Information for Beginners

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by Beginner Dancers

What are good shoes to dance in and where can I buy them?

Dance shoes are best when they move (have some give) against the floor yet are not too slippery. I like to think of it as a sort of "give to grab" ratio. Here is what I mean: You want shoes that move against the floor (that's the "give") so that you can do a turn. But you also need the shoe not to have so much "give" against the floor that you are sliding too much. (That is, the shoe needs to have some amount of "grab" or hold, as well.)

The best shoes are ballroom dance shoes which typically have a suede surface on the bottom that works just right (i.e. perfect "give to grab" ratio). But they tend to be expensive. You can also take any pair of shoes you find comfortable and get a shoe repair store to put suede on the bottom. If the shoe repair store does not have suede, you can buy the suede at Repeat Performance, a dance supply store in Rockville, and bring the suede to the shoe repair shop to attach.

Repeat Peformance carries a fairly large line of dance shoes for a variety of types of dancing from tap to ballroom. There are other stores with dance shoes such as Capezio, but I am not personally familiar with their location since I usually use Repeat Performance.

Also, in case you prefer the convenience of shopping by catalogue, there is a company called Dance Distributors which puts out a complete line of dancewear including shoes for both men and women.

Dance Distributors phone: 1-800-333-2623
Post Office Box 11440 Harrisburg, PA 17108

You can get their catalogue and shop in the convenience of your home.

If you want to stick with what you already own and make do as best you can, loafers or soemething with that type of surface on the bottom works well enough. Sneakers are not the best. The exception here is a relatively new type of shoe called a "dance sneaker" which is designed for dancing. Regular sneakers have too much "grab" -- they stick to the floor like rubber and don't allow you to turn. You can hurt your knees if you try to dance on sneakers for too long.

When I teach dance, some people typically show up for the first class in sneakers. I like to encourage them to take the sneakers off and dance in socks, since most anything is easier to move in than a typical sneaker. For men, dress shoes usually have a bottom surface similar to a loafer which works pretty well.

One other consideration that should be mentioned is that some shoes are hard on the dance floor itself. You can look and see if your shoes are making marks. If so, some other shoe would obviously be preferable.

What is the best way to practice dancing? And can you suggest some good CDs for practice?

You'll do yourself a big favor if you heed these words, as this is the most important advice I can give you. If you have some dance background and/or have no trouble keeping time to most salsa music, then any music you like the sound of will work fine. People usually dance with more "sabor" (this means "flavor" ro "feeling") to music they like and enjoy it more. But if you are like many novice dancers, keeping that quick-quick-slow rythm while doing moves such as turns, etc. can be a challenge.

Here is the clue: THE TEMPO OF THE MUSIC MAKES A HUGE, HUGE DIFFERENCE IN BEING ABLE TO DO THIS CORRECTLY. Sure, you need to ultimately "graduate" to standard tempos. But you will learn best if you practice initially to something slow. You want to get the movement and the rhythm into what dancers call "your muscle memory" first and only after that do you want to accelerate the tempo.

Think of it like throwing a bowling ball. You step forward for the release with a series of steps that have a certain rhythm. After releasing the ball you have a certain follow-through. You always do it the same way so your body gets very accustomed to the move and you could practically do it in your sleep. That is how the basic rhythm and movement of salsa should be. If you drill it over and over to slow music, you get the timing and moves into your muscle momory so that it comes very automatically. Then you are able to do a variety of steps smoothly without losing the beat. And eventually, you can dance to faster and faster music.

By the way, Latin music has changes in rhythm far more than American music. This makes dancing to Latin music more challenging. In American music, there is an occasional speed-up or slow-down. But Latin music has all manner of rhythm changes and so you have to listen for this closely when you practice.

As for which CDs to get, there is a wide variance in styles of salsa and you should be guided by what you like. The song Miciala on the Heavy Salsa CD is relatively slow but very nice. That is a good one to practice to. Other favorite CDs of the Salsa Linea Dancers, including ones that are good for learning can be found within this web site under Music.

How can I reach the folks at Salsa Linea if I have further questions or want to sign up for classes?

You can write us at [email protected] or call Barb at 301-464-6244. We will be happy to answer any questions or give you information on the group's classes, parties, or outings.