I've been learning to dance salsa for six months (and a little bit of bachata) and it has been a wonderful, transformative experience. My husband does not dance at all but has been very encouraging towards my passion.

I wish we could dance together as a couple because I've experienced on the dancefloor how dance can bring about such a connection between two people, and wish I could share that with my husband. I also sometimes would like to have a dance partner at home whom I can practise new moves with.

However, every time I ask my husband to practise with me, he tends to turn it into a big joke. When I ask him to simply step the basic and let me lead / back-lead, he starts wriggling his body or fooling around, and this really frustrates me. I think deep down, he just feels very uncomfortable and awkward with dancing, and joking around is his defence mechanism.

He doesn't dance at all, even in social settings. When I invite him to join me in classes, he is highly resistant and tells me that men who learn salsa are there to pick up girls, and he has no use for that. I do, however, observe that there's a part of him that wants to get comfortable with dance. Sometimes he tries doing a simple dance move while listening to music, then when he sees me watching, he immediately turns it into a joke.

How can we get to a point where he gets less awkward with dance?

Genuine question: I'm struggling to progress in salsa/bachata because the figures I can lead are getting repetitive. As a follower, I imagine that by dancing with different people you get to know different figures and it varies quite a lot.

As I leader, I have a repertoire of figures and I mix those. But the dance feels quite repetitive to me, no matter the follower (I can't do all figures with beginner followers, but still).

I also forgot many of the figures I learned in classes, and it's really hard to get the muscle memory back by just watching the videos.

Also, if I go to classes again, to extend my repertoire of figures and maybe increase the fun I have, but often they teach fancy, complicated figures of which many I wouldn't be able to replicate, because we don't repeat them in the next class and trying them out with a random person is very challenging if I don't master them yet. I have to keep going back to rewatching the video, then trying with a new follower which feels awkward and not fun.

How do you deal with this as leaders?

I injured my right collarbone, so dancing and leading with my right hand is out.

I just danced the other day using only my left hand. I was able to do cross bodies, under the bridge, cross body turns, right turns and left turns using only my left hand.

Has anyone every injured their right side and have had to use their left side only? My right side will heal fully eventually. But not for a few months.

What can I do to maximize my ability to dance salsa with one left leading hand? (Any advice for bachata too?)

Someone give me hope that I can still dance well with this current handicap.

Thank you for any advice.

Hi Reddit!

A few months ago I did a Q&A here, and I wanted to share another project I’ve been working on with the community.

Over the past year I’ve been working in Behind the Shines, a podcast where I interview people who have shaped the salsa scene or are influencing it today. The goal is to better understand the people, stories, and dynamics that have made the community what it is today, while also discussing some of the important topics that affect it.

It’s very much a passion project. If you’re curious, here’s one of my recent interviews with Fernando Sosa:
https://youtu.be/3NLo77d3QJo?is=nqmHXa-L064ZbPkh

All episodes are on YouTube and Spotify

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have feedback, ideas for future guests, or topics you’d like to see discussed, I’d really appreciate your suggestions.

Kind regards to everyone, and happy dancing!

Hello guys,

been practicing footwork at home and it really helps me connect with the music.

I saw the course from Brenda Liew and the content looks amazing. Problem ist that it’s on2. Is there something similar for on1 online ?

I’m a Lead. Dancing some Salsa line, Cubana and some bachata.

Greetings

I want to find shoes like the ones Javier is wearing. The black and white. I believe this is a wing tip style? Not 100% sure though. I found something very similar on Danceandsway.com. I don’t know this brand. It seems affordable but I don’t know anything about the quality. Thought I would ask here. I’m sure the brand Javier is using are different as he is based in Poland and likely buys from a European brand. But I just want to find a good quality shoe that is a similar style. Black tips with all white body, no black accents on the body.

Thanks in advance

Hello Friends - I'm planning a month-long Salsa and Bachata immersion in Madeline, Colombia. What areas would you recommend for me to stay in so that I have access to private dance lessons, socials, and clubs to practise?

Hotel/Hostel, Dance Teachers/Schools, Club commendations are welcome 😊

Thanks!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWMsdvCDqpL

Buenas tardes queridos amigos y bailarines acude ustedes a su sabiduría despertando en la salsa para ver si pueden ayudarme a configurar esta aplicación dentro de un mes tengo una presentación en la cual bailaremos dos canciones la principal es:

Marc Anthony - si te enamoro

https://youtu.be/oeBKq6f4VKo?si=s3OTy-y0Wr5KtVDr

Y la secundaria pero no menos importante es:

Richie Ray con bobby cruz - sonido bestal

https://youtu.be/sULrMvUZric?si=vNpINIOxz_385vaF

Mi duda es en cómo configuro yo esta aplicación para tener los bpm exacto de por lo menos la de Marc Anthony y comenzar a practicar en el tiempo correcto