Beginners guide to salsa : part 5

1.5) The Learning Process


1.5.1) How long will it take me to become a good dancer?

A specific time estimate is impossible to give; the time it takes is completely up to you. It depends on how quickly you learn, how much you practice, how many lessons you take, the skill of your instructor, your dedication level and finally what you consider "good" to be. What is your goal?

- To be an okay social dancer?
- To be a great dancer?
- To perform and compete?
- To be the "best"?

Obviously it will take less time to become an okay social dancer than it will to become a performer. But the length of time varies from person to person as everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t be discouraged if people are learning faster than you. Keep in mind that some people also have experience with other types of dance, which may help them learn faster. Becoming good at salsa could take weeks or years, depending on what level you aspire to get to, and the effort you invest.

The more you practice, the faster you will improve and get to the level you want to. You may ask some other dancers how long they have been dancing. You'll be surprised that some of the best dancers have been dancing for a relatively short amount of time, and there are others who have been learning and improving for years. Some of the best dancers you see in clubs may have been dancing for only a few months. However during this time span they may have taken a heavy combination of classes and privates, danced 6 nights a week, and practice turns and shines every spare minute. However very few dancers invest that kind of time and money and it is not necessary. You can become a very good dancer by taking only one lesson a week as long as you practice enough. The key to improving is "practice". Remember, the more effort you put into it the more you get out of it. Lastly, it is important that you enjoy the learning process. Set reasonable goals and enjoy yourself. Remember the reason you started dancing was most likely because it is fun, so get out there and dance.


1.5.2) 6 Levels of Salsa

By Josie Neglia
Sitting in a restaurant one day, a student asked me to break down my interpretation of what skills are necessary to be the ultimate salsa dancer. I broke it down into six levels.

Level 1
Beginner level. Two people are just learning how to move in unison without stepping on each other and not hurting each other.

Level 2
The man and lady are now dancing in time to the music while doing basic patterns and variations.

Level 3
The man is now dancing more complex variations and patterns. They begin to use the space more interestingly with rotation and changes of direction while maintaining flow.

Level 4
The man stops worrying about his own steps and starts leading the lady with ease and control. This is when his leading skills excel and he understands what the follower needs. It is often the time that the man starts to "show-off" his lady with more elaborate variations.

Level 5
This is when the man and lady start to play with the rhythms. Syncopations, changes, slows, quicks, accents, and stops are all used and then the dancers can find the beat again to continue dancing.

Level 6
The ULTIMATE LEVEL...when it all comes together. This is when the dancers become "the physical instruments" of the music. If a deaf person were to watch them dance, he/she could SEE the music through their movements and interpretation. This is when the man leads his lady to the stops, accents, energy level and mood of every song. Therefore, every song looks different because the dancer is inspired in that moment to feel that piece of music. This is when I personally achieve the "dancer's high", Euphoria, or Ecstasy. When I can feel an accent building in the music, and my partner gives me the opportunity to do a move that punctuates the "break", I get such a feeling of thrill and satisfaction.


1.5.3) Enjoy your growing pains (4 zones)

By Nicole DaSilva
A Summary of Progress as it Relates to Learning:

Unconscious Incompetence (Zone 1)
This zone is not so bad, as you are usually completely unaware that you may be doing it wrong anyways. This zone represents the very beginning of learning something new. If you discover that you really like to dance, the next zone will confirm just how great your desire is.

Conscious Incompetence (Zone 2)
Perhaps the absolute worst zone to be in. By this point you've seen enough capable dancers and may be wondering if you will ever be able to dance like the rest of them. This is when you know what you're doing wrong, but just can't do anything about it---YET! Your mind understands the desired result but your body may often refuse to cooperate causing a not so desirable outcome. This is the stage we all pass through before we can begin to master something. Dancers who are at this stage are about to embark on a lesson in perseverance. Hang in there! Your confidence will be restored in zone 3.

Conscious Competence (Zone 3)
This is where it finally starts to come together. You're doing it right and you know it! Still a little shaken from the previous zone, but nothing a little practicing can't fix. This is the intermediate phase of development and perhaps the longest. This is when a new dancer begins to discover that their feet have a mind of their own and that follow/lead is not the name of the team you're on. Your physical response time is quicker and your mind often feels left behind. This is called "muscle memory". This is the time to liberate your body & feet with a less conscious approach. Trust them, they just might surprise you.

Unconscious Competence (Zone 4)
Your efforts and commitment are well worth the results you are realizing about now! You are confident in your ability to learn anything new that comes your way. This is the point that your dancing begins to soar. You have a source to tap into for movement to rhythm. It feels almost unconscious and effortless. By now you know that the entire body dances. The music has become the basis for your choreography. You've developed a stronger repertoire and you hear music differently. You're testing all the rules to see which ones you can break. The advanced dancer can look forward to feeling good, looking good and getting only better! You will find different areas of development that will take you back to zone 1 but this time you're ready and willing to experience the wonderful frustrations that can be a part of learning. From here on the only thing to stop you is your desire.

Don't forget zone 2: Share your experience and ability with others. Remember what it was like when you were just starting? As an experienced dancer you can have a tremendously positive influence over someone who is at the beginning. Be kind, as you can also have a very negative effect. Don't offer your advice or correct your partner on the dance floor unless they ask you. This, as I hear it, really bothers most dancers. Besides, you never know who you are offering (what may be) the wrong advice to. Leave the teaching for teachers and do your best to make your partner feel good and enjoy dancing with you.


1.5.4) I already have dance background, will I learn quicker?

Having a dance background will not necessarily enable you to learn faster though it usually helps. A dance background usually means that you will have already developed good coordination, footwork, balance, weight transfer, spins, etc. A musical background is also beneficial, as you are more likely to have a strong sense of timing. However, some dances are so fundamentally different from salsa that dancers need to break bad habits learned from once dance to be able to dance another.

A good illustration of this point is a ballet dancer learning to dance salsa. A ballet dancer can bring a lot of great skills to salsa like balance and posture, fluidity, rhythm and timing. Salsa is more of a street dance though, so ballet dancers can encounter problems too. They are usually not used to being led, their bodies may be "stiff" as opposed to loose, their weight is often lifted as opposed to grounded, etc. This may result in the dancer looking like they are still dancing ballet while they are trying to dance salsa. This makes learning salsa challenging, and possibly frustrating (but well worth it!).

Modern salsa combines influences from alot of other dances. Dancers with hip hop, ballroom, swing or other dance backgrounds can use these skills to add some flavour and make the dance unique to them. In fact, many professional salsa dancers take lessons in other styles to improve their salsa! Hip hop/jazz to add more funkiness, ballet to improve their posture and spinning, ballroom to work on their footwork and body control, etc. So whether you’ve danced other styles of dance or not, keep in mind that salsa has its own "feel". Give that “feel” a chance, as opposed to try and make salsa feel like another dance.


1.5.5) Do guys and girls learn salsa at a different pace?

Leaders, typically guys, usually have more to worry about than followers do in the beginning. In addition to the timing, frame, footwork and remembering the pattern, the leaders must concentrate on their lead. This is one of the trickiest areas in the art of dancing salsa. The lead requires a good connection, great timing and usually only improves with a lot of practice with different partners. Also followers can often be reminded of the step from a good lead while leaders do not have this luxury.

Following is also an art which takes time to develop properly. A good follower must develop sensitivity to the lead, learn not to anticipate, develop a great frame and resistance, and have the right tension in the wrists and elbows. In addition, followers do a lot more "spinning", which can be a difficult area to master. However, in general Leaders take a longer time to learn than Followers do.

Another reason why beginner-followers may learn faster is that they may dance more in the clubs with better dancers who lead them, getting great practice. Beginner leaders have a "slightly" tougher time getting great followers to dance with them, and even if they do, they are limited to their own level since they are leading. Keep in mind that nowadays guys are no longer limited to leading and girls to following. Don’t be surprised if you find the roles reversed when you go out to nightclubs.


1.5.6) Do girls need to take lessons ?

Many girls can learn in the nightclubs from dancing with a variety of good leaders. Some can actually reach a very high level this way. This type of dancer usually has great sensitivity and reaction to be able to follow advanced patterns. However, in some cases you will be able to notice if a follower has never had any lessons. Often they will cheat by shuffling their feet since the steps were never learned properly. They may be able to get through complicated patterns, but often leaders would feel that the following is somewhat "off", or would have to work harder to lead the girl. Their dancing would only be improved by learning some basic fundamentals. Taking lessons would allow them to maximize their potential. If you are a beginner, we can't over emphasizes the importance of lessons, regardless of gender.


1.5.7) Am I ready to progress?

Most instructors leave it up to students to determine whether or not they are ready to progress to the next level of instruction. Although instructors do not pass or fail students, they may "recommend" that the student repeats a level. Very often students are under the impression that completing a level automatically suggests they should progress. Usually those who practice are certainly ready for more but those who don't get out at all or once every 2-3 months should seriously consider repeating a level. Students who repeat levels often say that it is amazing how much clearer it is the second time around and how much more they learned about things they either forgot about or how it has improved their technique. Dancers seem to get really caught up with the title of a program - the word "advanced" in particular seems to be the class that everyone believes they should be in. Being a solid dancer with a small amount of moves is far better than being a dreadful one with lots of moves.