Many very successful business firms utilize the slogan "Our Clients Success is Our Best Advertising" or "...Our Best Testimonial," or other variations of it, as they feel confident in their work and the services that they provide to their clients. If you are looking to become a client of such business, you would look at the success they have helped their clients attain, and you would determine them to be exactly what you are looking for, if you wish to have similar success. On the other hand, if such business really has nothing to demonstrate with the services that they have provided to their clients, you would most certainly not do business with them and find yourself a service provider that will be able to help you attain the success that you seek.

TREAT IT LIKE A BUSINESS

In learning how to dance Salsa, such methodology of choosing a 'service provider' should be no different! Yes, as a complete beginner in dancing, as you may be, it will be very hard to know if the instructor that teaches near your house, or the club that you like going to, or the dance studio you picked out of citysearch or google, is actually one who can teach you how to dance efficiently and without wasting your precious time. It could be easy to get frustrated trying to find out if your time is being well-spent, or if it isn't, because you simply do not know how fast people normally learn how to dance. You may also have two left feet, as many of us did at the beginning, and you may be thinking that salsa dancing simply isn't for you. But wait!...80% of the fault of not learning quickly isn't your fault, it is your Instructor's fault! If you are truly putting the commitment, the time, have the drive, are showing up to lessons, and 'paying for them'...then you should be learning how to dance fairly quickly! So, there are a few insider ways of finding out if your dance instructor simply is not worth the time and money, and we will recommend that you try to use them before you get too frustrated that we may never see you around again. 

Ask people in the class how long they have been attending the class. If you hear that a certain person, or a few of them that are still at a beginner level, have been attending classes by this instructor for over 3-6 months or a year, or longer, then simply run!! Don't waste your time! That simply shows that the instructor is either not effective, may be an intermediate dancer posing as a professional, may not know how to teach what he/she knows, OR may be keeping his/her students at low levels to simply have a continuous source of income flowing into his/her pocket. That is just not good for you because you want "to learn" how to dance, right?! ;-) Yes, and we also want you to learn how to dance and enjoy the joy of Salsa much more! - Perhaps these instructors who never produce good dancers in short periods of time, would be quick to blame their students (yeap, they do this...they don't think it is their fault) for simply not being able to learn how to dance! Yes, some of these instructors don't think they have a problem in keeping students as low-level dancers for so long! But aren't they the ones "instructing" and after how long of being a beginner should you still be a beginner? ... Agh, please...just don't wonder anymore and try to find a place that will really teach you how to dance in an effective and productive way. (get your money's worth!)

"I offer Private Lessons." Most great instructors will never announce that they "offer private lessons" during their beginner or beginner/intermediate classes. Someone who is learning how to dance can very effectively learn the basics of salsa in group settings that are relatively inexpensive to them. Don't let anyone "milk you" and make you feel that if you don't take private lessons from THEM, you will never learn how to dance! These are tactics used by self-proclaimed professionals that really don't love Salsa or appreciate that newcomers are trying to learn the dance - they love your money and they want it, now! ;-) - Don't let your new hobby become more expensive than it should be while you learn the baby steps of salsa dancing; just take a few group lessons, make friends with people in the class, go to clubs together, practice at clubs, and you will see yourself moving your body better each time! Some students will take longer, some will learn faster...it's all part of life and directly linked to how much drive and effort you put into it, but at the end of the day, hopefully all students will truly enjoy their time. -- Now, if you truly feel that you'd like to pay for private instruction, please go ahead if you consider it will help you. We simply want you to learn and begin enjoying Salsa dancing more and more! :) 

If you see a truly good dancer, ask them if they teach or ask them to refer you to a good instructor. Often times, the best dancers in the Salsa scene do not teach or try to make a living or have a side income out of it, they just dance for fun. That's unfortunate, but it's reality in most dance scenes...especially in partner dance scenes. But if you feel amazed by watching one of them on the dance floor...don't be afraid to approach them to give them some kudos and ask them if they teach lessons. If they don't teach, tell them that you'd like to know who taught them or if they know of a good instructor. - You will very oftenly get the most honest responses from good dancers who don't make a living out of dance. 

How do I know someone who I think 'is a good dancer' is actually 'a good dancer'? Very few people will stop and think about this. Remember, you are a beginner! At first, you will think that everyone is great because they are simply better than you. But as you learn, and if you truly get good out of your own efforts, you will look back and realize that so many of those 'good dancers' were actually not so good at all. - So, as a beginner, what you can do to find out if a person who you are observing is good is, 1) ask someone around you who has been around for a while if that person is 'really good'...just ask, you'll get an answer; 2) notice who are the people who all the 'good dancers' seem to want to dance with the most, as they are the dancers amongst dancers, and those are the people you should approach for lessons.

Explore other areas, other clubs, drive a little. Don't buy into the 'dance schools' or what seems to be 'salsa cults' of students and teachers, just because they are a large group or have nice venues to teach at. You might have liked the first club you ever went to because it was close to you and it was your first experience, and the class they teach there may seem good enough for you, but what if there is better out there? Try to drive a little, find new instructors, take their lessons as a try-out if they seem to meet your expectations. Don't be afraid of trying something new! -- As mentioned before, some instructors may like to keep their students at a lower level to maintain income flowing in; they don't care for you learning, because if you learn...you won't need lessons anymore. So try new stuff, drive around, take a few different classes, etc. 

We truly hope that anyone and everyone who wants to learn how to dance salsa finds an instructor that is worthwhile and can truly teach them how to dance. We believe that the foundation of growth in our beautiful Salsa scene is good instruction, and we want you to have very good experiences in your salsa baby weeks/months, so that you continue to dance and enjoy your new hobby. Some will keep it as just a hobby and some will want to join dance teams or make it a personal passion. Whatever it turns out to be for you, or even if you decide it simply is not for you, we want you to have a good experience as you take your first steps. May you find instructors who go by the motto: "our students success is our best testimonial" and may more instructors try to live up to such goal! The best of luck to you!