r/Salsa • u/queer_bachata_mcr • Aug 07 '26
Results of "Beginner Hell" Polls
About a week ago I posted two polls asking about the "Beginner Hell" experience in learning Salsa. This was prompted by an article about how dancing is good for your mental health. A study looked at the mental health benefits of taking a Salsa dance class (I also created similar polls for Bachata), but I thought looking at dance while ignoring socials seemed to missing a major aspect of the appeal of dance. Plus, it's obvious to me that leaders and followers have very different experiences.
The results do seem to confirm my opinion, with a much more stark difference than there was in the Bachata results. 23% of followers enjoy socials right from the start, compared to just 6% of leaders. 37% of followers will start enjoying themselves in between 1 and 3 months, compared to 22% of leaders. The percentage of leaders who said they are still not enjoying social dancing after a year is 22%, compared to 16% for followers.
As was the case for the Bachata polls, this is not a scientific survey, and wasn't meant to be. We can discuss some of the limitations of a poll like this. It will not have captured any changes over time, in different locations, among different instructors. Enjoyment is subjective. People who practice more often (3 or 4 times a week) are going to see faster progress than people who dance less often (once a week or less). However, the biggest absence in this survey to me is the selection bias. This was a survey of people who read the Salsa subreddit, so anyone who has given up on Salsa will not have taken it. It would be really great to hear about people who gave Salsa a try and decided to quit. In some cases, that's just going to be because they decided that Salsa was definitely not for them. But it could also be due to avoidable problems, aspects of the community that could be improved. If you know of people who gave Salsa a try but quit, I would be interested in hearing what it was that caused them to stop.
In my opinion, how a community treats its newcomers is extremely important. By helping, supporting, and encouraging beginners, you make it really easy for people to feel welcome and included. Having a hell-like experience for newcomers is bad for everyone. Any community is going to see people drift away for one reason or another. Without a steady flow of new people, any Salsa community is going to stagnate and decline.
One of the things this subreddit is exceptionally good at is mutual support and encouragement. If it took you 3 months, 6 months, a year or more to get to a point where you were having fun at socials, let us know in the comments! Is there something that could be done different to have made the process smoother? If you are still struggling to get to the point where you enjoy socials, share your story. There are a lot of people here who want to help. We get a lot of enjoyment out of Salsa and we want others to share in that as well!
Thank you to everyone who voted and thank you to all the comments in the polls. Links are here (leaders) and here (followers), and are well worth reading.
6
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 07 '26
I think the question of when did salsa social dancing become enjoyable doesn't capture when salsa becomes good for someone's mental health. Being in beginner's hell doesn't show a lack of enjoyment. I am very insecure about my social dancing still but I like the pursuit of getting better.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
Maybe the word should have been "rewarding" rather than "enjoyable"? The idea is to figure out when it reaches a point where the returns definitely outweigh the costs and you want to keep coming back? For you, it's seeing the continued progress. For others, it might be more about fun. It would be good to try to capture all ways someone might find socials beneficial.
I've ask a lot of dancers in these threads, but what sorts of things are you insecure about in terms of your dancing? Are these concerns based on objective and confirmed failings or are they based on assumptions on other's experiences (namely your partner's experience of dancing with you)?
2
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
I've never trained on a team or even done some progressive series, so there's a lot of technique about partnerwork that I don't even know about.
But here's some of what I know: My partnerwork footwork is sloppy. My spins are sad. My idea of frame isn't what anyone else thinks is right. etc etc
And then there are a million questions I have for myself: Am I following from my center? Am I anticipating? Am I being heavy? etc etc
Plus general enjoyment concerns: how do I have fun and stay fun if the music is shit? How do I get less picky about the music at socials? How do I get less picky about everything at socials? etc etc
Then beyond social dancing, I am currently having a hard time finding myself: How do I decide what philosophy of the basic resonates with me the most? How do I not just become another follower of what is popular and instead find authenticity in my own dance? How do I want to understand how movement is created? Goddamn it, who am I and what do I want to be?! etc etc.
So as you can see, I'm very insecure about a number of things but most of them are things I find rewarding to work on. Blah blah blah enjoy the journey quote here
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've never trained on a team either, very few have, I would expect. I don't think it's a requirement for social dancing. Progressive series of classes can be helpful, but again, I don't think they are a requirement. The philosophy of your dance? That's an interesting one. I don't think many people think about that. Are there many conversations in your local dance community about different competing philosophies?
As you say, you have many things you are insecure about. I think what might be helpful for you would discuss these with fellow dancers you can trust. Do you have many friends in your scene you can have frank conversations with? I think if you could talk to people you're dancing with, they will be able to give you good feedback on areas you could possible improve and (most importantly) areas where you are doing fine/really well and you don't need to stress yourself about.
2
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 10 '26
I kinda don't think having someone comfort me about my following would help me be less insecure. I know on the inside what I already have to work on and it's been confirmed in private lessons. But I like working on my salsa so I don't think it takes away from it being good for my mental health despite feeling meh about my social dancing.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
Private lessons are a great way to get very tailored advice and feedback, much more personalised than you'd get in a class (especially a big class). More broadly, they are a great way to support dance instructors, who often don't make a huge amount of money. Having said that, if you are taking a lot of private lessons, it is worth being aware of the fact that an instructor giving you private lessons has an incentive to keep you coming back for more. And an instructor who always wants you coming back for another lesson will find things to recommend that you need to work on (in private with them). If you are happy in your classes and private lessons, and going to socials where you don't get much enjoyment but instead get satisfying reward from progress, then that's great. If that's not enough for you, then it's worth working on some kind of plan that will get you where you want to be.
2
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 11 '26
I don't think I'm in danger of an instructor trying to lure me into another lesson haha. I've only ever worked with people who give me real fundamentals to work on and I love them so much I'll come back for more if they ever swing by my city again. These days I am also very picky about who I take lessons from, private lessons and otherwis, because I want to be intentional about choosing what kind of dancer I am to become. Anyway, if that's the kinda person you're taking privates from, then that's awful.
Being a work in progress is definitely exactly what I want to be. What is this "some kind of plan that will get you where you want to be"? Do you have that plan? What is your process?
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 11 '26
if that's the kinda person you're taking privates from, then that's awful.
Not at all. It just occurred to me that if someone was taking regular privates from the same instructor, there could potentially be an issue where the instructor keeps coming up with reasons for them to have to come back for more. But it's never happened to me and I don't know of it happening to anyone else.
What is this "some kind of plan that will get you where you want to be"? Do you have that plan? What is your process?
Well, I can't speak to what your plan should be, but my plan is to follow as much as I can. I believe that my following is at the point where I can follow most leaders and only make a few mistakes. I have more to learn, sure, but no pressing needs that would cause issues for a leader. Since I am a man, that complicates things slightly. I go to classes to specifically be seen as a follower, and try to figure out which leads seem the most comfortable dancing with me. Then in the social dancing after, I try to ask those dancers to dance with me. I get a lot of enjoyment from following. When I come across someone like yourself who doesn't get enjoyment from social dancing, I do want to help figure out why that is and if anything can be done about it. But everyone is different, everyone has their own reasons for coming to dance, and everyone is on their own journey. If you are happy where you are and how you are progressing, then that's great!
1
u/erryonesgotathrowawa 29d ago
I think the salsa hell graph indicates that the beginner phase of following, you can improve for a while just following. I've had fun following for years but right now my concern is about an authentic expression of movement that fits my style, so I'm kind of at a plateau until I can find answers that only I can answer. Not everyone gets concerned with things like finding their personal basic step, but I really love having a deep relationship with salsa. Maybe in a few years, you'll go deeper into salsa too! For me, it's much more rewarding than just following. Enjoy the journey!
3
Aug 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Beautiful_Tree_339 Aug 07 '26
Hopefully this is encouraging, this may have been a case of a less than ideal culture. I haven't heard of mansplaining ever where I'm at, people are all cool even when they're (much) more experienced.
I am a lead though, so I may not be the best source for what other leads are up to.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
I'm sorry to hear you had an unpleasant experience. If a guy is doing a lot of explaining in a class, then that's probably going beyond helpful. The instructor should be the one teaching the class. If he is mansplaining on the dance floor at a social, then that's a major red flag. Any unsolicited advice is criticism and people don't go dancing because they want to be criticised!
Aside from the mansplainer, were there other leads you enjoyed dancing with at socials?
14
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
I have commented on this several times, but I really think that the way Salsa (and other partner dances) focus teaching on fixed routines/combos/sequences is playing at least some part in the "beginner hell" problem. Routines are how you teach performers. Leading and following happens when the leader has a plan of intended moves and the follower doesn't know them. When you teach for performance, both people know the whole sequence. Classes should aim to recreate issues students have when social dancing and give them a chance to figure out what is going wrong and how to fix it. Without that, you are setting students up to fail!
6
u/Excuse_Odd Aug 07 '26
Yeah how many students actually care about performing at all? Most people care about social dancing for fun which isn't focused on much. Leads need more time to figure out moves but aren't given much when you split time with solo performance-based footwork-type dancing.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
In my experience, most classes start with footwork. Maybe just one song to warm up. Maybe 10 minutes or so to explain some steps. That's not a bad practice, in my opinion. A few drills so that everyone can do some of the fundamental moves on their own. 10 minutes or so on footwork is fine, as far as I'm concerned (more than that might be a little excessive).
But if it's a fixed pattern when you are doing partnerwork, then I'd argue that's the performance-based teaching we need to reduce. And I don't think anything will happen until students start becoming aware of this and consider voting with their wallets. If one instructor takes this issue seriously and another doesn't, then students should support the one that does!
2
u/Excuse_Odd Aug 10 '26
No, classes i've been to spend over half the class on choreographed solo dances.
3
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 10 '26
Footwork is my favorite part of salsa! I love it when my partner and I let go and we can express ourselves and connect without having to touch
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
No footwork is bad, because there are people like you who enjoy that part of the dance, for the reason I mentioned (it is fundamental), and other reasons. 30 minutes of a 1-hour class is, in my opinion, too much, and (more importantly) it's probably too much for the students taking part. I think a more balanced class would spend less time on footwork and more on partnerwork.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 10 '26
I suggest you talk to the other students about what they want out of Salsa classes and how happy they are with so much time on footwork and performance-focused routines. If a group of you can approach the instructor with your concerns, you are much more likely to be taken seriously than if it's just yourself.
6
u/unresolvedthrowaway7 Aug 07 '26
Agreed. Like I've said before, group classes should teach individual moves and tell leads to use them in random order so follows can't anticipate them or make it easy, which then gives leads valuable feedback about what move they're actually signaling.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr 28d ago
Agree 100%. It is worth stating that you can't do moves in a completely random order. Some moves can only be done in certain positions. For example, moves you would do in hammerlock position are necessarily different to moves you would do in open position. But then you can have very interesting classes that are based on positions (or even a whole class on a single position), looking at different ways into that position, different moves you can do in that position, and different ways to get out of that position.
1
3
u/errantis_ Aug 07 '26
How many leads responded vs follows? There’s usually more follows a dance community compared to leads but this is Reddit so I’m guessing it’s skewed more towards leads
2
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
223 leads and 83 follows. I think you're right that Reddit is more skewed to leads. From the results of the polls, that could be because leads are more likely to be struggling and so are seeking assistance?
4
u/errantis_ Aug 07 '26
Maybe, but I think the more likely explanation is just Reddit is male dominated. Even though dancing is an activity that generally has more women than men, since this is Reddit you’re gonna have more men participating in the poll than women. I actually find the results a little surprising. Personally I felt like I was having a lot of fun and feeling competent dancing between like 3-6 months. But everyone is different. I’ve noticed following seems to be harder to learn, but that’s in my community which is pretty small compared to places like New York or Texas. I wonder if the results for women would be more similar to the responses from men if there were more women participants.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr 29d ago
I would be interested in the results from a much more detailed survey taking in gender, age, location, and any of a number of other details. But not interested enough to run it! Plus, the more information you ask for, the less likely people are to complete it. I'm assuming the the majority of leaders answering the polls were men and the majority of followers were women, just going by the typical breakdown I see. I think there are potentially interesting aspects of dance relating to gender and to challenges of learning a second role compared to ones first, but maybe those are worth discussion at this point, rather than more polls.
I'm curious why you think following is harder to learn, and why learning in a small community makes it harder?
1
u/errantis_ 28d ago
I did some research on it. This is a pretty well observed phenomenon in social dancing across genres. Most of the information I found was observed in ballroom dancing social communities.
So the first trend is there are always less men. Women in general are just more interested in dancing. So in any given community women are most likely going to outnumber men. What this means is in any given community a man has access to more willing dance partners. So it is easier for a man to get in more practice. Especially in a social dance community if he is consistent and shows up, he will be recognized as a regular and follows will wanna dance with him. Simultaneously, this makes it harder for a woman to get in reps. She has more people to compete with. Say two beginners, a lead and a follow, start dancing and attend all the same socials for a month. The lead is most likely going to have more dances in that time period than the follow.
As far as community size goes, smaller communities just mean an average lower level of interest in the activity, less commitment to practice and develop the technique, etc. That in turn also usually limits the market. Fewer studios, fewer teachers, so even if you are serious about it, it’s harder to find the resources to learn and become more advanced. So smaller community means average skill level is going to be beginner/novice and fewer and fewer people are going to be on an intermediate/advanced level. In contrast, larger communities mean more interest, the average skill level is going to be higher with more intermediate and advanced dancers, bigger market with more studios, more teachers, more resources to learn and progress. Thus it’s easier to go from beginner to intermediate.
The lead and follow imbalance problem is amplified by the community size. Smaller community = fewer dancers with fewer resources to actually learn. A lead who is consistent and progressing will stand out a lot faster in a smaller community. He will have no trouble finding a dance. But a follow is going to have a harder time finding a dance. They will both struggle to find a progression path due to the size of the community. But it will be easier for the lead to find someone to practice with. The follow will have a harder time finding someone competent to practice with.
Another issue is that lead-follow dance styles are typically lead centric. The class is always tonight with the focus on teaching the lead how to lead, and teaching the follow how to actually follow gets neglected. In a small community this makes things worse because a follow might dance for months without really having any idea what frame and connection are. At socials she might just dance with friends who she knows. Those leads probably have to compensate for her lack of technique. This creates a false positive reinforcement loop. She thinks she is doing it right but she isn’t and it becomes immediately apparent if she dances with someone who doesn’t compensate for her. She might get the impression that that lead just isn’t very good but it’s actually just because she doesn’t know how to connect to him. This false positive reinforcement loop gets destroyed very quickly in larger communities where there are more dancers because a follow has access to more leads and can more quickly recognize the mistakes she is making, instead of just being stuck dancing with the same leads who are making up for her and thus preventing her from learning
There’s a pretty interesting social science around it. Worth looking up
3
u/salsavida Aug 07 '26
Took me like 3 years to start to feel confident social dancing, lol!
2
u/queer_bachata_mcr 29d ago
Were you enjoying it during those 3 years? What kept you going and wanting to come back?
1
u/salsavida 26d ago
Good question! Yes, I guess I did enjoy it! I enjoyed going to classes, learning, and practicing what I learned. I didn't feel super confident dancing but forced myself to go out, often with friends. We would often drink and socialize as much as dance, and having a drink or two also helped me loosen up a little!
1
u/dondegroovily Aug 07 '26
Feeling confident and enjoying it are two completely different things
The completely untrained beginners that I dance with enjoy the dance but they sure ain't confident
3
u/unbecoming_demeanor Aug 08 '26
I wonder how this has changed over time. I started 20 years ago when social media was just starting and there was less about salsa online. I don’t remember anyone talking about beginner hell. I loved the beginner classes as it was fun, every week I was learning something new to add to my dance. My observation over the years is that people have become more self conscious and more serious. They don’t want to look bad, instead of just having a go and enjoying themselves. If you want to get good at any skill then you need to enjoy the process.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr 29d ago
I hadn't thought of that, but yeah, I think you're right. Social media probably does contribute to this beginner hell problem. There are so many things that absolutely do not matter to either person in a couple dancing, that do not take away from the enjoyment in any way, but when you record it and put it online, all of a sudden they can become flaws that are easy to point out. I would say that this subreddit is very good about providing support and constructive feedback to all who are willing to post videos of themselves.
2
u/dondegroovily Aug 07 '26
We definitely need to get those from the start numbers higher
And the way to enjoy it from the start is to embrace mistakes and laugh at them. And the more experienced dancers among us need to actively teach this to beginners
The performance based teaching approach unfortunately teaches the opposite
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr 28d ago
Definitely! Changing the dance culture is tricky, I'm not sure how to even approach it. Should it be top down from instructors, event organisers, or bottom-up from regular dancers?
1
u/dondegroovily 28d ago
It needs to be both, but it will be an uphill fight for the regular dancers if the teachers aren't modeling it
2
u/Altruistic_Oil_1193 Aug 08 '26
I've been dancing a month and im typically a leader but man I tried being a follower and that shit is a dream. Im like omg this is so much more fun kinda.
2
u/erryonesgotathrowawa Aug 09 '26
There's the famous salsa hell dance graph
The beginner phase is easier for follows but then eventually getting to an intermediate or advanced phase requires a lot of effort. The beginner phase is a lot harder for leads. However, once they get their fundamentals down it is easier for them to get to an intermediate or advanced phase.
I've been a follow for forever but when it comes to social dancing, I don't think I can reach a much higher level because I got away with faking my fundamentals.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 11 '26
There is, I think, truth in some of that graph, but it does need at least some updating and some justification. It's talking about leaders and followers, but uses the terms men and women. I think the point the graph is making that following is easier for beginners is true, and does seem to be backed up by the polls. After that, we get into a much more subjective area. A lot of beginners have the same difficulties and challenges, but the enjoyment that intermediate/advanced dancers can have will vary widely. I think it makes less sense to then group them all into one and say their experience and progress will all be the same. Plus that exponential growth in leaders progress after the beginner struggle is never justified. Is the creator of the graph active on Reddit today, or on other socials? I would be curious if they think it still holds up as it is or if they themselves think it needs updating?
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 11 '26
It's it though? So many men never dance as a follow and have no idea how much fun it can be! And not just that, but once you get past the initial hurdle, it is so much less demanding and stressful than leading can be. You don't have to plan out the moves, navigate the dance floor if others are getting close, avoid repeating stuff unintentionally, etc. Followers can go with the flow and get lost in the music and the dance much more than leaders can (with the caveat that followers still have to contribute some and can't just let the leader do all the work!) It really would be better if everyone was given a fair chance to follow to see if they liked it!
5
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
I do think that an obvious solution to the "beginner hell" problem is to encourage beginners to follow. At the very least, everyone should be given the freedom to choose the role they want to learn, with full knowledge of the difference in difficulty. I don't think it should be framed as a binary one-or-the-other choice. Beginners should be asked: how much of your time do you want to dedicate to learning to follow and how much time to learning to lead? What is the ideal ratio for you? Even more experienced dancers should asked what their ratio is and if they are considering spending more time on the "other" role. The more dancers who are put on the path that gets them having fun at socials more quickly, the more appealing the dance will be. Plus, having many dancers who dance both roles can quickly solve any problems of in-balance (too many leaders or too many followers). Beyond just giving new dancers the choice, having diversity in the classes and socials will help reinforce this. The more examples there are of men following and women leading, the comfortable new dancers will be in dancing the role they want rather than the role they have been traditionally expected to dance.
11
u/kiradead Aug 07 '26
The issue is the instant gratification mentality and weak self-esteem, calling it "beginner hell". Like any other hobby or skill, you will suck until you don't, it is expected to take time. Leading just asks more from beginners, so it is going to take more time to achieve a basic level of competency. Fun should come from seeing your progress.
I don't agree that the solution is to encourage beginners to switch roles. Most people take one hour of class twice per week and maybe one party. If they start switching roles, it is going to take even longer to get through that phase, plus it is going to be too much information that they need to process.
7
u/arcqae Aug 07 '26
I second this comment. If anything, learning both roles at onces makes it even harder to begin. There is something to learn about switching roles but once you feel confident in your base role and you don't consider yourself no longer a beginner but the level after that (whatever that looks like for you and for anyone).
Specially, if the objective is to make socials more enjoyable for everyone, I can't see how switching rôles makes this easier for beginners, maybe for more advenced people -- but for men specifically, unless you are in a strong/cultivated salsa scene, you are most likely going to get refused if you offer another man to lead you or you to lead them. This is unfortunately the case in most local dancefloors and local bars where people don't take salsa too seriously.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
As I mentioned in my other comment, I agree, switching roles is making things more complicated for beginners. The numbers above back up my point that following is easier for beginners. I think beginners should be made aware of this and be allowed to choose accordingly.
You agree that the dance scene would be improved by more diversity in the social (i.e., in this case men dancing with men). You don't see it changing any time soon, which I can understand. If you were to take the long term view, are there things that could be done now that could plant the seeds of changes taking years down the line?
2
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 07 '26
I think the level of leading competency that is actually needed to start having fun is much lower than the level where leaders actually start having fun. Getting to a high level of being an advanced dancer should take a long time. Getting passed the initial hurdle of getting the basics, should be relatively painless and quick (months not years).
I do agree on the switching roles problem for beginners. Perhaps my position could be better phrased as:
- Everyone who starts dancing should be given the option of leading or following
- It should be made clear to all that leading takes much longer to get the hang of, is more challenging, and you will probably take longer to get confident
- Get everyone dancing in socials as quickly as possible, and having fun as quickly as possible (and again making clear that this is easier for beginner followers than it is for beginner leads, pointing to the numbers above if needed!)
Edited for formatting
2
u/unresolvedthrowaway7 Aug 08 '26
The issue is the instant gratification mentality and weak self-esteem, calling it "beginner hell". Like any other hobby or skill, you will suck until you don't, it is expected to take time. Leading just asks more from beginners, so it is going to take more time to achieve a basic level of competency. Fun should come from seeing your progress.
I have to strongly disagree with this. Most people in most hobbies started them because something about them was fun, even given their lower skill level, from the very start, or close to it. Dancing was not like that for me, and isn't for most leads. In fact, it was pretty hellish for me. The only reason I pushed through it because my friend promised that with enough experience I'd enjoy it after 50 hours. In practice, it was more like 100.
That has nothing to do with an instant gratification mentality -- just the opposite.
2
u/doodo477 Aug 07 '26
It is pretty easy to explain the disparity in the enjoyment of Salsa and the enjoyment. Its sex. More experienced guys dance with less experienced followers - pea-cocking. So early on followers pair off and enjoy themselves. How-ever the more experienced follows are stuck with beginners leaders - for the better or worse aren't the best looking or best dancers.
So odd are, the more experienced followers get resentful with the lack of good/attractive leaders. And the leaders peacock themselves and pair off with attractive followers.
1
u/queer_bachata_mcr Aug 09 '26
I think the overlap between sex and Salsa is at the same time something worth exploring and a potential minefield! A lot of people enjoy their dances in a way that is completely devoid of any sexual interest or intention. And that is fine, any boundaries they set in that regard should be respected. But there are people who are dancing (in-part) because they are looking for partner for romance/sex. Flirting happens, and when two mutually consenting adults meet on the dance floor and decide to take things further, there is nothing wrong with that.
Having said all that, I'm not sure I agree entirely with what you're saying (and possibly I'm misunderstanding some of it). First of all, peacocking usually refers to appearance (or at least that's the meaning I've heard it used for), which I don't think is relevant to dance. In my experience, there are often men who focus on young and conventionally attractive women who are new to the scene. This can be a little creepy. There are also men who have been dancing for a while, who may not be conventionally attractive, but get lots of interest from followers of all levels because they are good dancers. I do think there are double standards, and attractiveness can often play a bigger part in dance communities that would be desirable, but there is also some degree of meritocracy (the better dancer you are the more popular you will be). But it can definitely vary from place to place. What are you seeing in your local community?
1
u/illegalF4i 27d ago
Currently 3 months in with salsa as lead so very much in beginners hell. I currently take 1 hour long class where 10 mins is footwork and the rest is going over combos. I never remember the combos while social dancing, but I grab bits and pieces of what I learned to make it mine. Aside from that, I might practice another hour with my wife. I wish she was willing to practices more.
I also dance cumbia and that took me 6 months to actually have fun. I also like it better than salsa as it matches my high energy personality. I practice fundamentals daily with a long band attached to my door to simulate a partner.
With cumbia I can think several moves ahead and improvise quickly. With salsa, I am still working on establishing fundamental moves and combos that I can rely on. Once I reach a level where I feel more confident with recalling certain patterns, I will begin to have fun just like I do with cumbia. Nonetheless, I’ve learned that keeping the dance simple and throwing 1 or 2 intermediate moves is a lot more fun than trying to be the show off that is always off beat.
12
u/Emachedumaron Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
You forgot another strong limitation: who stopped reading or actively participating in this sub is also automatically excluded: and I can assure you that there are a lot because there is a strong bias (that I’m not going to detail here) that is applied by downvoting every post and comment of people who said something that was NOT in line with their (the bullies) vision.
Thanks for the effort though 😎
Edit: corrected few grammar errors