We're so excited to be running another full Beginners Level 1 Queer Salsa Course at our new home ✨ The Bishopsgate Institute ✨
Dates
Four 90-minute sessions followed by an extra 20-minute free dance social 19 - 20:50pm every Wednesday for the following dates in April:
2nd 🩷 9th 🩷 16th🩷 23rd
Level 2 will be running for 4 weeks on Wednesday's starting 30th April. Sign up details to follow in April
About the course
This is a full progressive course in Cross Body Salsa for complete beginners, people wanting to try a new role, or coming from a different style of partner dance.
We'll demonstrate the difference between leading and following in the first class, asking you to pick a role for the course.
Learning to partner dance is like learning a new language. There are lots of different elements to it, which you have to keep trying over time to develop muscle memory and fluidity. With this course, while you will be practising many different things at once, we have broken it down into the following 4 focus areas:
🎵 02.04: Understanding rhythm & timing through the basic steps
💞 09.04: Developing balance with the right turn
💞 16.04: Further developing balance and posture with the left turn
💬 23.04: Building connection & communication through partner work
We're adding an extra 20 minutes of what we call a “Dance Social”, where we put Salsa music on and you are able to practice what you have learnt. We'll be mixing people from both the Beginners and Improvers Course together for this, which will help you to slowly build up your experience dancing outside of class with dancers more experienced than you - and meet some more cuties!
Over the four 90-minute sessions, we'll go deep into the technique and Afro-Latin roots of this rich partner dance. As you will be swapping partners throughout the course, it will also be a lovely way to get to know a new group of people over time. For us, learning salsa gives us a space to build community through connection, care and the joy of dancing together ❤️🔥
Recentring the Afro-Latin Roots of Salsa
Cross Body is a popular style of Salsa in London, but it’s less common in Latin America. As a growing community of queer instructors, the previous training we've had available to us has largely been Cross Body. While Cross Body forms the foundation of our progressive courses, we're committed to honouring and recentring Salsa’s Afro-Latin roots by:
- Developing a curriculum that integrates the Afro-Latin history of the music, dance and culture
- Including moves and approaches from various Salsa styles and emphasising adaptability in dancing rather than focusing on a single style
- Inviting Afro-Latin practitioners as guest teachers on our courses
- Offering specialised workshops and courses led by Afro-Latin practitioners
- Supporting dancers with experience in other Salsa and Afro-Latin dances to explore Cross Body, while valuing the different knowledge they might bring
Prioritising Care and Connection
We’re rethinking what progression means in our courses and teacher training. Instead of emphasising complicated moves and techniques, we prioritise connecting with the music, dancing safely and consensually, and building connections with your dance partners.
Welfare & Accessibility
At each class there will be a dedicated Welfare Team Member. They will be around to give extra support on moves as well as any needs or concerns you might have to participate in the class and feel comfy in the space.
We are actively working on making our courses as safe and inclusive as possible. Please get in contact with any needs you might have that would make it better work for you.
Tickets
We are reducing capacity for our courses to 35 to make them more intimate. It will sell out quick, we will put ticket resale on once that happens.
Low Income
We're offering limited reduced-cost spots at £35 for those with lower incomes, please get in contact if you need one. These are reserved for people on Universal Credit (or similar benefits), those earning minimum wage, or working-class students. Since these spots are limited, please make sure you really need one before claiming it 🥰
We've introduced Solidarity to support us in offering a few more reduced tickets. So if you are in a position where you can afford that, it would be really helpful!
The course cost reflects our new home at The Bishopsgate, which is much better suited to more in-depth learning. It also helps ensure we can fairly compensate everyone involved to contribute their time and energy with care.
~~~
Please send a DM if you have any questions & see you in class cuties!
Lots of love
Queer Salsa Team
💋💋💋💋