Why learn to dance Salsa ?

Let me try to convince you why learning to dance Salsa is the greatest thing you can do for yourself and a worthwhile investment :

Salsa is danced internationally and it helps you meet people wherever you are !

Let’s imagine you are now travelling as a tourist to a foreign country, alone, and you don’t know anyone in the big city where you have just arrived.
If you can dance a little bit of Salsa, all you have to do on the first day is search in google for clubs of salsa in that city, then go there at night and invite girls (boys) to dance. That way you can meet local people in a very short time and enjoy the evenings with dance and music.
The alternative, if you don’t dance Salsa, is to go to a pub, get drunk and meet just tourists.
Salsa is a sport and hobby that you can practice anywhere in the world without even bringing with you any equipment, no need for diving equipment, not flying equipment, nothing, just you.

Here are some more great things about Salsa :

Salsa is fun

The greatest time I had with Salsa was at the beginning, during the lessons.
We were funny as beginners because we made funny moves with the music and so we were laughing a lot. Classes of salsa is a more relaxed environment compared to the parties at night because in the classes people come to learn, it is happening in the afternoon, just after work and people wear casual clothes and are in a relaxed mood.

Salsa is a great Sport

Salsa is an aerobic sport and a very good one. Look at people who are dancing a few hours and you will see how they are sweating. The great thing about Salsa is that without noticing you can do that sport during hours (because of the fun), it is not like running, for instance, in which you have to sometimes force yourself.
Dancing salsa is safe as a sport, there are almost no injuries compared to other disciplines.

Salsa increases your self confidence

This is especially true for the boys. In case you don’t know, in Salsa (and in all the dances in couples), the man is the one who is leading the moves (this is only true for the world of dance…), so once you will know to dance a little bit and to lead you will feel that you are controlling at least one thing in your life.

Salsa is good for developing coordination and memory

Again, this is especially true for the boys.
In Salsa there is not a particular choreography in the dance (unless you are presenting a show), each song with a salsa rhythm can be danced with salsa moves in a different order, it all depends on an instant decision of the leader (the man). Usually the leader is not aware about the next move he is going to do, it is a moment decision. Still, there are combinations of moves to memorize and with the experience the moves get more coordinated and smooth. Usually girls are not leading the dance but still girls need to know the moves, the right rhythm, coordination and to do all this with grace.

Salsa is good for learning Spanish

In Salsa the songs are in Spanish, so after hearing a thousand times “corazón” in the songs, you will know what it means (heart) (try to find a salsa song without “corazón”, it is quite difficult). Listening to music is great for memorizing a language and Spanish is a great language to learn and also an important one.

In Salsa, you listen to great music

In order to dance Salsa, you just need songs with the right rhythm, an 8 bit rhythm and that includes not only the classical Salsa songs. There is a big variety of songs for dancing Salsa and it is the Dj who put the right ones. A lot of people prefer the more modern Salsa songs with a faster rhythm over the classical ones. Many reggaetons songs are good for dancing salsa. For instance see this Remenea song and how it is danced in a salsa context here.

Salsa is good for meeting Girls and Boys

It is obvious, no ?
You don’t need a smart line in order to invite a girl to dance, it is the natural thing to do in a Salsa club. Also at the classes of salsa it will be natural to meet girls (boys), the teacher will usually switch between the couples so you will get to know a lot of people. In fact, the same persons who are participating in the salsa classes will also arrive to the clubs at night, so you will already know some people. After a while, you will know a lot of people in the Salsa clubs, there are lots of regulars coming to dance and also a lot of occasional dancers.

Salsa is a non expensive hobby

Everything is relative. You may need to buy yourself a drink at the Salsa club but you will mostly be busy dancing (hopefully) and not drinking.
Drinking too much is bad for your dancing.
Classes cost money, of course, but not that much. Some clubs include a lesson just before the party. You don’t need to buy some expensive equipment for the Salsa activity.

Some fears and excuses people have for not dancing Salsa:

I can’t dance, I don’t have good coordination, I am too old, too young

I have seen miracles with that including with me. Before I began to dance Salsa this world was alien to me. I was doing some sports but never saw myself dancing. Dancing was for other kind of people.
I arrived to a salsa club by chance, I liked what I saw and after a lot of hesitations I joined a class and from then, salsa is part of my life.
Some people need more practice than others but anyone can learn to dance.
Here is my tip if you think you need more practice than others:
Join a class, formally, once a week, and try to participate in more classes during the week at the same school. What I mean is that in a lot of lessons there is a boy or a girl missing for one reason or another, in that case ask the teacher to join, he will be happy to fill the missing person (because he doesn’t want a person left without a partner) and you will get extra practice (yes, you need to be present before each class and take the risk that there will be no one missing, but you really want to learn Salsa, right?).
At the beginning I used to participate in Salsa lessons during five or six days a week, only like that I surpassed the point of no return. After that, it got much easier.

I am shy, I won’t have the courage to invite girls (boys) to dance

And in other situations in life you will have the courage ?
The Salsa environment is easier for reaching a partner because everyone knows what they are doing there (dancing). It is the normal behaviour to invite people to dance in a salsa club, everyone expect that. It gets even easier at the club when you already know people (from the classes or just from coming regularly to the same place). People from different ages and origins are coming to dance Salsa, and you will surely find some to dance with. Also, in a big city, there are several salsa clubs and each one has its own character, try all of them.
You can arrive to a salsa club alone, it is normal.

I don’t have enough time

At the beginning you will need to put the effort and dedicate time in order to pass that point of no return, but once you have achieved that goal, you can go to the salsa club just once a week or less, your body will not forget the  rhythm, it is like riding a bicycle.

Epilogue :

OK, now that you know the theory, you just need to begin to dance.
You know where you have to begin, right?
Search where are the Salsa schools in your town, you won’t regret it.

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