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Review:
About seven years ago now a friend of mine was looking for a good way to meet women, and having spied a sign outside a local pub offering salsa classes, decided this was the way to go. Being rather unsure about attending such a class on his own he dragged me along and my love affair with salsa began. Initially I wasn't really sure what to expect. For me, the mention of the word salsa conjured up a mixture of images of good looking Latino guys and girls writhing away to a soundtrack of Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias with a bit of Dirty Dancing thrown in. I'm glad to report that I was wrong about most things to do with salsa and instead discovered a very friendly bunch of people, a wide range of music ranging from Latin Jazz to Cuban sons, and a great way to keep fit. In the seven or so years I've been dancing I've made stacks of lovely new friends, met my boyfriend (now fiancé) and been on several salsa holidays to New York, LA, Spain and Switzerland.
**Where does the dance come from and what's it like?**
While most people tend to think that salsa comes from Cuba, it actually has roots in a number of different dances, and different styles have grown up in different places, leading to a lot of arguments about where salsa is from! Most people agree that it has roots in Cuba, where a group form of the dance called Rueda also comes from. Another group of people would argue that salsa originates from Puerto Rico, and yet another style of salsa, Colombian salsa, as it's name suggests comes fromColombia. However, the dance salsa that we know today was probably formed in North America and evolved from the dances that Latino immigrants brought with them. The general consensus seems to be that the name salsa came about in the 1970s in New York where previously the Mambo had enjoyed great popularity. All I'd say is that where ever it's from, it's a great dance!
As you probably know, salsa is a partner dance, normally danced between a boy and a girl. What a lot of people don't know is that when you see people dancing together, the dance isn't choreographed. Basically the man leads by indicating what he wants the woman to do, and she follows by reading his movements - sounds tricky but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. While it can be a romantic dance, that isn't always the case - there are lots of dancers out there that dance at speed and don't look lovingly at their partner at all. You do have to stand quite close to your partner to make the moves work properly, but there shouldn't be any grinding (unless you want there to be) and I promise you that you can't get pregnant just by dancing quite closely with someone!
**What type of music is played?**
Quite a mix really. While some clubs do play a bit of R & B, the predominant music genre you'll hear is salsa (surprise surprise!) mixed in with a bit of mambo and latin jazz. However, like the dance, there are a lot of different styles of music which can loosely fall into this category. On the one hand you have jazzy staff, then you have African salsa which has a much more mellow sound, Cuban son (think Buena Vista Social Club), Salsa Romantica (salsa with soppy lyrics), Salsa versions of English songs (including salsa versions of Lady in red and the Beatles - normally terrible) and much more - some of which you'll probably love and some which you'll probably hate. The easiest way to hear a variety of music is to go to a few clubs, watch the dancers and have a listen!
**Where can I learn salsa?
As salsa has increased in popularity over the last few years clubs and classes have sprung up all over the place so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a class near you. The easiest way to find a class is just to type in salsa and the name of the place that you live. For those of you living in London there's loads and loads of choice ranging from small classes at gyms with a handful of people to huge classes at venues such as Salsa on Charing Cross Road. If you want to learn, I'd recommend trying two or three different places as they all have a different vibe, and methods of teaching vary from place to place too. If you try a few places not only will you get to meet more people (which is always a good thing) but you'll also find classes that are the right pace and style of teaching for you, and you'll have much more fun if you learn somewhere that you feel comfortable at.
**How much does it cost?**
The average class tends to cost about £5 to £8 for an hour, and this sometimes includes entrance to the club after the lessons. Club entrances vary from free (usually smaller venues during the week) to £15 (big events at the weekend). Much better value than the gym!
**Do I need a partner?**
Nope! The joy of salsa is that you dance with everyone in a club, whether you know them or not, and in classes people are always rotated around so that they dance with everyone. Even if you do bring a partner you'll be moved on from them pretty swiftly in a class! If you do want to learn salsa but only want to dance with your significant other, just speak to a teacher as most do private lessons for couples.
**How long does it take to learn?**
To be honest, this is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question as it varies from person to person, and it depends what level you want to get to and how often you go to lessons or out dancing. For a complete beginner going to a class once a week though (and I've taught a few beginners classes so I've seen a lot of people learning), I'd say it takes around 4 weeks to get the hang of the basics. After that, for most people taking a class once a week I'd say it takes about 6 months till you'll feel comfortable on the dance floor and be able to have a freestyle (not choreographed) dance. Of course this varies from person to person and it does depend how often you go - for example, if you go to a couple of lessons a week you'll learn much faster than if you just go to one. If you want to learn quickly, practice at home (to music if possible), and get on the dance floor and try and have a freestyle dance as soon as possible - it is scary the first few times, but it's only by trying it that you'll get any good.
**I have two left feet - would I be able to pick it up?**
Without a doubt. As I mentioned, I've taught a lot of beginners and I've never found anyone that couldn't learn to dance. Admittedly for some people it took longer than most, but everyone has got there in the end, including those that have two left hands to match their two left feet! In some ways it's actually a bit easier to learn salsa if you've never danced before as you won't have any habits to break that you've picked up learning other dances!
**What should I wear?**
Whatever you like! For lessons dress tends to be pretty casual, with most people just wearing jeans and a top, but in come clubs people do dress up more. Having said this, there are a few things to bear in mind which will help!
Men - Don't wear trainers with thick rubber soles - they tend to stick on the floor and if you are turning you might hurt your ankle - ideally you want something with a bit of slip on the sole. Do remember that clubs can get very hot and so it never hurts to take a change of shirt with you; think of us ladies that have to dance with you!
Women - As for blokes, it's best to wear a shoe with a slightly slippery sole or not much grip. Also, make sure that you wear something that will stay on your foot (shoes/sandals with ankle straps are good) and try and stay away from wearing shoes with 3 inch heels - only cause your feet will hurt quite quickly! For clothes, a lot of women just wear jeans and a nice top, but if you do wear a skirt spin in front of the mirror before you go out and check your underwear doesn't show when it spins out (trust me, this is a good tip - I know from personal experience!). Also, make sure your top is securely on - bandeau tops are a bad idea as they tend to slip down (again I know from experience!) My last tip would be to not wear too much jewellery, especially not dangly earrings as these can get caught (ouch!).
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