You
don’t need to bring anything special with you. For women,
'going out' trousers and a little top are a good start. Shoes
should have fairly smooth soles so that you can turn easily, and
don't wear mules or similar which can slip off easily. Trousers
and a shirt or t-shirt would be standard wear for men, with leather
soled shoes if possible. Workout gear is more appropriate for
a cardiosalsa class than going-out clothes. Runners, tracksuit
bottoms and a t-shirt will be fine.
No
partner is required for the class, and singles are welcome. People
pair up in the class to dance, and while there may be uneven numbers,
or more women than men or vice versa, partners are swapped quickly
so that no-one is left without a partner for more than a few minutes.
CardioSalsa is not couple dancing, but rather is done in lines,
like in an aerobics class. If you do not have a partner and are
shy to partner up with someone you don't know, as in a normal
salsa class, this might be a good option for you to start with.
A
typical salsa class will start with a warm up where everyone faces
the teacher at the front to learn some of the footwork you might
be using in the class and also to physically warm up. The teacher
may then find you a partner and show you a short sequence of moves
to do together. Partners will rotate so that you get to meet lots
of people in the class and improve your leading and following
skills (which tends not to happen if you are with just one person).
There will be some music at this point to practice the first few
moves. This sequence of teaching moves slowly then adding them
to the last moves and putting it to music will continue to the
end of the class where there will be a last song to put it altogether.
There may or may not be a cool-down (with everyone facing the
front as in a warm-up) depending on the kind of class it is.
The
format of the class is similar to an aerobics class with students
fancing the front in lines towards the teacher. The teacher will
first demonstrate in slow motion all the steps that will be used
throughout the class. There will then follow a cardio warm-up
similar to one you would find in an aerobics class but to merengue
music. Following that the music will turn to salsa, starting through
and getting progressively faster throughout the class. The five
or six different steps/ shines will be added together, such that
in the first song you may have the first two steps, in the second
song, the first, second and third, etc., until by the last song
in this section (cardio section) you will be able to put all the
moves together. There then follows a cool-down, using the same
steps, only low-impact and much slower to a cha cha cha song.
Finally the teacher will lead you through a stretch sequence to
avoid feeling stiff the next day.
All
different kinds of people come to the class, different shapes
and sizes, and different ages. The age-range would typically be
20-50, though we are happy to welcome anyone from 18 upwards.
The
class sizes vary from 10 to 100 people per class. If you would
like to put an emphasis on meeting new people and developing a
new social life, we can recommend the Thursday classes, which
are the biggest. If you would prefer a smaller class size with
more one-to-one attention, try the Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Salsa
involves dancing with a partner, though you do not need to bring
your own partner and the teacher will guide you slowly through
the steps first without, then with music, building up turn patterns
and footwork as a couple.
Everyone
learns at different rates, particularly depending on previous
dance experience, and how much time is put into practicing the
steps, but this is a rough guide:
- 0-2 months beginners Click here for sample turn-pattern
- 2-6 months improvers Click here for sample turn-pattern
- 6 months – 2 years intermediates Click here for sample
turn-pattern
- 2 years or more advanced Click here for sample turn-pattern
While salsa is a relatively
low impact activity with fairly natural movements, you should
check with your doctor before dancing. Of particular concern are
back and shoulder injuries which could be exacerbated by a partner
pulling too hard (this is bad technique on their part, but does
happen). People with knee injuries should avoid twisting movements
such as the 'Suzi Q', and if you have any injuries you should
avoid high impact moves (such as jumping - this only really applies
in CardioSalsa). If you are pregnant you may find that it strains
your abdomen to lift your arms over your head, which happens a
lot in salsa; you too should avoid the high impact moves. For
more details, have a look at the 'Guidelines for Healthy Salsa'.
If
salsa is danced with good technique and consideration for your
partner and others around you, there should be no danger. However,
it does happen that people's feet and ankles get kicked on a crowded
dance floor (take smaller steps!) that a dip can go wrong (leaders:
always ask your partner if they are OK with being dipped before
doing so) and so on. In order to minimise the risk of injury on
the dance floor, check out the 'Guidelines for Healthy salsa'
for tips for both leaders and followers.
In the class
we play very slow music to allow you time to practice, so if you
a buy a salsa CD be prepared for faster speeds. You will rarely
get lucky if you buy a random salsa CD from the local music shop
as they tend to cater for people who want to listen to 'tropical'
music rather than the specific rhythm and tempo that we need when
we are dancing. Your best bet is to get some recommended titles
and to buy them online. For some good websites for buying music
click here. Here are some good CDs to buy which have some slow
songs on as well as some good party tracks:
Ray Barretto - Salsa Caliente de Nueva York (New York salsa)
