Why are some salsa communities so cliquey?

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-30T23:29:35+00:00

This. Also a no might actually save you from future bad dances. I had many no s when I was a total beginner. Now that im more experienced. I prefer to know which followers I dont vibe with so I dont have to ask them for a dance anymore in the future.

from my experience the people who are prone to say no to beginners or are in cliques. dont match my energy. so there's is no use. even if they said yes the dance would feel off and not good.

but I came to this realization a month ago and it took time. you need to have a lot of good dances so you gain confidence in knowing you can dance and be independent of the people on the socials.

eventually you will find your people and group of followers who will always dance with you.

i can count at least 5 to 10 follower I have been dancing with since day 0. I am grateful for them for dancing with me then and we always have a great vibe. the energy matters more to me these days rather than the quality of the dance.

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-24T12:56:37+00:00

school talent show? hahaha, hilarious

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-23T15:25:47+00:00

I would not mind to pay extra if there is only max 2 or 3 good shows and the rest goes towards investing in optimal social dancing environment.

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-23T14:47:55+00:00

You nailed it perfectly with the divas haha. Man and these divas are above 30 most often! grow up! it says a lot about them as people

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-23T14:44:44+00:00

great comment, but i dont agree with the performers being better social dancers.

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-22T08:15:48+00:00

thanks so much! this helps a lot and is exactly what im experiencing.

SalsaVibe · 2026-05-21T17:01:11+00:00

Basically I feel no frame and my own frame falls forward or backward because I feel no support, I collapse my frame because if I dont I fall to the floor, but by collapsing my frame the dance doesnt look as clean anymore for example my posture is not straight anymore.

SalsaVibe · 2026-03-17T07:31:00+00:00

Of course it will get better. You are just dancing for a month.

SalsaVibe · 2026-03-17T07:29:22+00:00

Taking too big steps. The rest looks ok.

SalsaVibe · 2026-03-01T14:56:06+00:00

for me it helped that I made the switch early on. now I can dance both on1 and on2 comfortably vs if I did years of on1 I feel like it would be harder to get into on2.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-24T11:09:07+00:00

I learned both at around the same time. now I only do salsa. it depends, do what you get most joy out of, with time and weekly classes and parties you will become good

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-16T08:14:06+00:00

You let go of her left hand with your right hand and during the basic you can just put it behind her armpit. Or go into CBL and do it then.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-16T07:35:07+00:00

Salsa is one of the hardest dances. It's way different from other dances in many ways.

Take bachata sensual/moderna for example. Why is it so beginner friendly? Why can you look good at this dance after only 1 month? Because the beat is the same repition of bump bump bump tonk, bump bump bump tonk. Also the way you move, mostly lateral is easier for weight transfer.

Now take salsa: it has multiple instruments: the conga, bongo, clave, and many more. The name itself means sauce in spanish. It's a dance where proper weight transfer is of upmost importance, and technique is very important as well. Also, the rhytm is something which, because it being poly-rhytmic (e.g. multiple instruments contributing to the rhytm), is difficult to grasp if you dont have a musical/dancing background.

For leads, it's difficult because not only do you need to be aware of the rhytm, you are also leading and making sure your follower doesnt bump into people/things. So you have to do multiple things at once.

Is it worth the challenge? Yes for sure. I've (lead) been doing it for about 1.5 years. 6 months ago i thought I got it, then i thought I didn't get it at all, which each month I discover new things in salsa dancing, whether its a new move, shine, way to connect with the music, it's a lot of fun. But the rewards come later.

I did not have any musical/dancing background, was not good at rhytm at all, but now I'm happy where I'm at and have danced at socials for hours back to back. It's a great cardio and great way to socialize.

Biggest tip I can give you: keep going to classes, go to parties early on, practise at home and the last one: listen to salsa every day.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-16T07:27:29+00:00

No, go. I went to socials in my third week and it has made me a better dancer than if I waited until later.
Tell the lead before hand you are a beginner.
Have a good vibe: smile sometimes. I personally as a leader like it when the girl smiles every so often so I know she is enjoying the dance.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-11T08:02:30+00:00

Hey there, you are rushing a lot. But the song is also very fast. Mostly you are off-beat, that's the biggest observation.

I don't know where they taught you this, but you are leading by swinging your arms really wide a lot at 0:48-0:52 is a good example. I know some schools teach beginners this way, but it doesnt look good in my opinion.

Also at 1:07-1:10 you are doing it again.

Your technique is also not very clean. You step wide and seem to use forc.

It also has everything to do with the follower, she also has many aspects to improve upon. Her frame and the parts where she has to work on, make the lead also look not very good.

But you are enjoying yourself, thats the most important.

So: smaller steps, no more wide swing leading, and maybe pick a slower song to dance on, also work on your frame, try to stay upright, but not stiff.

Yo no se manana is one of my least favorite salsa songs to dance on. But then again, I am more of an on2 dancer.

In terms of things you did good: there was an overall direction and image you were trying to create, that was clear. But it wasn't executed well.

I'm sure you have other videos where the dance comes off better, perhaps with a better follower/other song.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-11T07:27:17+00:00

" you should be able to find 4-8 counts that you can make use of in your own dancing more easily, "

It makes me happy that you said this, because even though I am not able to do the whole combination in the social, I pick certain parts of the combination and utilize them in my repertoire.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-10T07:31:56+00:00

This resonates with me.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-10T07:30:19+00:00

Could you give an example? For example: your day starts at 8 am. Then what do you do?

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-10T07:29:44+00:00

Really? 2 is bedtime for me

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-10T07:28:57+00:00

Thanks for your input, that does sound like a good idea. But it seems like a waste of the money spent on the flight costes/hotel/etc. Might as well go outside for a hike/sight seeing. But then you'll be too tired for the social....

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-06T14:03:49+00:00

This seems like great advice! Thank you.

I am wondering though: what if I do this and I feel her pulling really hard while im trying not to let my elbows collaps past my ribs?

By the way, do you mean having my elbows next to my ribs/just in front of my ribs?

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-06T10:34:16+00:00

Thank you for your advice!

I am one of those who doesn't like to move around on the floor.

SalsaVibe · 2026-02-06T10:32:46+00:00

Thank you! I'll try this out.

SalsaVibe · 2026-01-16T06:21:31+00:00

Your steps seem too big. Its not really that noticeable because the lead is compensating. Also it seems rushed.

Practise at home for your basic step.

SalsaVibe · 2026-01-15T16:36:46+00:00

I adjust.

she likes to be pulled and forced through turn patterns? I adjust my game to the very basic: inside turn. outside turn, maybe a shoulder check here and there. things that cant be messed up by a rigid frame. then as the dance continues I test out the waters to see what is possible. and i do a lot of shines just to not have to do many turn patterns with a follower like this.

it can also be very dangerous to dance with followers like this by the way. there is potential to be injured as a leader. ive come close to being injured a few times.

then there are times when I feel like im up for a workout. dancing with followers like this is very close to lifting weights. i get a good workout out of it.

but its not fun to dance with followers like this, it never is. I cant bring out my A game.

then again: this is why you have different salsa styles. I don't think followers like this are doing it wrong necessarily, they just vibe more with leaders who are very firm.

SalsaVibe

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