The Stages of a Salsa Dancer

Submitted by sbowman on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 18:00.

By SalsaSteph

  1. You dare to start taking salsa classes

  2. You feel like there is too much to learn and almost quit…but decide it’s worth it another chance. It’s really not as hard as you thought!

  3. You start to feel comfortable with a few steps, but are still hesitant to go out to a club because you fear of making a fool out of yourself, or because you aren’t used to going out by yourself.

  4. You start to tell all your friends and family you’re salsa dancing.

  5. You invest in your first pair of real dance shoes and believe that shoes really do make a difference! You are now committed and more inspired to practice and go out more often.

  6. You get caught at the office practicing turns and steps. Every break you have, you listen to salsa. You always turn the salsa music up when driving home – riding in style!

  7. Your co-workers start to wonder why you look so tired. You smile, thinking of your little secret and think to yourself, “Ha, Ha, Ha! They don’t know how to salsa…and I do!”

  8. You realize you don’t need to call anyone to go out salsa dancing. It’s like the TV show Cheers - the same people are always there to welcome you!

  9. You discover that not all clothes are suitable for clubbing, so you start to buy a lot of black, comfortable, stretchy, breathable materials.

  10. You classify the world into two: salsa friends and non-salsa friends. Now your non-salsa friends and family are getting upset that they never see you at night!

  11. You realize that if you actually get off your ass and ask people to dance, then you’ll have a much better time. Once you’re seen dancing, others instantly start to ask you to dance more.

  12. You go out five times a week and stop taking classes because you’ve reached a comfort level. You get bored with what you know, so you resume taking more challenging classes.

  13. You go to your first salsa congress and are blown away by what all that can be done in one dance. You may even catch yourself thinking about entering in the next competition event.

  14. You find that your body movement is missing from your dancing, so you start focusing on styling, rhythm and listening to the music more.

  15. You either dance with beginners to feel like the better dancer of the two, or you never dance with beginners because you want to dance with as many advanced people as much as you can.

  16. You know a lot of moves but you end up doing the same thing over and over again. You’ve come full circle back to a basic step! You are amazed at how much energy you could have saved and how much little details can bring about more balance and more confidence.

  17. You are officially a SALSA ADDICT!!!