What Level Salsa or Bachata Class Should I Choose?

This article is honest and straight…

including truths that some instructors may be afraid to tell you because there’s pressure to keep you happy.

It may be a reality check…

but don’t worry – you’ll be happy you got the real info 😊

Real Experiences From Thousands of Salsa and Bachata Students

🗣️ “I should be in _____ level, because _______.”

After teaching thousands of salsa and bachata students over the past 11 years, as the leader of my dance academy in Los Angeles, I’ve heard it all…

Most students get it right, but sometimes there’s confusion.

Below we’ll cover…

🎬 Scenarios that may describe you

⚠️ Warnings and traps to avoid

💬 How to talk to your instructor to get the truth

🧑🏻‍🏫 When NOT taking class may be better for you

Let’s gain clarity to make the right choice.

First Time Dancing (and What to Avoid)

If it’s your first time learning any type of dance, start from level zero.

(Hopefully that’s obvious)

However, ❌ avoid trying to learn from drop-in classes.

You NEED structure!

Even if it’s the best drop-in class on Earth, the drop-in format just isn’t suited for first time salsa / bachata dancers.

✅ Yes, you can have a fun night out and learn a few things from beginner drop-in classes.

❌ No, you cannot learn proper salsa or bachata foundations from drop-in classes…

Or, if you eventually do, it will be the long, slow, more difficult path.

(You may already be feeling this if you’ve tried learning from zero with drop-in classes)

This is why I struggled to feel fulfilled when I used to teach beginner drop-in salsa and bachata classes at clubs.

With new students every week, I couldn’t serve them well.

A great analogy is school 🏫.

Kids have grades 1-5. Each grade has curriculum designed in an order that makes sense.

Just like 📚math, reading, writing, science, etc., salsa and bachata are learned better with proper structure.

📍 Look for the most well-structured program in your area.

Only after you have great foundations do drop-in classes make sense.

Grew Up Dancing Salsa or Bachata

Student: 🗣️ “It’s in my culture and I grew up dancing salsa (or bachata) with my family and friends. What level should I be in?” (I receive this phone call every couple of weeks from aspiring students.)

Me: 🗣️ “How many classes of this style have you taken so far in your life?”

Student: 🗣️ “None.”

(Most common answer)

Then you should start from the beginning!

✅ Yes, being familiar with the music helps.

✅ Yes, “having rhythm” helps.

Let’s be clear though – ❌ you can’t have knowledge that’s never been given to you.

(Unless you’re a magician, or are reading this in the future and have a hi-tech chip planted in your head for downloading info!)

Social dancing at clubs with other well-practiced, class-taking, experienced dancers 🕺🏻💃🏼is different from family parties.

📍 Day 1 of a great level zero class is usually eye-opening and you’ll learn details you never knew existed.

Have Done Other Styles of Dance

If you have a background in other styles of dance class, you may have an edge and may learn salsa or bachata faster.

You may also need to unlearn some habits though.

When I took ballet 🩰, the instructor used to say I have “salsa hips” and that I should never lose that hip movement.

Well, turns out that losing that hip movement was nearly impossible for me, even though I tried.

Adjusting to the style of ballet was tough for me.

Same is true in the other direction. I notice that ballet students 🧑‍🩰 usually need to put extra effort into relaxing the body for salsa or bachata.

Ballroom dance can certainly help a lot, but the style again is different.

• Ballroom salsa or bachata have a much stronger, firmer connection through entire movements.

• Social dance style salsa and bachata are lighter, softer, and more relaxed.

Unlearning habits is often harder than learning new habits fresh…

📍 So, in short, again, starting from the beginning will most likely serve you the best.

“But I learn really fast…”

You don’t want to be bored. I get it.

Yes, it’s important to feel inspired and challenged.

It also may be true that you pick things up faster than anyone else in the room.

If you have an extensive dance background, learn dance quickly, and need salsa or bachata fundamentals, but don’t want to be bored, you might consider private lessons.

📍 Private lessons can help you move through the fundamentals more quickly and prepare you for the intermediate or advanced classes that you’re eager to take.

This is the exception though – not the rule.

By the laws of statistics, most people learn dance at an average speed, and just a few outliers will learn exceptionally faster.

Have Taken a Few Salsa or Bachata Classes Before

If you’ve taken salsa or bachata classes before and are exploring a different dance school🏫, and you’re on the fence about your level, I usually recommend starting with the lower level.

The ✅ lower level will usually serve you best long-term, because foundations are everything.

Personality does matter though.

If you won’t go unless it’s a higher level, then take the higher level.

📍 I really recommend finding the joy in exploring fundamentals deeply, but it’s your world, so you’ve got to also follow your heart.

The Risk of Skipping Levels

…but I do need to emphasize this…

The more intermediate classes you do, the less likely you will be willing to go back and do beginner classes.

This means that you may spend your whole life dancing with awkward habits that hold you back on the dance floor…. forever!

What’s even worse is that dancers usually don’t even know when this happens.

As it is said: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

❌ Skipping levels is risky ❌

If you’re on the fence, the lower level is likely to serve you best.

We Have Our Whole Lives to Dance

You’ve got your whole life in front of you to dance!

📍 A little patience to get proper fundamentals in the beginning will likely enhance your salsa or bachata dance experience forever.

Learning Through Only Social Dancing

❌ Worst idea ever! ❌

YES – social dancing is an important part of learning salsa and bachata.

NO – it doesn’t replace class.

This is especially risky for follows (typically ladies 💃🏼 ), because it’s much easier for follows to quickly have a good time on the dance floor.

📍 You’re going to have an even better time though when you’ve got great fundamentals through a well-structured, well-taught, program.

They’re Lying To You On The Dance Floor

Well, kind of…

Experienced salseros and bachateros adjust their dancing up, or down, for their partner.

This means that Leads may by giving you only 20% of their moves, because trying to lead you through the more sophisticated patterns wouldn’t work well.

They do it out of love 💗 The goal is to have a good time and help you feel capable and empowered on the dance floor.

📍 When you start taking class though, you’ll see what your improved skills unlock on the social dance floor, and you will like it!

You’re Lying to Yourself

Maybe…

There’s an expression in dance:

“Beginners want intermediate classes,

intermediate dancers want advanced classes,

and advanced dancers want beginner classes.”

The science is called the 🔎 Dunning-Kruger effect.

It’s the phenomenon of overestimating your own abilities - thinking you should be at a higher level of learning than you actually are.

🤔 Ever seen someone who knows very little about a specific subject confidently claim to be an expert?

🤔 Or ever seen someone highly knowledgeable who’s hesitant to call themselves an expert?

That’s the Dunning-Kruger effect – it’s well-known human behavior

📍 So my recommendation is to avoid being caught in this common trap of human behavior, and try to give yourself an honest assessment of the class level that will serve you best.

Humble Dancers Go Farther

From what I’ve seen in 20 years of dancing and 11 years of teaching, humble dancers go farther 📈.

When I took ballet 🩰, I did level 1 twice.

I finally did level 2, but I was terrible.

I then returned to level 1.

I’m so impressed when I see students repeating our level 101 beginner salsa programs or bachata programs. Their dance future is 🔆 bright 🔆

📍 I promise you that humility will help you long-term.

Level Checks With the Instructor – When to Do It and What to Avoid

If you’re on the fence about your level, then asking the instructor for a level check 🗒️may be a smart first step.

Make sure the instructor is honest with you though…

As instructors, we have pressure to help students feel good and to not crush their spirits.

I use phrases like…

🗣️ “I can support you in the intermediate level, but the beginner level will serve you best in the long-term.”

Some instructors may not have practiced this type of communication though, and they may feel obligated to say whatever they believe you want to hear to not lose you as a student.

For example:

🗣️ “You did great! You said you wanted the advanced level? Sure let’s try it!”

To put the instructor at ease, before you start, I recommend saying,

🗣️  “Please be honest with me about my level. I’m eager to do the intermediate level, but I understand if I’m not there yet.”

✅ This helps ensure the instructor gives you feedback that will help you the most.

When You Should NOT Take Class

Do you have 100 salsa class or bachata class recap videos in your phone 📲 of patterns you forgot (or never really learned)?

Go practice those!

Practicing those is your FASTER path to getting better.

We, as humans, learn better and faster the second time.

If your options are:

1.   Spend 1-2 hours in class, plus driving time, to learn another pattern you’ll forget, or…

2.  Spend 20 minutes reviewing at home, something you already learned, to get it into your muscle memory forever…

…then the second option will make you better, faster.

📖 Review what you’ve learned!

Next Steps and Recap

Hopefully you now know what level to take.

If not, ask for a level check.

🔎 Also, look for a well-structured salsa or bachata dance program in your area.

If you’re in 📌 Los Angeles, we would be honored to have you as a student at Movers and Shakers.

👉🏼 Check out the current salsa class schedule and bachata class schedule. 

If you’re 📌 outside of Los Angeles, you may also enjoy our well-structured 👉🏼 online salsa and bachata programs at Dance Chemistry.

See you soon! 💃🕺