How can I develop confidence as a salsa dancer?

Question

I've been dancing salsa more just less than a year, and I got the moves, but I don't have the attitude or a lot of confidence? Advice on how to be more natural?

Answer 1

If you have the moves, but don't have the attitude or confidence, you must be afraid of messing up, making a mistake, losing the beat? For us, who just started dancing, that's normal, natural?

Here in South Fla, salsa schools schedule 'ladies styling workshops'. Women who dance amazingly on the dance floor throw some styling while they are at it. They do little things with their hands, whip their hair, do some shines, do great spins. When they spin, they 'spot, and as they turn keep their knees closed, bent lined up with their torso. 'Those ladies not only look great themselves, but make us guys look awesome too.

Those dancers also follow their lead and do their moves as the guys lead them. They understand when the guy wants to turn them or give them a 'misdirection' makes them believe they'll go in one direction, checks their progress and pulls them back, or leave their hands where the guy place them, or give their hand when the guy 'asks' for it.

Some of them dance with guys that do their particular style, and to songs they like, so familiarity comes into play a lot.

Get familiar with the styling, music, fellow dancers, you'd like to. Go to a "Ladies' workshop", pick up some styling. When you go dancing, think about the enviroment where you learned your moves to put you at ease while you're at the club. Smile at your dance partner, that will relax him too, for it takes two to 'tango'. Remember that it's not your fault if you make a mistake, it's the guy that leads. No big deal.

So practice the dance moves you like until they become natural to you. God has given women that grace, that femininity, you girls just have to be you. How is that for natural?

Go dancing with friends you make at the dance school.

Have fun! Take care. God bless!



  

Answer 2

A year isn't long. It'll come in time. As a possibly useful aside, let me tell you that I refuse to dance "salsa." I agree with the late Tito Puente that "salsa is what you eat." If I wander into a salsa club or if they play the appropriate music in a general dance, I dance mambo. The ladies don't notice that I'm dancing an old-fashioned mambo, but they do notice I'm a trained dancer from the connection and better lead. Technique makes a difference, so you could consider taking ballroom lessons to improve the technical aspects.