Salsa 101

Here's my take on Salsa - and yes, you're going to laugh. I've come to grips with the fact that I'm as "white" as they come and that I'll never be mistaken as Latin. Most people laugh when they find out that I dance, let alone teach Salsa... until they see me do it.

Over the years, I've taken a lot of Salsa dance lessons and have had my share of frustrations (language barriers, poor instruction, lots of spins before basics, instructor variations, etc.). I've taken from Salsa instructors around the world as well as from many local instructors and through other Salsa videos as a way of auditing their classes while studying teaching methods. One thing's for sure, Salsa's a contagious dance that's just downright fun, but it's sure hard to find a good instructor!

One thing's for sure, Salsa's a contagious dance that's just downright fun...

Now, understand, I 'm one of those guys that just couldn't get his hips moving the right way. I later learned it was because I was trying to use my hips rather than my knees... why's this important? There are many Salsa instructors out there that say "if you're not dancing through your knees, you're not doing the Salsa." I say, "that's a load of crap!" I danced it for years without using the "right" part of my body and I had a blast. Was it 'technically' correct? Apparently not. Did I have fun with it? Absolutely! Did any of the ladies ever complain while I was out dancing? No way. My take on Salsa is that some of the advanced styling pieces will come naturally to some folks and some won't, but the fundamentals behind the dance itself including the rhythm, basics, lead and following aspects, and turns will be the same regardless. The styling is a learned skill and doesn't happen overnight for people as white as me (and I mean that with no ethnic slur whatsoever). Not knowing all the styling pieces doesn't stop you from dancing and having fun and I'm here to say they can be learned on your own time when you're ready.

That's why we focus on getting you dancing quickly in this DVD. Understanding the dance and having something to do while you learn the more advanced styling pieces allows you to not give up on yourself after the first time it doesn't work for you. You can be yourself and have fun with this great dance in just a matter of minutes regardless of your ethnicity. I love Salsa music (though I can't understand most of it) and really enjoy the culture. Salsa's fun, upbeat, catchy and everyone should know how to do it!