competitive dancers on world salsa championships

Lots of styling, tips and tricks (which may confuse beginners)

Teacher may say for basic, try to put your left foot directly in front, in a linear line. When doing back step, try not to make too big a step, just bring your left foot small step, backwards, directly behind your right foot.

Sometimes they dance at the end of class so people can record video. Sometimes they dont, forget, run out of time.

Even for beginner class, sometimes they teach their own moves they create and name. When you google, you cant find them.

On 1 LA.

Monthly social dance party

SCHOOL B

a total of $50 for a beginner course( 4 weeks, each week they teach a new move each week, i suspect one of the move will be cross body lead). The 3 basic steps were taught in a free intro class (basic, sides and back).

Operates in 3 locations, you can join any class any locations and repeat as many times as you want. Your class dont stop after 4 weeks, you can retake, repeat for free for the entire year until you feel you are ready for Level 2. Slow and easy.

Lots of opportunity to practice dances moves, no additional cost

10 years. Produced over 12,000 students. Very popular with newbies

1 lead teacher + teaching assistants/ senior students.

They will match the correct numbers of lead/follow. The teaching assistants/senior students will fill in the roles.

No school performance. School is more focus on fun.

Teachers are experienced dancers, 10 years+ experience, but not competitive dancers on world salsa campionships

Fun, friendly, casual.

Not that technical, not many tips offered, they try to keep it simple, not over complicate stuffs

I wonder if students get bored after several months of the same 4 moves.

Huge dance floor, like they booked out the entire floor of a night club, turn on all the lights. If class gets too big, the teacher can go dance on the stage so everyone can see their footwork. No mirrors. And due to three locations, not every location is the same, some location has smaller number of students making it more intimate.

Teacher will say left foot step forward. that is good enough. doesnt matter. they wont ask you to put left foot directly in front of right foot. they wont nic pick. but they wont stop any students who are doing more, more styling, more body movements etc...

ON 1 LA

Monthly social dance party

I am a salsa follow and am halfway through my salsa beginner class (16/23 lessons in total). Each class is 1 hour long and I go for 2-3 hours of social dancing every week. I rarely practise at home. I'm curious: when you first started out, how many hours of salsa dancing did you do in total? Did you feel like you improved at a satisfactory rate?

Hi I am a leader and I started dancing one year ago, everytime I invite someone to dance I ask their names and then we start dancing. I've noticed that not all leaders do so. Do you followers find that strange?

In my case was a positive thing because I have met same followers in different events and I can remember their names. I don't talk/ask more than that.

I’ve been doing Cuban salsa for a few years. I can do all sorts of complicated moves. But when I see others dance, they do simpler moves than me but make it look so good.

I feel like I’m just executing the moves without feeling. Like I was under the false impression that complex moves would impress the follower. I couldn’t be more wrong, and I’m not sure how to learn to groove the way other leads do and just dance and connect and have fun.

Whats worse is I fear that actually dancing and grooving can’t be taught, and I should just give up.

Any advice?

F23. I started almost six months ago and I feel like a completely different person!
I decided to start so I could interact more with guys, since, due to a series of things that happened in the past, I've always had trouble relating to them.

Now I feel much more extroverted, spontaneous, and… sexy. Maybe it's strange to admit, but I've felt really "sexy" since I started salsa.
Not in a vulgar sense, but I feel more in touch with my body, lighter, and more aware of my movements and my shape. I don't know how to explain it.

I've always been extremely thin and always preferred to "cover up" (long sleeves, long pants, etc.), but for the past six months, I've really felt good about my body.

In a few months from now ill be dancing for 2 years. Im in my early 30s, have a pretty demanding job (non physical). Male lead by the way.

Something which I've noticed is that after an hour or so of dancing I'll be too tired, to the point where I'll lose beat. It depends on the dj as well and the songs. Nice slow salsa songs? I will last longer then.

Then I see all these videos online of people who are drenched in sweat seemingly having danced for many hours. Also in their 30s even 40s+.

Whats the secret? A long nap before the social?

Hello all,

I've been dancing cuban salsa for quite a few months and I really enjoy it, my problem is I don't know how to move my upper body (like a true tronco gringo haha) and in my salsa classes there isn't much attention on such details, it seems all about learning the steps. While I know a lot of steps and some variations, I feel like to a big extent I'm walking to the rhythm and spinning my partner, rather than knowing how to actually dance. While I know I'm still beginner, just wanted to see if you guys have any recommendations on how to develop proper upper body technique or how to know how to move it?