r/Salsa

Im a beginner follower and KNOW my upper body is stiff to the point of making styling difficult. Right now, my biggest struggle is lifting my arms straight up by my head (like if you’re free turning and looking like a spinning top for example). My arms bend so instead of a sleek straight up, they bend looking more diamond shape which doesn’t look as sharp/

what stretches have helped you loosen up and hit your moves with more ease and style?

I often skip the pause on salsa. I'm often off time and i can't seem to stop it. Ive been doing thia for a while. I took me a very ling time jsut to here the salsa beat and I've had this issue for years.

Idk what else to.

Ppl just say listen to the beat isnt helpful.

Any advise?

Do you have a dedicated solo practice outside of classes? If yes, do you follow a structure? I'm looking for inspiration to build a more consistent routine.

Something like mobility / dance specific strength, footwork, isolations / body movement, shadow dancing… not sure how to find a good balance between the elements and how to keep it focused and fun.

My goal is to support overall quality of movement, precision, timing, maybe explore musicality too. I have a lot of material from classes and online lessons. I'm a lead but also interested in how follows would practice solo.

Does anyone here know of any groups or events organising salsa/bachata events in Milan, Italy ?

I've been dancing (lead) for like 9 months and I'm really into it. So now I'm at the point where I'm working a lot on form and frame and trying to iron out my bad starting habits. Several people have told me variations of this feedback about my connection: it's weak/insecure. I just went to a new class tonight (learning salsa on 1 for the first time) and the teacher told me my connection seems insecure; this was my first time meeting her so this tells me this is a ME problem and it will be a recurring problem until I IDENTIFY it and find a SOLUTION!!!

Basically I'm looking for advice from people who have dealt with this problem in the past and overcome it. I've had so many issues with shyness and social anxiety through my life and dance has been a path to help me overcome them. But unfortunately the issues must be carrying over into my dancing. So while I know where the problem comes from, I don't know what it is that I'm doing wrong or how to fix it. I've tried asking during class but nothing has stuck with me in the past (however after this recent one I think I'll ask my teacher to help me with it again).

When I think the issue is that my connection is too flimsy, I'm told I'm too stiff and need to relax my shoulders and loosen up. But when I try to relax and loosen up the follow says she doesn't feel the connection any more. Sometimes I think that I just need to hold the follow's hands tighter or more firmly but that doesn't seem to help. I have an issue where my arms and shoulders kinda fold towards my core (think a shy person crossing their arms and shrinking their posture) so I'm working on being mindful of that and spreading my arms more when I notice I'm doing it. I feel like I'm grasping at straws here... so there HAS to be other leads here that have been through this same thing.

If anyone has some kind of advice that helped them please post it. Like for example, I've had issues with posture and I read advice about how to stand up straight and keep standing up straight while walking: pretend there's a steak on a meat hook hanging in front of your face slightly above your mouth. Pretend (without actually opening your mouth) that you're trying to bite it; by doing this you will be standing up straight and looking forward with your head up without hunching over or walking with some other bad posture. This kind of advice works well for me but I'll take any advice.

Hey everyone!

I’m becoming literally obsessed with salsa dancing. I finally found a home studio I really like and practice legit night and day.

I’ve been taking classes mostly in my sneakers or flats but the bottoms of my shoes make it difficult to properly turn and I think it’s time to invest in some dance shoes since I don’t see me stopping anytime soon.

These shoes are on Amazon and since I’m just starting out I didn’t want to pay a crazy price for shoes.

I want to use them for class and socials. I am slightly flat footed and heels that are too high will hurt overtime.

Just looking for your thoughts if these are good beginner shoes or suggestions on other ones. Thanks!

I’m concerned that my hands are to weak and it makes follows have to focus really hard during partnerwork. How to develop stronger frame in hands so they don’t slip too much from follows tensing up?

Is there or why isn't there some different salsa music, has nobody had the idea that you can make a 4/4 loop with anything?

Like, we have all types of DnB, Synthwave, would the introduction of an electric guitar just destroy the mood too much? If you can dance to a metronome, that works too, doesnt it ? (Metronome is just a 4/4 beat with no melodies)

(Me non Salsa Dancer, just stumbled upon the on1 basic step)

Basically the title. I've been dancing for just 3-4 months, I've been in the lv 1 class in my local small city for about 4 months now. They just moved me to the next level, where things are more complicated.

I'm really enjoying it and want to get better, but my issue is I'm really struggling to ask people to dance. I've only danced like 4 times, and 2 of those times was someone from class asking me to practice. Even at the monthly socials my class puts on, most of the people there are really good. Aside from my normal social anxieties (I realize asking someone to dance at a social is way way different than doing it at a club, but the anxiety is just as strong), I also recognize that I'm just not very good yet. Most follows would probably get bored within a couple minutes of dancing with me, and these salsa songs go on for so long lol.

Tl;dr: I'm looking for tips to overcome anxieties about approaching followers to dance despite my lack of skill or charm.

Sometimes in a social, you'd hang out at a corner thinking these group of people are great and would be awesome to dance with, only you're met with cold shoulders because apparently you're new, or they're unfamiliar with you but most importantly you didn't know these two were dating/are boyfriend girlfriend/married. So you had to somehow make friends with the guy first?? It's somehow also you're fault for asking his lady? What are you two bozos doing in socials then, get out of here and go dance on dates, travel the world and dance amongst yourselves lol.

I've been salsa dancing for six months. While I'm still very new at this, my perception of other dancers is changing. I used to put everyone (leaders and followers) with more skill than me on a pedestal. Now I can start to tell that this particular leader is not that much more skilled that I am and that this follow is fairly new.

I used to go to socials and be intimidated because they all (leaders and follows) looked amazing to me. Now, I'm thinking differently. Sure, the flashy dancers with the most expression get my attention and admiration. But, I also notice the ladies who are new to salsa and just want to be asked to dance. And, the intermediate-level dancers who are maybe a year or two into their journey.

I read an article recently by Robin Campbell, founder of Dance Dojo. He was learning a new combo and noted that most followers are beginning to intermediate in their dance level so he was going to learn a combo that they could follow.

My observations about my place in the salsa world along with Campbell's note got me thinking. Maybe these dancers are mostly beginners and intermediates. Maybe I notice the flashy skillful dancers because they're the ones confident enough to attract attention while other dancers, closer to my level, garner less attention but are still eager to dance and connect.

What are your thoughts? How has your perception of your skill vs those of others changed throughout your journey?

EDIT

Thanks everyone for the answers! I wasn't thinking of listening to the clave but now that I do it makes much more sense! Ill go watch the apps and youtube channel too.

Hiii!

I'm a pianist with a classical and jazz formation, and i'm starting salsa/latin music, montunos etc

Ive been practicing over percussions backing tracks like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h0rE1\_63968&list=RDh0rE1\_63968&start\_radio=1&pp=oAcB

Normally I don't have problems with rythm but with this I can't figure out and feel where's the first beat!

I try to find it with the beginning but doesn't work really well...

If someone has a trick for me or some ressources to learn better like books or something else I would be glad!

Hello Salseros and Salseras!

I'm going to Berlin next week (Thursday to Saturday) and would love to find some places where people dance Salsa (preferably Cubana) throughout Berlin, so socials.

It would be also nice if someone knows of a short one day workshop for Salsa, just to see how the teachers are in Berlin.

Thank you all :)

I have a large amount of Latin American friends, and though I have never traveled to Latin America I would love to. In general I've grown up and lived in many different places in the world but my first dance exposures were to gamelan music and ballet classes. My Latin American friends all danced at parties and it seemed so much fun. In particular, some Colombian friends tried to teach me a bit of salsa. However, I was very unfamiliar with the movements and the rhythms, I find it a bit tough and felt a bit dispirited when they tried to explain how to dance because I didn't get it. Most instructions were like 'feel the music' 'move your hips', which for someone who danced completely different rhythms and body movements all their life is very hard.

I started lessons here in Europe but I get the impression that my Latin American friends think that people learning salsa in Europe are doing a kind of fake version. I love the music, I want to connect to my friends, but I feel a bit discouraged. Is it worth it?

P.S. I have kind of low dancing self esteem (ballet trauma!) where I think I'm terrible but funnily enough, when I've been drunk and just vibing to music, allot of people commented that they liked my dancing. So I think it's with overcoming these issues.

In my scene (western europe) it has pretty much become a thing for the good dancers to sit near the dj booth or hang around the dj booth. At the latest amsterdam salsa festival it was very much a thing.

When I say "good" dancers it may be a bit stretched to say that, because there are many who at that event didnt chill at the dj booth all the time. I saw terry dancing on the other side of the dancing hall far away from the dj booth.

Many of the amsterdam scene people and greek scene people were at the booth.

Idk why, but it gives me a weird feeling and vibe. As if there is a rift. Like there is some hierarchy. I also dont feel like asking those people for a dance because it seems like I might get a no faster. Im almost at 2 years dancing as a leader and I can say for a certainty I can at least make for an entertaining dance now, but im also a person who needs at least some signs of the other person enjoying themselves and not being stuck up.

Or maybe its just me and we should normalize sections where the better dancers are out of respect?

One famous international salsa instructor once told me he tells all his students to stay away from the dj booth.

In the end i started out salsa for the social dancing aspect of it. I had no clue about this social dynamic thing of better dancers having carved out a place for themselves at parts of the dance floor.

Hi everyone! I started beginner salsa a few weeks ago, and I’ve noticed that a lot of the people in my class have really nice hip movement. Mine feels pretty stiff in comparison. I’m not sure if I’m just too tense, if I’m overthinking it, or if it’s something that comes with more practice. Does hip movement develop naturally over time, or is there something I should be working on to improve it? Any tips would be appreciated!