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Welcome to The Guide To Salsa...

The Beginners Guide to Learning Salsa, the first section, should answer the most commonly-asked questions beginner students have about taking salsa lessons. What's great about our guide is that it will be ever-evolving - we hope that students and instructors alike will give us feedback so we can continue to improve the guide for future readers.

The guide was originally written by Ziv Kenet, and has been edited by Tricia Meikle and Rose Knows. Acknowledgements must go out to our Toronto salsa instructors, Nicole da Silva (Soles Dance Studio) and Teddy Olaso (United Salseros) for their constructive feedback, and TOsalsa readers for sending us questions and feedback over the past year. Special thanks to Tricia for her awesome work on the guide.

We hope you enjoy the Guide to Salsa. You can look forward to future additions, such as the "Guide to Salsa Clubs". We look forward to hearing from you!

  - The TOsalsa Team
    TOsalsa.com

Click here for Reader's Feedback

 
1) Beginners Guide to Learning Salsa
 1.1) Methods of learning: Classes, Privates and Videotapes
  1.1.1) Organized Classes
  1.1.2) Drop in Classes
  1.1.3) Private Classes
  1.1.4) Workshops
  1.1.5) Videos
  1.1.6) Watch and Learn
 1.2) What will I learn?
 1.3) How much do salsa lessons cost?
 1.4) How to Pick an Instructor
  1.4.1) How do I find a salsa instructor?
  1.4.2) Is the more expensive instructor better?
  1.4.3) Instructor to Student Ratio
  1.4.4) Male or Female instructor?
  1.4.5) Is the best dancer also the best teacher?
  1.4.6) Are instructors who teach many different dances better?
  1.4.7) Location and Venue
  1.4.8) Class Atmosphere
  1.4.9) Ask Around!
  1.4.10) Changing schools
  1.4.11) Skills of a dance instructor
  1.4.12) Evaluating an Instructor's Skill
  1.4.13) More Information
 1.5) The Learning Process
  1.5.1) How long will it take me to become a good dancer?
  1.5.2) 6 Levels of Salsa
  1.5.3) Enjoy your growing pains (4 zones)
  1.5.4) I already have dance background, will I learn quicker?
  1.5.5) Do guys and girls learn salsa at a different pace?
  1.5.6) Do girls need to take lessons ?
  1.5.7) Am I ready to progress?
 1.6) Getting the most out of your classes
  1.6.1) Practice
  1.6.2) Tips for remembering what you've learned
  1.6.3) Know the music
  1.6.4) Be on time
  1.6.5) Get feedback
 1.7) Which style should I learn ?
 1.8) Do I need special shoes? Dancewear ?
 1.9) Do I need a dance partner to learn?
 1.10) I have two left feet. Not sure this is for me...