Let's Start Dancing Salsa!

How many times you have seen, either on TV or in a nightclub, a couple dancing salsa and you have wished to move your hips like them? Well maybe it's the right time to take this seriously and start dancing. Salsa dancing requires talent. However, acquiring the skills is not an impossible mission. On the contrary, it's totally do-able and anyone with the right attitude towards working hard and practicing a few hours a week can easily jump from a beginner to a very good salsa dancer. Or even better, to a totally professional “Salsero(a)”.

Obviously, becoming a competitive Salsa performer cannot happen by just attending some workshops, taking a few lessons or by simply dancing with people at the nightclub, it requires strict discipline in which several hours of practice are recommended. Although some people have more natural skills than others; that doesn’t mean that they should not be intensively putting effort and hours of training to master their salsa moves.

Like the soccer player, figure skater, or percussionist, a Salsa dancer should spend as much time as possible going over and over to his/her salsa routines in order to improve them until they look very sharp. The Salsa learning process never stops. Newer, more complex moves constantly show up in the Salsa scene, thus it is essential to understand the more time you practice the closer you will be to mastering your moves and become a great performer.

Just like every beginner, the best Salsa performers in the world started by learning the basic steps and maybe with the idea that becoming a good dancer was only a dream. But with consistency, commitment and a huge desire to make their dream a reality they got where they are now in the podium of the best Salseros. The question you should ask yourself is “Am I willing to give it a try with all my heart and effort?” If the answer is yes, then you are starting a new challenge in your life that could seem to be overwhelming but totally worth it.

There are several myths that come and go in the Salsa environment such as “Only Latinos can dance”, “Salsa requires advanced preliminary dancing experience”, “Salsa is only for young people”, etc; some of them could be more realistic than others, but none of them are right or wrong as long as you have the desire and enthusiasm to learn how to become a Salsa performer.

Salsa brings a way of enjoying life. It's sexy style puts you in a state in which the music becomes part of you, like an engine fueld by its rhythm. It's just a matter of taking your first step into the Salsa world and initiate a new fun activity that, in addition to showing you a new way of enjoying your life, can actively help you to reduce the stress produced by your regular activities.

No more excuses!Let your body and mind enjoy the freedom and fun that Salsa can offer.

Alfonso Caldera		 Spinning vs. Spotting

There is no question about the importance of using proper technique when you spin while dancing Salsa. There are several moves that require advanced skills and spinning is one of them. Developing the proper technique to spin is a must have if your intention is to become a good Salsa dancer.

Spinning requires balance; rhythm, speed and an essential spotting technique that helps the performer to avoid getting dizzy and falling off balance. You want to have perfect control of your body and be able to perform as many spins as your routine requires, therefore spinning becomes a key factor in looking great while dancing Salsa. Like other Salsa skills, spinning requires several hours of practice until you get to the point in which you can perform several spins without any risk of falling down; but it also requires a clear explanation of what we call the “Spotting” trick. It is defined as the action of selecting a specific spot in which you can focus your sight on while you are spinning.

For training purposes, usually without a partner you can select a static target on the wall to use as your spotting point. By keeping your eyes locked on to a certain spot for as long as you can while spinning will provide your body with the balance that allows you to spin without the chance of getting dizzy. Spinning without spotting could work if you spin only once, or maybe twice but if you intend to add several spins to your routine, this is when to start practicing your spotting. Don't get frustrated if you have a hard time combining your spinning with spotting, the more you practice it, the closer you will get to mastering it.

It's up to you to determine how good you look and how fancy your routine looks. By adding elegant spins to your routine you improve your salsa dancing skills to the point in which you catch people’s eyes and impress the crowd.

So get a spin on your routine by mastering the spins that make you a Salsa Pro!
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