Guides to get you dancing
What the listings cannot answer: where to begin, what happens at a social, how the styles differ. No fluff and nothing to sell.
Where do I start if I have never danced?
How to start dancing salsa
What you need for your first salsa class, how long it takes to click, and why you need neither a partner nor a musical ear.
Salsa or bachata?
Salsa or bachata: which one to learn first
They are danced in the same venues and they do not cost the same to start. What each one asks of you, and which one to begin with.
How does a salsa social work?
Your first social: what to expect
How to ask someone to dance, what to do if they say no, when to turn up, and why nobody is watching you.
Is dancing good exercise?
Is dancing salsa good exercise?
How much you actually move in a class and at a social, what dancing trains, what it does not train, and why it is not a weight-loss plan.
How does a salsa or bachata competition work?
Salsa and bachata competitions: how they work and how they are judged
What a championship, a Jack & Jill or a battle is in salsa and bachata, what judges look for, how to sign up and where to find upcoming competitions.
Can I go dancing when I travel?
Going dancing in a new city
The step is the same everywhere, which is what lets you walk into a room where you know nobody. What to pack, what to ask, and what one night will not get you.
What days of the week is there dancing?
What days do people go out dancing?
People dance seven days a week: classes run Monday to Thursday and socials Friday to Sunday. How to pick your day for what you want.
At what age can children start?
At what age can children start dancing salsa?
From what age academies take children, what each stage actually works on, and when a teenager can move into an adult class.
How do I ask someone to dance?
How to ask someone to dance
The hardest moment of a social night, explained: when to walk over, what to say, how to ask when the music is too loud to talk, and what never to do.
What if I have no rhythm?
I have no rhythm: can I still learn to dance?
Almost nobody is born with rhythm: it is a trained skill. What having it actually means, how to test yourself in three minutes, and what really goes wrong at first.
What happens in a class?
What a dance class is actually like
What happens in the hour a salsa or bachata class lasts: how it starts, why everyone rotates partners, and when you actually dance.
Should we both go?
Can we take dance classes as a couple?
Yes, and plenty of people do. What surprises them is that the class splits couples up on purpose, and why that is exactly what makes it work.
How is the music counted?
How do you count the music when you dance?
Losing the beat is not a lack of musical ear: nobody told you what to listen for. The eight counts in salsa, bachata and kizomba, and how each one sounds.
Can I learn at home?
Can you learn to dance at home?
Half of it yes and half of it no, and it is worth knowing which is which: what you can genuinely practise alone and what needs another person.
Can I go alone?
Can I go dancing on my own?
Turning up without a partner and without knowing anyone is the norm here, not the exception. How it works and what to do the first night.
Am I too old?
Am I too old to start dancing?
The question that stops most people before they start, answered plainly: what changes with age, what does not, and where to begin.
How much does it cost?
How much it costs to learn salsa or bachata
What you actually pay for a class, for getting into a social and for a congress, using the prices the events on the agenda announce.
How long does it take?
How long does it take to learn to dance
What you get out of the first class, after a month and after a year, and why almost nobody quits for lack of talent.
What is cuban salsa and how is it different?
What cuban salsa is
Cubana, casino and rueda: why they are the same thing, how it differs from line salsa, and how the circle works.
What is different about dancing to a live band?
Dancing to a live band: what changes
What changes when you dance to a live band: the shape of the song, the real tempo, and when the band actually comes on.
What is zouk and how is it different?
What is zouk
What Brazilian zouk is, how it differs from bachata and kizomba, and why the head movement is the last thing you learn.
Where do I start if I want to dance kizomba?
How to start dancing kizomba
What to expect from your first kizomba class, why it is learned differently from salsa, and how long it takes.
What is the difference between Cuban and line salsa?
Salsa styles, explained
Cuban, line, On1, On2 and Cali style: what actually separates them, and which one suits where you dance.
What kind of bachata is danced?
Bachata: Dominican, modern and sensual
The three bachatas you will meet on a dance floor, how they differ, and where each one is danced.
What shoes and clothes do I need?
What to wear for dancing
Why trainers are a bad idea, when dance shoes are worth buying, and what to keep in your bag.
What is done and not done at a social?
Dance floor etiquette
The rules nobody writes down but everybody follows: how to say no, how not to collide, and what to do if something makes you uncomfortable.
Is bachata hard to learn?
How to start dancing bachata
The basic step, how long it takes to click, which style you will meet in your first class, and what to do about the closeness.
How do I know when to start dancing?
How to find the beat in salsa
What you are counting and why, how to find the one in a song, and what to do when you lose it halfway through.
What is kizomba, and how is it different from bachata?
What is kizomba
Where it comes from, how it is danced, what urban kiz is, and why it is not "slow bachata".
What is a salsa and bachata congress, and what happens there?
How a dance congress works
What the pass covers, what a full weekend looks like, what it costs, and whether to go in your first year.
How does leading work, and how does following work?
Leading and following: how two people understand each other
What leading actually is, why it is not pushing, what the follow does, and why learning both roles is worth it.
Which dance school should I pick?
How to choose a dance school
What to look at before paying for a month, what to ask, and the signs a place is not for you.