8 Highly Effective New Years Resolutions for Salsa Dance Students

Written by Brooke Myer for OnlineSalsa.com.

As 2010 draws to a close and a New Year beckons, individuals across the globe are finalizing their New Year’s Resolutions. Centered on making positive changes to one’s lifestyle, learning a new skill, getting fitter or losing weight - or for the Salsa enthusiast - honing our Salsa dancing skills are self improvements we strive for in the coming year.

And, since learning to Salsa Dance falls within the popular ‘Learning a new skill’ category that many people will commit to, I thought it would be fitting to compile a list of 8 highly effective resolutions for group Salsa dance class students to ensure that dancers - new and old - are extracting the most benefits from their new or existing group dance class in the New Year.

Resolution #1: Keep an Open Mind
Even if you have studied Salsa for a long time, you will still learn something from the class. The skill you acquire is not through learning turn patterns. Rather, it is learning and perfecting the basic steps, movements and Musicality – also known as the foundation for the various Salsa steps you execute later. You will also have to adjust too many different styles of the dance through different partners. If you do not keep an open mind you will not be able to grasp the concepts well. A closed mind will impede your learning.

Resolution #2: Be Punctual
Always arrive on time or before the class begins. You will lose a lot of quality information if you arrive in the middle of the Salsa lessons – and it is disruptive to the Salsa instructor as well as other students. The instructor will not likely repeat the lessons for latecomers, so your progress may suffer and this might set you behind for the rest of class.

Resolution #3: Pay Attention to the Instructor
Give your instructor your undivided attention. Do not practice or talk to your partner when the instructor is talking. If everyone is having a separate conversation or dancing to a different beat per say, it causes a disruptive learning environment and sometimes more time is spent reviewing a part of the
lesson than necessary. Rest assured there will be plenty of time to practice following the class or during social dances. It is also generally not a good idea to try to teach your partner if they are not quite catching on to the lesson being taught.

Resolution #4: Practice in Class
It is best to practice the dance routines in front of the instructor. They will be able to see if you make mistakes and any errors will be corrected immediately. The last thing you want is to execute a step or pattern erroneously. Bad habits are hard to correct. Instructors want to know if the students get what they taught. Even if a student feels he or she is mastering the lesson, the instructor could provide  additional constructive feedback to further improve your skills.

Resolution #5: Attend Regularly
If you are determined to learn Salsa, then commit to attend Salsa dance classes regularly. Never skip class. Instructors usually build on what they taught the previous class. If you miss one class you might have a hard time catching up with the others. Consistency keeps the moves fresh in your mind!

Resolution #6: Never stay with One Partner in Group Classes
Sometimes, people come to class with a friend or significant other and they, understandably, want to dance with each other. But if the instructor is instructing students to rotate around the circle, by all means, rotate or change partners! The process of dancing with new people will increase your learning exponentially. Salsa Dancing requires partners to lead and follow and when you stick with one partner during class you will get used to one partner’s movements only, and will begin to EXPECT certain leads and responses from each other. In short, you never actually learn to lead and follow extemporaneously - leading and following is all about responding to the unexpected – which is found when dancing with various or unknown partners.

Watch this video clip of a Beginners class practicing Salsa at Major Moment Studio during Philadelphia's National Dance Day, with partner change and a solid tip from one of the instructors.

Resolution #7: Spend time Salsa dancing, Practice!
Practice makes perfect. The more you dance Salsa, the better you get. Attend class early. Know your classmates because they will become your dance partners later. Remain in class after the lessons are over to practice, go to Salsa socials or Salsa clubs as these are the best places to augment classroom learning with real-life Salsa dancing situations. Put the skills and knowledge you have acquired to use!

Resolution #8: Ask questions!
If you need to go over a concept, chances are 2 or 3 people are thinking of asking but are afraid to, and 5 or 6 people need it! The instructor will gladly answer questions and/or review the material to ensure everyone is comfortable with moving forward. If you are not sure of the proper count or how to tell when a beat changes… ASK!

Attending group Salsa classes can make you feel nervous, out of place, and secretly wondering if everyone else in the class is a Salsa dance pro, but rest assured that everyone is there to learn and you are in for an amazing experience. Enjoy it.

Cheers to a New Year of Salsa Dancing!

About the author
Brooke Meyer is a freelance writer living in Berkeley, California (U.S.A.). As an avid traveler, a hospitality Sales & Marketing guru and a Salsa enthusiast, she publishes reviews and cutting-edge articles about the travel industry and Salsa community. Other articles written for Onlinesalsa.com are: Review of the 2010 San Francisco Salsa Congress, Five Tips to Ensure a Perfect First Salsa Dance, Chronicles of a Salsa Addict, or so I have been called?, A conquest to Overcome Shyness on the Dance Floor and a Review of the 2010 Orlando Salsa Congress.

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