Self-Conscious?

Going to a class on your own is no biggie. However, *if* you are very self-conscious about starting dancing, then have some alcohol before visiting the salsa club.

In time, from dancing well, you will become less self-conscious and a better dancer (clearly these areas are directly linked), and you won't need any alcohol at all. Smile, relax, enjoy it. When you mess up, just smile!

At an extreme: one time when I started, I was so shit at one of the particular moves that the instructor got off the stage, stopped everything, and chose me for the step 1, step 2,..., step N demo -- in front of about thirty people -- and I was wanting to hide! That's atypical BTW.

Salsa Beginner's Class: What to expect?

• Beginners classes are, for example, around thirty people all repeating the same moves after they have been shown on-stage by the tutor.
• Initially, the absolute salsa beginners class, is NOT dancing with a partner! Sounds mad, but there is method in the madness:
  • it's about getting the steps right
  • it's about getting the timing with the music/dance rythm right

• Subsequent classes will involve you dancing with partner and learning the turns, more steps and other moves.
• Women will ALWAYS outnumber men, turn up without a bird (or take a date with you). Getting a women there to dance is not biggie, women are there to dance and want to dance with you! Good luck.

I hope this helps.

Went to my first Salsa class on Saturday and it was fun need to keep going though as I was crap!

What's the Salsa scene in central London like? In Bristol and Sutton (and Salsa classes I've gone to in general) I've often found that, totty wise, the advance classes consist of a majority of middle aged to older women and the hotties are in the beginners classes.

The beginner chicks generally don't stick around after their class to be taught "special lessons" by the likes of us ;-)

The only exception I've found is a venue called Salsa on Tottenham Court Road, London. That place is chalk full of hotties, class or no class.

My modus operandi has always been to learn Salsa at the classes and use that to dance Salsa moves in a normal nightclub, rather than pull chicks at the salsa class itself. The latter has worked, but I've got far better results using Salsa in non-Salsa venues.

The lesson we went to was held in a bar under some office blocks in the city (moorgate).
see here

There were about 15 people doing the beginner class, a few cute girls.

When the lessons finished it become free dancing. There were some seriously attractive girls in the club and they were having a great time being thrown around the dance floor by their partners.

At one point there was this cute blonde standing close to me and these two Aussie guys were trying to chat her up and this south american looking dude (wearing white suit / red tie) with a huge belly just walked up to her and took her for a dance. He must have been at least 65.

That club was cool. The vibe felt different to a normal night club as the girls were happy for guys to take them for a dance because the context was different.

Maybe that's just me and I felt different compared to a normal club. I like dancing with girls so I'm going to stick to it, even if some of them are really old.

Mark

i think if your in a club/ bar, and someone starts doin salsa... to lady gaga dance remixes...

he is gonna look like a twat, and any girl that cums up and starts praising you... is most likely taking the piss out of u.

salsa isnt cool! not in the middle of a night club, u just look like an attention whore

Phils post is true, I'd say learn body popping and other cool dances for in a club, cos lets face it, clubs play popular music, not salsa (well most?)

Even if I could I wouldn't do Salsa dancing in a typical night club either. However I might use a couple of the techniques like spinning a girl around, it's something I'm not confident doing in a club right now and with more Salsa it'll become natural.

Body popping looks like the Robot I must be getting old.

randomly enough im going on a date tonight with a girl from Peru who is going to teach me Salsa. so rather than learn salsa to get a woman ive got a woman to learn salsa..
I can see it being quite a sexual close dance and good for escalating with somone.
I cant imagine it being done in a club or bar to 'modern' tunes.
Streets where its at!

i certainly couldnt see myself going to salsa classes

Where do you go for that? I have been going to Copcabana on Wednesdays for the past four months I am really enjoying it.