Useful Resources For Salsa Students

Everything you need in one place

Practice Music

Finding suitable music to practice to has always been a challenge for beginner Salsa dancers – and even for more advanced students who need slower tempo music so they can hone their technique and styling.

Don’t worry as I have done the hard work so you don’t have to!

Here is my Spotify playlist of over 80 great songs which I’ve carefully curated over the years.

Enjoy!

Download the Salsa Rhythm App

The Salsa rhythm app is an awesome practice tool which enables you to isolate the different instruments in a Salsa band which will help you understand the rhythms in the music better:

Click here for Android

Click here for IOS

 

Berna Jam – Scuola Di Salsa

Album of instrumental practice tracks which highlight the different Salsa instruments and rhythms:

Click here for iTunes

Click here for Spotify

 

Salsa Intoxica Swag

Level up your Salsa lifestyle with my range of branded clothing and merchandise.

Click Here To Visit The Shop

Where to Buy Salsa Shoes

It’s so important to have the right shoes. We now have more choice than ever before and you don’t have to spend a fortune – unless you want to of course!

You do get what you pay for, however, and there is a world of difference between cheap copies from China and the real deal that you’ll find in the outlets listed below:

Move Dancewear Ladies

Move Dancewear Men

Supadance

Larisa London

Bloch Jazz Shoes

Port Dance

Werner Kern

Advice for Buying Salsa Shoes

I recommend beginners to start out with a soft, flexible shoe with a split suede sole.

Jazz shoes are perfect and will not break the bank – just make sure they do not have a rubber sole. Rubber soles will grip too much, making smooth turns impossible and increasing injury risk.

Ladies will do best to keep the heels under two inches for class – you will feel much more stable. Save the sparkly 3 inch heels until you start going to regular socials and you have your footwork and balance under control.

 

Books on Salsa for Further Reading

When you get hooked on Salsa you want to consume as much information as you can. Here are some books that I’m sure will enhance your background knowledge and increase your understanding of this enormous subject.

Click each image to view the title on Amazon:

Salsa Radio Stations

There is no better way to improve your dancing than to completely immerse yourself in Salsa music.

The internet has made it possible to tune into radio stations all over the world which play only Salsa and Latin music.

We have a London based station which plays Salsa and Soul – Our Salsa Soul Radio.

https://oursalsasoul.com/

Here is a link where you can pick radio stations from Cuba, Colombia, New York, Mexico, Miami – all places which live and breathe the rhythms of the clave and conga:

https://streema.com/radios/genre/Salsa

My Writing

One of my other greatest passions is writing. It helps me process my thoughts, and enables me to organise what I teach into a format which is accessible and easy to apply. I’m a bit of a philosopher at heart, and love deep conversations about the nature of life and what it means to be a conscious human being in such a chaotic world.

You will find some of my Salsa inspired writing on my blog.

Below are a few other written pieces and fun tools to help you improve:

The 10 Principles of Logical Leading

What it is that makes the great leads better than you.

Click Here To Download

The 7 Deadly Sins Of Ladies Styling

Are you guilty? Find out now…

Click Here To Download

Chicken Soup For Salsa Dancers

My take on Salsa from the lead’s perspective.

Click Here To Download

Salsa Quiz…How Good Are You Really?

Try my fun assessment quiz to see what you need to work on.

Click Here To Download
Salsa Dancers enjoying themselves at a social in London

What Makes A Salsa Dancer Stand Out On The Dance Floor?

(Photo taken at I Like It Like That Vinyl Matinee Social, London Irish Centre, Camden) If you are at a Salsa club and having a break on the edge of the dance floor it’s natural to watch other dancers. For me it’s really interesting to see how differently people move...

Connection Perfection In Salsa Dancing

The vast majority of social dances are fun and enjoyable experiences. However, nothing about them is particularly memorable. But every once in a while you have a dance which you do remember for longer, and which brings a smile to your face for days, sometimes weeks...

What’s In A Salsa Warm Up?

If you’ve been to a mainstream Salsa club recently you’ll know warm ups are fairly predictable - both in content and the fact that only a small percentage of dancers bother to arrive early enough to participate. Some folk are still trickling in in driibs and drabs,...

Does Confidence Really Exist?

If confidence was actually real, there would be a way of measuring it. There would be a sure fire recipe for it - something which people could brew up for every difficult or scary situation they were facing. And you’d be able to buy it from the supermarket -  Imagine...

Here’s Our New Dance Floor!

After moving into the new, bigger studio back in November, it's been a quest to find a new dance floor to fit the bigger space at an affordable price. It hasn't been without hitch as back in January we had been all set to go to Eastbourne to collect another floor, but...

My Three Best Tips For Salsa Beginners

The early days of Salsa lessons are by far the most crucial, as it is such a steep learning curve if you are starting from scratch with no prior dance experience. This is particularly true for guys, who typically lead the dance and have to master what I term “the...

Who The Hell Was Suzy Q?

One of the things beginner Salsa dancers often  ask after they've moved past the technical frustrations of learning the step is this:   "Why is it called a Suzy Q?"   It's one of those things that seasoned social dancers don't really think much about.   But I like to...

From Twinkle Toes To Sparkly Heels

My first love in dance was ballet. And my first love in ballet was Swan Lake. I’ve loved it ever since I was a toddler and my grandmother - a ballet-lover - used to play the Tchaikovsky score when I went to sleep over at weekends and she watched me launch myself...

How To Impress Your Salsa Teacher

One of the things that bothers me most as a Salsa teacher is when I ask my students (or any novice or beginner) for a dance and they shift around nervously, their stress levels visibly start to rise, and sometimes they even back away, make an excuse, or run off. Now...

Is It Really Better To Learn Salsa With Your Partner?

Many single people who start Salsa lessons assume that it’s all so much easier if you have a partner. A real life dance partner who you can call upon to practice with any time of day or night - at 8am in the morning when the kettle is boiling, or after one too many on...