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Learn to dance Salsa & Cha Cha 
in Belfast

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All Live to Dance EU School Salsa classes are structured by level. 

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We have 4 Beginners levels, 4 Improvers levels, 6 Intermediate levels and Advanced Masterclasses.

 

The majority of Salsa classes are taught On1, LA Style.

 

However, we also teache Salsa On2 Puerto Rican Style, Classic or Palladium Style and Cha Cha classes, all part of the Salsa family of dances. We will always advertise which styles the classes will be taught in.

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Salsa On1 - LA Style

We teach LA Style Salsa On1. Made famous by the likes of Johnny Vasquez & Fernando Sosa.

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Salsa On2 - Puerto Rican Style

We teach Salsa On2 , Puerto Rican style. We also demonstrate the difference between dancing On2 New York Style & On2 Puerto Rican Style. We allow students to choose whether to dance traditional Puerto Rican (with the man breaking forward on2 or the more common, modern day version with the man breaking back on2 which is in line with New York style and makes transitioning between the two styles easier).

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Club Style Cha-Cha

This is the freestyle / street style of Cha Cha which was developed from Salsa in the 1950s by the Cuban charanga violinist, composer and music director, Enrique Jorrin. It differs greatly from Ballroom Cha Cha and we explain the differences to you.

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Our in-person Salsa classes are 'social' dance classes. Which means we are not working towards competitions or exams.

 

Social Dancing & Switch Dancing

We switch partners regularly throughout the class. Even if you attend with your own partner you will switch with other students. This helps Leaders and Followers to learn faster by understanding how to Lead or Follow with other people and creates a richer learning experience. 

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Salsa Blast Workshop Series

We have created a unique set of 90 minute Salsa-based workshops known as the 'Salsa Blast Series'.

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These intensive workshops focus on additional elements of Salsa dancing that we are not always able to drill down to in as much detail in the regular weekly classes.

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The format is a 90 min intensive workshop taught and then a 30 min practice session with the music playing so you can drill the techniques over & over again.

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These workshops are an excellent way of improving your Salsa techniques

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The Salsa Blast Series consists of:

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​Introduction to Salsa

Absolute Beginner? 2 Left feet? Want to join a course but not sure how you'll get along? Why not try our 90 minute 'Introduction to Salsa' workshops?

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Salsa Body Movement

Learn all about Salsa body movement. Work on your body isolations, learn how & when to use each part of your body and make your Salsa basics flow with ease & style

 

Salsa Musicality & dancing with feeling

Learn to dance with feeling, accentuate your moves according to how the music is moving you.. fast, slow, with the piano, the tumbao rhythm, with the “Bolero” or “Son” melody to the Salsa or the slower beats of Mambo or with Cha Cha Cha. Demonstrating musicality is showing how you match the form and movement to the rhythm, mood and melody of the music, which is expressed in different ways.

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Salsa Timing (on1 on2 and cha cha)... on time, every time

Struggling with timing? Finding it hard to find or keep the beat. Does Cha-Cha timing confuse you? We'll show you tried and tested methods for finding & keeping any beat with any music.

 

Balance, Posture and Positioning

Do you wobble when turning? Are you straying off the line? Do you or your partner end up holding each other up whilst dancing? Establishing your core correcting your posture and keeping the correct position on or off the line takes time & practice. We'll give you an armoury of exercises that you can repeat in your own practice time to strengthen the key muscles required for executing your Salsa moves

 

Turning, Spinning & Spotting

Learning how to execute basic single turns with precision and good technique are the key to future multiple turns and spins. If you're struggling to execute double turns or triple spins with ease then you need to review your technique. This applies for both Leader and Follower as we will work on our own and in partnership to make sure the Lead is being executed correctly as well.

 

Salsa Footwork

Supercharge your Salsa shines with our Salsa Footwork Workshop. Brush up on your Suzy-Qs, Bow Ties, LA Shuffles and much more... are you ready for the challenge?

 

Salsa Styling

Need confidence when dancing on your own? Want to add more flavour & attitude into your dancing?Not sure what to do with your arms, legs, shoulders or hips when dancing on your own. We offer both Ladies & Men's styling workshops to cover all of this. Build your confidence through Solo dance.

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Recently, “styling” has taken on a more inclusive definition that is neither feminine nor masculine and can range from body and head movements; arm, leg and foot gesturing; and varied timing.

 

Styling classes are offered for men as well and borrow aspects from other dance genres, such as hip-hop, funk, jazz, soul, tap, contemporary, Afro-latin funk & flamenco.

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Do I need to learn a specific “Styling”? Styling is the freedom of each dancer to create their own personal style. To be able to express your own style, we believe that it is part of an exciting journey that each dancer experiences: Watching, Learning, Executing, Improvising and Creating. 


It means that you need first to learn and understand different styles, learn how to execute them properly and then make them home in your body to express your own personality and style.

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Styling in Partnerwork

Do you know the difference between functional and flamboyant styling? Are you unsure where you should be putting your arms and feet to add styling in your partnerwork? Then this workshop will help you find out when styling is appropriate, when it is required and when it is optional and also help you to avoid over-styling

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Leading & Following

Designed to focus on recognising the signs of the lead and understanding the response. We will be paying attention to the 'rules' of Salsa dance:

- body position in relation to your partner
- position of both Leader & Follower in relation to the line of dance
- Top, middle and bottom height leads
- Hand positions as they indicate particular responses required by the follower
... and much, much more!!!

We'll try to help you: Never 'miss' a lead again, never feel like you are pulling your partner or being pulled by your partner, never 'loose' your frame or your connection with your partner, figure out what size step you need to take and so on.

Once you master these concepts then the Leading & Following of more complicated turn patterns is possible.

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On1 to On2 Conversion

Have you learned to dance Salsa On1? Have you been to Congresses and seen many people dancing on a different beat? Maybe they were dancing On2. A number of On1 dancers find it challenging to start dancing On2 without a little help.

 

This workshop is designed to help you understand the differences between the different styles of On2 (New York, Puerto Rican & Classic / Palladium style).

 

We will teach you to step in different directions with each beat. Leaders will be able to initiate dancing in whichever style they choose (either through their own choice or because the music tells your feet which style is most appropriate at that moment).

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You will be able to attend On2 classes at Congresses & Festivals and weekly classes in Dublin more easily if you have a good grounding in all the rhythms.

Want to learn more about Salsa dance?

Learn more about Salsa Dancing - the history, the music, the styles and much more

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Listen to Salsa Music playlists from The Dance Guru online

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Checkout other useful dance websites as recommended by The Dance Guru

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