If you are a beginner in Latin dance, like me, you probably wondered which Latin dance is the easiest to learn. Before I decided which Latin dance would suit well my two left feet, I decided to learn a little a bit about each of the dances on the Internet. Luckily enough, there was a dance school in my city that had an open house and offered free classes for each dance style for the whole week. Let me tell you, I tried all of them!
If you are a beginner in Latin dance, like me, you probably wondered which Latin dance is the easiest to learn. Before I decided which Latin dance would suit well my two left feet, I decided to learn a little a bit about each of the dances on the Internet. Luckily enough, there was a dance school in my city that had an open house and offered free classes for each dance style for the whole week. Let me tell you, I tried all of them!
What is the easiest Latin dance to learn for beginners? The easiest and the most rewarding Latin dance to learn is salsa. Once you learn salsa dance, you will be able to learn other dance styles quickly and effortlessly. Salsa dance steps are the easiest and quickest to pick up. Salsa makes the perfect dance for absolute beginners.
As I mentioned earlier, when I became interested in Latin dance a few years ago, I wasn’t sure which dance I should learn. For an absolute beginner like myself, learning any style of dance seemed impossible and complicated.
However, I found out about this Latin dance school called DanceEscape in Burlington, Ontario, that has an Open House every night for a week demonstrating different dance styles.
This seemed perfect for me because I wasn’t sure which style to choose.
The dance school offered classes such as salsa, bachata, Merengue, cha-cha, Tango, and Swing/Jive. After trying almost all of these styles, I realized that salsa would be the easiest dance for me to learn plus it seemed the most fun!
Why Salsa Dance Is The Best For Beginners?
Salsa dance is hot and spicy that will wake up the Latin soul in almost anyone.
Just after one class, you will feel that you are ready to go to a club dancing night away! The period is very short from the time you learn a few basic steps to the time when you are ready to go dancing.
Without a shadow of a doubt, salsa dance is the quickest and easiest to pick up. Those basic steps are so easy to learn, so by just dancing with those basic steps, your moves can look very beautiful.
The hot Latin beat and sexy moves will give you all the confidence you need to get on the dance floor and bust some salsa moves.
However, some people find it difficult to find the “beat” in salsa music because salsa music is something that they are not used to.
Salsa music is exceptional! Salsa music is something I could listen to the entire day, no matter what I am doing.
It will help you tremendously if you listen to salsa music whenever you can to find the beat. Once you find the beat nothing will stop you to learn dancing salsa and be exceptional!
Tips For Salsa Dance Beginners
- Practice Your Fundamentals
Practice fundamentals such as basic steps, body movements, and timing. You will be off to a great start once you get the fundamentals right.
- Take Salsa Beginner Classes
A good salsa instructor will teach you basics properly because the basics are key to everything. It is important to take salsa classes so you learn the steps correctly the first time. Once you know your basic steps, everything else will add up nicely.
- Dance Salsa Socially
Even if you think that you suck at salsa dancing, go out and dance socially anyway. You will observe different salsa styles and you will recognize where you need to improve. Doesn’t matter how well you dance, you will never feel ready for salsa dancing. So the sooner you get out and dance you will quickly break the ice and be comfortable.
What Other Dance Styles You Should Learn As A Beginner?
Once you get into the Latin dance world, you cannot go back. You will fell in love and that love will be eternal.
Just a fair warning to you, my fellow salsarian, once you learn salsa dancing you will want to learn other Latin dance styles. So, here are dance styles that you should have on your radar once you feel confident about salsa:
- Merengue
Merengue is very easy to learn Latin dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. This dance style is one of the most popular dance styles at weddings, dance parties, and Latin clubs.
Almost all steps in merengue dance are done with a partner. So this is not the type of dance you could dance solo.
Merengue dance steps are performed in the exact time with the music. Hense, very important to recognize the beat in the music.
Very similar to salsa, when dancing Merengue each basic step takes approximately eight counts.
As with salsa, the male partner is always the lead, and the female mirrors his movements right from the beginning.
This is why it is important for learning salsa first because it will be easier for you to adjust to the Merengue dance style.
- Bachata
Ok, I have to admit, salsa dance is sexy but bachata is sexier. Bachata is a bit more forgiving compared to salsa because if you make a mistake in a beat or a step, you can fix it quicker.
Although bachata dance has four beats; whereas, salsa has eight beats I still believe that salsa is easier to learn.
You have to take into consideration what dance style is the most popular in your area. As far as I am aware, salsa dance is far more popular than any other dance style.
It will be easier for you to find a salsa night rather than a bachata night social event.
Bachata is a very romantic type of dance that will touch your soul. It is very passionate and beautiful. So go ahead and learn this dance of the hearts. You will not regret it!
What Is The Easiest Latin Solo Dance To Learn?
The good news is that you don’t need a partner to learn or to dance salsa.
I didn’t have a partner when I just started learning salsa and obviously, I was worried. I didn’t want to be that person seating on the bench because nobody wants to dance with her haha.
Luckily, my dance instructor has reassured me that no partner is needed in his salsa classes. I was so relieved during the first class that there were so many people who came to learn salsa dance without a partner. So, you can learn salsa dance without a partner.
Many dance instructors will teach you to dance on your own first before partnering you up with someone else.
Of course, it will benefit you learning to dance with a partner but don’t rely just on that.
The beautiful thing about learning dancing salsa solo is that you can do it anywhere and anytime that suits you. You don’t have to rely on somebody’s schedule to bust some salsa moves.
You should aim to dance with a partner once you are confident with your dancing. Don’t expect you will be able to dance with a partner immediately.
Final Words
In my opinion, the easiest and the most rewarding dance to learn is salsa. Salsa can be a nice introduction to other dance styles such as meringue or bachata. If you decide to learn salsa dancing you will not regret it. Once you master dancing on your own and finding the beat, you will be an excellent salsa dancer. Furthermore, you will be excited about salsa once you learn all the steps and see how you could mix and match sequences.
