Reasons For Learning Salsa As A Couple

Couples who dance together stay together!

It’s true…at least it is for many of the couples I’ve taught privately over the years.

There are many reasons that couples come to me for Salsa lessons and here are just a few:

• Ready made regular date night
• Show off to friends and family
• Spend quality time together
• Holiday preparation
• Special occasion such as retirement
• Birthday surprise
• Always wanted to but never got around to it
• Both work from home and need to get out more

Learning Salsa With Your Partner Is Fun!

Many single people who go to Salsa clubs actually started out hoping they might meet someone special who shares their passion for dancing.

So it’s important for couples to realise how precious it is to have a partner willing to join you on your Salsa dancing journey.

Learning Salsa as a couple gives you more chances to laugh and play together and expands your physical touch language, offering more opportunities to cement your relationship.

Those who have already taken private couples Salsa lessons with me will tell you that the intitial few lessons where you feel like a fish out of water is a small price to pay for the long term joy of dancing together.

Problems For Couples Learning Salsa

Sometimes when I coach couples, one partner has had more dance experience than the other.

The partner with more dance experience under their belt (and this isn’t always the woman) is usually more invested in the Salsa journey.

And although the less experienced partner wants to do ANYTHING POSSIBLE to make their partner happy, it’s very likely they are nowhere near as enthusiastic or passionate about dance lessons as their other half.

And that’s ok!

But it is important to recognise that this mismatch can cause them to put immense pressure on themselves to step up.

And that pressure can intensify every time they make a mistake, triggering feelings of inadequacy and incompetence.

It can also cause the more experienced partner to unknowingly add to that pressure by telling them what they are doing wrong, teaching, correcting, and generally getting in the way.

My Salsa Studio Is A Safe Space

So one of the biggest challenges for me as a coach in these situations is creating a safe space, and keeping both partners equally motivated, challenged, invested in the process, and focused on themselves.

Believe me this is no mean feat.

Fortunately I’ve been working with couples for many years now so you can rest assured that you will both feel supported as you work towards a mutual goal which will deepen your connection, and take your relationship to new levels of trust and intimacy.

And of course you’ll have serious skills to show off on the dance floor at those social occasions instead of sitting on the sidelines feeling like a lemon.

Next time it could be you they are all watching!

Salsa Is Not Couples Therapy

Just as many relationships have begun by a chance encounter on the dance floor, many have ended or at the very least grown apart when one partner became more invested in their Salsa dancing journey.

But this scenario often masks deeper issues within the relationship so it is important to realise that Salsa lessons will not fix a relationship that is already broken.

The dynamics that play out in real life relationships can be exposed in the learning environment of the studio.

For this reason it is important to leave any “baggage” outside the door and focus fully on supporting each other.

Resetting The Dynamic

One of the most common scenarios is where the female partner finds it really difficult to trust her man to lead.

Often it’s because as women in every day life, we get used to doing all of the things and generally being the organiser of everything. Which, if we stop long enough to think about it, can be exhausting! 

So not only is it scary for the guy to have to step up and take control of the dance, it is scary for her to relax and allow him.

One of the most important moments in the first 2-3 lessons is where I teach the man how to use his frame properly.

This one thing is such a powerful game changer as it gives him the physical tools to lead with assurance, but also to feel confident and assertive in doing so.

And when it happens, his partner will breathe a huge, audible sigh of relief as she relaxes in his arms, and will be smiling non stop because she never believed that this feeling was possible with her man.

Moving And Growing Together

This creates such a shift in their experience of being together that Salsa lessons become the trigger for deeper feelings of connection and togetherness.

If you would like to embark on this journey in your own relationship, the first step is to book a Taster Lesson so get in touch!