Beginner lead: confidence in the first few dances

[Chris_Yannick]

But hey, we are all one family, only fun and no rejections

That motto didn't age very well. For the time it was used - if memory serves it was during Covid - carried some relevance to it. Now it sounds tacky.

 

[Smejmoon]

I always shake my head when I hear salsa teachers say to beginner class "Go out dancing!" - the beginner leads just crash and burn there: no mercy to expect from most salsa women. The social floor is not really for exercising.

But hey, we are all one family, only fun and no rejections.

Ahahaha, I explicitly tell beginners that it's ok to say no. Many will become preys instantly. This is another skill to learn.

But also in my experience there will always be some people ready to dance with everyone.
Last week in conversation with some experienced and popular dancers one unattractive person came up. Several said that they never will reject them in particular. Because we understand the struggle.

 

[MamboJazz]

That motto didn't age very well. For the time it was used - if memory serves it was during Covid - carried some relevance to it. Now it sounds tacky.

Still the motto of Berlin congress 2026: https://berlinsalsacongress.co/

 

[Yogalholic]

I honestly miss that adrenaline rush I used to get of not knowing whether my night will be full of highs or whether I'll crash and burn. Either way, the beginner experience was a stimulus overload, but in a good way.

The chaotic, almost life-threatening emotional response is what drew me into Salsa partner dancing. Having that once stoic looking following melt into my hands once I knew what I was doing is such a good payoff. IMO, You can't get that feeling anywhere else.

My dancing now is a constant cycle of refinement and experimentation but the rush of adrenaline, chaos stimuli and Magic that carried me through the dark times has largely has been replaced with a sense of calm and knowingness.

I'm dancing casino for more than 6 years and have not passed that stage. I probably never will because the more I train the more my dance become specialized and less pleasant for some women

 

[Chris_Yannick]

I'm dancing casino for more than 6 years and have not passed that stage. I probably never will because the more I train the more my dance become specialized and less pleasant for some women

Nothing wrong with being specialised.

There's this weird saying people say about how a great dancer should be able to dance with anyone.

My aim is not to be able to dance with everyone. When I dance, I only have a few hours to enjoy it so I want to dance with the people who I connect with the most.

Since I don't go out as much as I used to, how I approach getting dances has also changed. The range of partners I dance with on a given night is smaller. I am not there to make the scene better, per se.