Baltimore Salsa Blog

What brought you here? Did you see a professional on stage move so smooth and sexy that your eyes popped out of your head?  Did you see a movie that had salsa dancing in it and you found yourself saying, “I want to dance like that?” 

Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?  Whatever preconceptions you had when you found this article, I recommend that you set them aside.  Salsa lessons lead to a whole new lifestyle of fun, excitement, a bigger social circle, greater self-confidence, and physical fitness.  No matter what your reason for landing on this page, I’m here to open the door to resources you need to begin your Salsa journey.

Now, let’s find you a place to take some lessons.  I highly recommend group lessons for most people.  Why? Well, let me tell you why group lessons worked best for me.

• I didn’t have a dance partner
• DVD’s aren't interactive
• YouTube is tiny
• I couldn’t afford private lessons

Salsa lessons are offered at local studios and night clubs all over the world!  While lessons at a studio may be less intimidating, a nightclub offers you an opportunity to practice immediately after the lesson with your new friends.  I recommend a mix of both.  My first lesson was at a club and I was a nervous wreck.  After one hour of studying the 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 beat and trying to turn without losing my balance, I thought perhaps I would just stand on the side and watch the more experienced dancers.  A gentleman came over and asked me to dance. I looked at him in horror and explained that I was brand new and only had one lesson. Looking back now, duh, he knew that! It was pretty obvious.  Anyway, with a little encouragement and his promise to be gentle, I stepped onto the dance floor shaking and sweating.  I was getting the hang of 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 forward-back motion and starting to gain a little confidence when he said, “Are you ready to try the right hand turn you learned in class?” NO WAY is what I wanted to scream, but instead I shook my head like crazy and said, “I’m not ready.” He kindly said, “That’s okay” and we danced a little more of the basic steps.  Once he’d earned my trust, I agreed to try the right hand turn. Guess what? I didn’t lose my balance, trip over my own feet or fall down. I was okay and you will be too. Thank you Ron White from Texas! After that night, I was hooked. I just had to learn more.

To find lessons near you, try searching for “salsa dancing lessons” and add the name of your city.  Better yet, go to www.meetup.com and type “salsa” and your city.  If the group has a high rating for being fun, contact the group organizer for suggestions. S/he has their hand on the pulse of Salsa in your area and can provide you with the names of studios, instructors, and nightclubs. One final recommendation is to search for a “salsa congress” in your city, state or country. Contact the promoter for that congress for suggestions.  What’s a congress? That’s a discussion for another article.