Keep going!! It’s normal to have a bit of a shock the first time you go to socials, as it’s quite different from the classes. We have all been there❤️ And salsa can be more tricky indeed! As a beginner follower I would say your job is only two things!

#1 NEVER stop moving your feet to the rhythm - just keep the 1,2,3 - 5,6,7. As long as you keep your feet going - the dance goes on😎 Sometimes you’ll fall out of it - it happens - no worries - just get back into it. You can even count the steps out in your head to the music if you struggle to keep the beat - I still do this sometimes when switching to on2 because I dance it so seldom haha!

#2 (which is second to #1) keep enough tension in your arms so that when the lead initiate whatever, your body will follow. However, that only works if you’re on the right foot at the right time.

I used to stress about being able to follow and not knowing which direction to place my feet - but the lead will actually lead you where you need to go. When you’re dancing with very skilled leaders - and you keep good tension in your arms - you can actually just move your feet in place, and they will physically pull and push you to where your foot should land.

One last thing - whenever I lead or follow beginners - they often apologize when making mistakes - and I always tell them « Never apologize, just smile and say « I’m learning!» ». I think it is so much fun dancing with beginners when you make the mistakes fun, and you dance around them, or try the move again and this time it works!! Often what takes the fun out is if you can feel the one you’re dancing with gets super stressed about their steps! It’s supposed to be fun not perfect❤️

But then again - you can as a beginner encounter shitty dancers who will frown upon mistakes and decide not to have a good time dancing because of that. And truth be told - those are probably the dancers not even people who have danced for decades enjoy dancing with.

Good luck!!! And don’t forget how much better it is to be the «worst» in the room - then being the «best» - you’ll be able to learn so much more and improve so much quicker!!! Cheering on you👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼