If you are new to salsa dancing and have signed up for your first salsa dance class, it can be very difficult to evaluate how good an instructor is at teaching salsa dance. You’re your best bet is to evaluate their teaching skills first over their dance skills.
You should know about your instructor first before signing up for a class. You are spending your hard-earned money so you have the right to question his or her expertise.
Before you enroll in a class, at any salsa dance school, ask the instructor these questions:
• Their experience in salsa dance and years in salsa dance.
• Length of time they have been an instructor.
• Find out their style of dance and find out if they will be teaching in that same style and if this is the style danced in salsa clubs.
Observe what your instructor is doing and then evaluate them by following these key points:
1. Does your instructor take their time? Make sure that your instructor is not too fast or too slow and carefully walks you through each dance step.
2. Observe other classes especially the advanced ones. See if students dance well in both the role of lead and follower.
3. See if the instructor allows students to ask questions. A good instructor allows for an open forum so that questions or feedback about the class or dance routine can be answered throughout the class.
4. By the end of the class are students looking happy and refreshed or confused and down? A good instructor takes their time and allows feedback (on both ends). They should have strong communication with their students by adapting to the level of that particular class.
Try to test out different instructors to see which teaching style you prefer best. Most instructors will allow you to sit in on a class if they know you are new and are considering taking a class with them. Instructors have different ways of teaching a class so see which instructor style you prefer best and can learn easier with. Observe, test and then dance!
Evan Margolin shares his passion for salsa through DanceSF, the premier salsa studio in the Bay Area, his Learn to Salsa DVDs and SalsaCrazy.com, (http://www.SalsaCrazy.com) a comprehensive guide to salsa news and events in the Bay Area.
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