As a renowned salsa dance instructor and founder/owner of Lafayette Salsa Dance Studio, Matthew David Parker is quite knowledgeable on the topic of salsa dancing. In this post he explores the question of whether it’s enough to learn just one style of dancing. But here’s the thing, learning one dance is confusing enough without adding one or more dances to the mix. Nevertheless, wherever there’s salsa music you are likely to hear other types of music including kizomba and bachata. The dilemma comes when you don’t know how to dance all the three and someone asks you to dance. What do you do then?
If you intend to enjoy yourself at social events, learning the basics of the three dances is important. It may seem like a challenging and daunting task but the truth is, doing so opens up a whole world of possibilities That said, outlined below are a few tips that will help you avoid overloading yourself with information.
Time management and regular practice. It’s important to have a plan that allows you to practice for a few minutes every day. Practicing for as little as 10 minutes, in addition to your usual class time, can go a long way in improving your dance skills and making you the dancer you desire.
Write down moves. This helps in two ways; for starters, it helps you retain what you learn and, secondly, the notes you write serve as an easy reminder on your notebook or phone whenever you forget something during practice.
Dance with advanced dancers. Asking an advanced dancer to be your partner is a great and effective way to learn timing and how to remember your steps. If you go with this option, remember to tell your partner that you’re a beginner and that you’d like to learn. Doing so will allow your partner to help you with the basics.
Be patient. The important to remember when learning how to dance is that like every skill, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Don’t rush anything, just go with the flow. Enjoy yourself and, with time, you’ll become the accomplished dancer you’re looking to be.
Keep it simple. Learning the basic steps in every style is enough when you are a beginner. First learn one step, practice it for two more dances then learn another one. Don’t worry about your partner, just concentrate on being a better dancer.
That’s all. It doesn’t take much to shine at social events where different styles of dances are involved, according to Matthew David Parker. And, if you’re in doubt, you can always enroll in dance classes.
If you intend to enjoy yourself at social events, learning the basics of the three dances is important. It may seem like a challenging and daunting task but the truth is, doing so opens up a whole world of possibilities That said, outlined below are a few tips that will help you avoid overloading yourself with information.
Time management and regular practice. It’s important to have a plan that allows you to practice for a few minutes every day. Practicing for as little as 10 minutes, in addition to your usual class time, can go a long way in improving your dance skills and making you the dancer you desire.
Write down moves. This helps in two ways; for starters, it helps you retain what you learn and, secondly, the notes you write serve as an easy reminder on your notebook or phone whenever you forget something during practice.
Dance with advanced dancers. Asking an advanced dancer to be your partner is a great and effective way to learn timing and how to remember your steps. If you go with this option, remember to tell your partner that you’re a beginner and that you’d like to learn. Doing so will allow your partner to help you with the basics.
Be patient. The important to remember when learning how to dance is that like every skill, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Don’t rush anything, just go with the flow. Enjoy yourself and, with time, you’ll become the accomplished dancer you’re looking to be.
Keep it simple. Learning the basic steps in every style is enough when you are a beginner. First learn one step, practice it for two more dances then learn another one. Don’t worry about your partner, just concentrate on being a better dancer.
That’s all. It doesn’t take much to shine at social events where different styles of dances are involved, according to Matthew David Parker. And, if you’re in doubt, you can always enroll in dance classes.
