Getting the Most Out of Your Classes

Be on time. When you arrive late to a class you not only cheat yourself, you also disrupt the class for the rest of the students. If the classes are too far away or at an inconvenient time you will be more likely to miss classes and lose patience. It’s preferable to arrive a few minutes early so you can change your shoes (if necessary) and mingle with your fellow students. If everyone arrives a few minutes early the class can start right on time.

Practice. Practicing is the most important and usually the most underrated aspect of becoming a good dancer. It does not matter how much you learn, if you do not practice you will improve very slowly and and possibly even forget what you've learned in class. In fact, a good time to go out to a club and practice is right after a salsa class so that you can practice what you’ve just learned. We cannot overemphasize the importance of practice!

Practicing is not only limited to dancing at the nightclubs though. You can practice turn patterns at home by yourself or with a partner (real or imaginary). You can practice spinning almost anywhere there is a good spinning surface i.e. wood or hard tile. When practicing you will get better results if you do it in front of the mirror so you can see how you’re doing. This is especially important when practicing styling, so you can judge what looks good. The best way to improve your dancing besides taking classes is by practicing as much as possible.

Get feedback. Listen to what others have to say about your dancing. This is really hard on the ego sometimes but it is a great way to find out what areas you need to improve on. Take all feedback with a grain of salt and keep in mind the source. In most cases the constructive criticism you get from your dance partners is pretty accurate. Sometimes comments on your dancing may not be flattering but don’t take it personally. No one is perfect and everyone can improve their dancing in some way. Probably the best and most constructive feedback you can get is from an instructor so try taking a private lesson every now and then to get a good idea of where you stand. Also try getting feedback from more experienced dancers you don’t normally dance with as your regular dance partners may have already adapted to you. The more feedback you get the better, so dance with as many different people as you can. Remember however that not everyone if comfortable giving feedback, so although you may politely ask for feedback, don't push for it.

Know the music. One more thing that will help your dancing is listening to the music. Buy a few salsa CD's, and listen to them as often as possible, even as background music. You will be improving your timing and musical understanding-- both key aspects for becoming a good dancer. This is especially important if you do not have much music or dance background. This will also help you get the most out of your dance classes. Learning the proper timing is one of the hardest things to teach so if you are comfortable with the rhythms and the music you will find it a lot easier to dance. Don't know what CD's to buy, ask your instructor!

Tips for remembering what you've learned. One of challenges of learning to dance is actually remembering what you’ve learned. It is common for students to forget a move they’ve learned just one week before. This usually happens when the moves are not practiced. A great way to avoid this trap is to write down what you have learned after every class. You can ask the instructor for the name of the move or name/describe it yourself. When naming a move yourself, try to pick a name that will remind you what the move actually looks like.

Another key point is to repeat all the moves you’ve learned including the most basic turn patterns. Most students end up practicing just the latest move and neglect all the turn patterns they’ve previously learned. They end up only remembering the new stuff and significantly reduce their repertoire.

A great way to see how you're progressing is to videotape yourself dancing. You can bring a video camera to a workshop and tape yourself performing what you've learned after the workshop is over. Videotaping yourself is beneficial because it gives you a concrete record of many of the moves you know. In addition you can look at your execution and [deleted part] see the areas where you need to improve. So remember a lesson will just be a waste of time if you can’t put what you’ve learned into practice. So practice and use these tips help you refresh your memory.