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What do I wear?
Most dancers are comfortable in casual attire for classes. Social dances tend to be slightly dressier, although certainly not formal! What’s most important is that you wear clothes you are comfortable moving in. You may wish to invest in a good pair of dance shoes, but any street shoe with a leather sole will get you by in the beginning stages.
Do I need a partner?
Absolutely not! We have many single people coming to our classes and dances. There are usually plenty of partners to go around, and students are encouraged to change partners during class to maximize learning and make it a fun experience for all. Social dances feature “mixers,” where dancers change partners many times during several songs in order to meet and dance with a lot of different people.
Should I take private lessons or group classes?
While the most effective program is a combination of private lessons and group classes, this is entirely a personal choice. You will learn enough patterns and technique in the group classes to be able to enjoy yourself at the Saturday night dances. However, if you wish to progress further than the classes allow, or you find the pace of the classes too slow or too fast, you might consider private lessons. Students who compete or perform regularly will find that private lessons are a must.
How do the classes work?
Most of the classes run on the calendar month, progressing in patterns and technique each week. You must start the class by the second week—by the third week of the month, the class will have learned quite a bit and it would be difficult to catch up with without private lessons. The Monday night Salsa classes, as well as the Friday and Saturday night lessons are all drop-in classes: you may attend any week. Please arrive on time—students arriving more than 15 minutes late will not be allowed to attend the class as this is disruptive to the class.
What classes should I take first?
The “ballroom” type dances are organized into bronze and silver level classes (please see explanation below), while “club” type dances are labeled beginning, intermediate, or advanced. If you have never taken lessons in a particular dance, you may take any beginning or bronze 1 class. Even with previous dance experience, it is necessary to learn the patterns and techniques you will be taught in these first classes! From there, proceed to intermediate or bronze 2 and so on. We offer the “Social Confidence” class, which teaches you the six core ballroom dances (Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Rumba, Cha Cha, and East Coast Swing) through the bronze 1 level over the course of two months. These dances are the ones played most often at the dances.
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