You are in the middle of the dance floor when you realize that your partner is doing something wrong and you get this uncontrollable urge to correct them. According to Matthew David Parker, a famous salsa instructor from Louisiana, you should stop right there. If you aren’t qualified to teach salsa, don’t do it. There are several reasons why coaching your dance partner is not a good idea despite your good intentions, and these include;
- It may annoy your partner especially since they haven’t asked for your help. In any case, you may also have your own technical issues and if they aren’t voicing their concerns, there’s no reason you should voice yours.
- You can easily offend your partner, especially if they don’t take criticism well.
- You may provide your partner with the wrong information, making the situation even worse.
Learning a new skill is usually challenging and, if your partner is struggling with timing or movement (or both), commenting on it could quickly turn the situation bad with them projecting their frustration directly upon you. Parker advises students to avoid any form of back and forth coaching between salsa dance partners.
But what should you do if your partner is doing something wrong? The best thing to do when in the middle of a bad dance is to suck it up and try to enjoy yourself throughout the dance. If your partner is a beginner, try being considerable by nurturing and supporting them through the process. If you don’t feel like dancing with them afterwards, it’s okay, but don’t be rude and walk off the dance floor in the middle of a dance.
If you are in a salsa class and your partner is doing something wrong, you can always ask the instructor for help. If you’re busy, flag them down and hold your question. Don’t correct your partner as you may give them wrong information. By doing so, you may become part of the problem. If the problem is too much of a problem, you can consider enrolling in a private class with your partner.
Teaching salsa is something that should be left to the experts, says Matthew David Parker. And, as such, something like correcting your partner on the dance floor or offering them advice is wrong as it can lead to more problems. Rather than create additional problems, ask your dance teacher for help or suck it up and try to enjoy yourself as much as you can.
