On the Importance of Attending Classes

Social dancing is important as it trains you to react and perform in a spontaneous environment. It also really forces the gal to follow the guys and she has no idea what variations to expect. However it's still important to go for classes and check that the steps look nice. We all need some 'quiet time' in front of the mirror from time to time to re-acquaint ourselves with our body and how it moves. Too much social dancing and no 'quiet time' makes me feel weird and insecure coz I forget how I look. I'm a pretty visual person and I see in my mind how I want to look when I dance so I know how to project my body when I dance... I guess that's the result of staring at my reflection every week since 6 years old. It's become a habit to me, and that's the way I visualize my dancing...

I feel that classes are important as it doesn't have the distractions of the social dance floor and the pace is slower and more predictable. In class, I have the time to just take care of the way I look and make sure it's nice. I have the time (unlike social dancing) to see if my move or my pose looks good coz the teacher repeats the steps over and over and over again and I can try out a hundred different poses until I'm satisfied that the one I eventually choose is the nicest. It also gives me a chance to reflect on my lead or following... coz I don't have to worry about what moves to do next or who is watching at me dance (in the social arena). That's why I love to go for classes! Haha...

Of course you have to know what to look out for while you attend the class. I find that many people overlook simple things like posture and arms in class when they focus too much on the legs... However, I'm quite particular about the arms and posture. After all, it's the first thing you look at when you watch people dance. Who stares at people's legs when they dance unless the person launches into some awesome crazy leg-stunts... Most people look at the faces or upper body (especially in a crowded dance floor) and that's where the posture and arms are noticed. Moreover, the air of confidence about a person usually has to do with 1) how precise he/she executes the steps and 2) the posture...

But the most important factor of all in Salsa is............... the SMILE! The joy and laughter is what attracts people to Salsa. They are there to have a good time, to smile and to have loads of fun! And I think that's why people of all standards can enjoy and dance Salsa. It's the fun they have while dancing. It doesn't matter how good you are, what matters more is how much fun you're having. People are, after all, attracted to laughter! So dance, enjoy and laugh lots! Hee hee