r/SalsaDancing

I was at a dance social recently where it was incredibly warm. I was sweating and heating up even though I was just in a thin camisole and jeans. The event space has a rule of no water bottles or outside drinks, so I ordered a glass of water which cost me 2.50. After 3 hours of dancing, I started feeling a bit faint. Thankfully I was dancing with a friend, so I felt comfortable telling him I needed to sit down. But this incident left me feeling a bit shaken. Is there a way I could prevent this from happening in the future? I'd already had dinner and drunk ample water before attending the social.

I’ve danced about two years and want to continue learning on 2 but I think I’ve hit a wall with my school. We learn patterns and shines but body movement and styling is not focused on. Id like to get better at this and maybe learn other types of salsa as well while continuing on 2. Id love this in one school.

Currently im looking at maybe taking an Afro Cuban dance class separately or finding a salsa focused school that teaches specific body movements and isolations.

So my question is in nyc which schools can you recommend that focus on bm and other types of salsa? Or if there’s classes separate from salsa you’d recommend that would be ok too.

Thanks for any help

I’ve been dancing salsa for about 2.5 months now, mostly as a lead. Since starting, I’ve been taking classes pretty seriously, around 10–20 hours a week, and going to socials on weekends, usually taking the beginner class beforehand. I think recently I have gotten to the point where I can social dance pretty comfortably.

But I still think back to my very first social and cringe a little.

Before I had really started learning salsa, I saw a free salsa party on Eventbrite on a Sunday of a long weekend and went mostly because I was bored. I took two beginner classes beforehand, but that was basically my only exposure. At the time, it honestly didn’t register to me that salsa was a real skill with very different levels, etiquette, and culture. I barely understood timing, could barely do a basic step, and definitely didn’t understand how socials worked.

I probably danced with around 20 people and got rejected maybe 3 times, so most people were probably nice about it. But looking back, I realize I did some awkward beginner things. I asked some followers if they could “teach me” socially, not realizing that socials are not really the place for that. I also didn’t realize that repeatedly asking the same person to dance could be a faux pas, especially when you barely know them.

Since then, I’ve been taking classes consistently, learning timing, learning basic etiquette, and trying to be respectful on the dance floor.

But I still feel embarrassed when I think about that first social. I felt like I kind of came across as ignorant lol.

Is this just a normal beginner mistake that I should let go of? Have other people had a similar “I went to a social way too early and didn’t know the etiquette” experience?