9 Ways to Have MORE Fun with Beginner Salsa Dancers

Salsa dancing isn't easy, so it's important to make sure you have fun! Especially when you're dancing with a beginner. Make sure they have a good time so they stick with it.
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Here are 9 ideas to have more fun with your beginner salsa dance partners:
Being playful in salsa partnerwork
➖ Hair brushes and head loops
➖ Checks and hesitations
➖ Duck under
➖ Interlock arms, do a basic and/or rotate
Being playful in salsa shines
➖ Core beat walks
➖ Rotate on the spot
➖ Groove doing enchuflas / changes of place
Definitely watch some of Magna Gopal's social dance videos. She's an awesome example of how to connect and have fun with your dance partners:
/ magnagopal
Remember: dance is a conversation, not a fight. That's all for these salsa tips. Have fun out there!
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Hi my name is Robin and I'm no different than you. A few years ago I started learning salsa. After struggling for a while I found some great mentors and the rest is history. Now I travel the world dancing, teaming up with amazing teachers and growing Dance Dojo - the deeply detailed online dance lessons I wish I had when I started. My goal is to help as many of you reap the same rewards I've been lucky enough to experience through dance. Join me if you'd like to meet amazing new people, leave stress behind, connect to music in a whole new way and feel more alive. Life only gets more colourful - just take the first step.
Cheers,
Robin
Website: go.thedancedojo.com/pwbe4
Instagram: / thedancedojo
Facebook: / thedancedojo

[@danceking40]

I had a chance to dance with Magna Gopal at a salsa/bachata festival. At the time, I didn't know that she was an instructor but I suspected that she was because she was such a great dancer and so fun to dance with.

[@thedancedojo]

lucky guy! I hope to dance with her sometime -Robin

[@francissantos7448]

Thank you. I do some of these antics to elicit smiles from my less experienced (than me) followers. Most of the time is to keep myself from being bored until the song is finished.

[@thedancedojo]

I think if you can develop the skills to truly enjoy the music its easier to have fun with anyone. That's what im working on anyway: body movement + musicality. -robin

[@giacomotenucci4051]

awesome video not just for leading a beginner, but for a beginner himself like me!

[@thedancedojo]

hah thanks, glad you liked it Giacomo! -robin

[@austinlim54]

as a beginning leader there is no other feeling that is demoralizing as when a follower just looks bored and doesn't have fun. it is the shittiest feeling in the world.

[@thedancedojo]

yea it sucks for sure

[@natashasalsafusion927]

Oh yes, such an important topic and very useful tips! Thank you!

[@socialmatrix8752]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks for the love! Glad you like it. -Robin

[@avye1973]

'listen before you speak' what a great way to describe how to interact with a partner no matter what!

[@thedancedojo]

It's a simple idea but it really works wonders. Thanks for watching Avy! -Robin

[@francissantos7448]

What an upload, wow. I will now have an incentive to move from courtesy dances to my friends and a chance to clown around and have FUN. Thanks

[@thedancedojo]

Yesss! Awesome to hear that. There's always a way to find the fun in a dance 🙌 -robin

[@Jessica-xc9qp]

This is so true!

[@thedancedojo]

Glad you liked it Jessica! :) thanks for watching. - robin

[@rbaddict2947]

Awesome video. This is exactly the sort of salsa video I've been looking for! Great tips for the sort of mid-term leads who can get frustrated when very few follow's know any of the intermediate moves they've been focusing on for awhile. Would love to see more videos around specific moves to use on beginner follows. Thanks!!

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks for the love and feedback! will keep that in mind :)

[@joanmikasha-alexander8771]

Thank you. Love your philosphy

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks for the love and for watching Joan 😀🙏 have fun out there! -Robin

[@oralkerr5790]

Love this

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks!!

[@eduardotoro3710]

Un gran video!!!

[@alexpierre1663]

You are one of the best teacher.

[@thedancedojo]

Wow thanks Alex 😀 -Robin

[@sherribrody5456]

Awesome! I was leading and following at the club last night with beginners. I wish I'd know some of these when I was leading. I was following a guy who pretty much only knew the basic step and an occasional right turn. I did some fun styling like shoulder rolls, shimmies, mambos, etc., and we both really enjoyed the dance. I don't know what more I can do as a follow without hijacking the dance and killing the guy's confidence. I love dancing with beginners who really love the dance. Even if they don't know many moves, they are full of energy, and it translates.

[@thedancedojo]

Awesome to hear you both had fun. I'm not sure the best approach from the follow-side since you're a little more limited, but sounds like your approach was great. Giving the leads a great energy and experience will encourage them to keep going! -Robin

[@sherribrody5456]

@@thedancedojo I love encouraging them since the first few months can be make or break for a lead.

[@HappySmileCreations]

I just love the last sentence of this comment. :)

[@olliej914]

I was a guy like this.. was told she was also a beginner at a social lesson/ dance.. after the lesson and.. she having corrected me / lead me a few times.. i felt so out of place and not confident.. it's fun however not sure how much it is for the more advanced people? Watching her and others dance make it look so easy😂

[@javiertapia4643]

What a great idea 💡💡💡!!!

[@thedancedojo]

happy it can help! -robin

[@matthewcui7870]

amazing content man!

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks man! Appreciate you watching 🙌🏽 -Robin

[@Alex-eq7uh]

top quality, top subject. super nice!

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks Alexandre. Really glad you enjoyed! -Robin

[@joseantoniovalerio7858]

Muy buenos consejos; trataré de seguirlos. ¡Saludos!

[@thedancedojo]

Me alegra que pueden ayudarte! Gracias por ver Jose -Robin

[@davidtraining511]

nice insight .keep it up i like most people apreciate this🙂

[@thedancedojo]

Thanks a lot David! More to come :) -Robin

[@yoidoretennshi777]

I am the one to be lead by some expert (!), however, this tip helps me a lot making me feel relaxed and all the shown moves are very useful for a beginner like me to use dancing with a partner. Many thanks!!

[@thedancedojo]

So glad they can help in even a small way. Stay humble, because I know you'll eventually be the master leading the beginner ;) -Robin

[@bailaconswing-clasesonline]

Very nice👏🏾 excelent

[@thedancedojo]

Thank you! -Robin

[@bailaconswing-clasesonline]

@@thedancedojo Estoy aprendiendo :)

[@beatrizrodriguez8489]

Im super grateful im going to try this. When you have this family reunion where the only crazy dancer is you 😂😂😂 i could dance w my girlfriends when theres a shortage of men💃🎉🎊🎉bravisimo

[@thedancedojo]

Haha love it Beatriz, do it! 🤣 -Robin

[@thedancedojo]

Hit that subscribe button & notification bell to get updated when we post our next videos. What do you do to have fun with more beginner salsa partners? -Robin

[@baieskc5957]

How do i have have fun with a beginner lead?

[@thedancedojo]

Great question. Unfortunately this isn't my area of expertise. Perhaps I can do some research and do a video on that in the future - thanks for the idea :) -Robin

[@nathphil1968]

Do you have any advice for experienced follows dancing with beginner leads?

[@thedancedojo]

What's your question?

[@benjaminneedler3784]

Robin do you have any videos of you social dancing

[@thedancedojo]

Come to think of it, I don't. I'll have to try and get some! Thanks for watching Benjamin -Robin

[@jimguldemond4471]

I tried to do some hair brushes on my dance partner. The only problem was that she thought I was initiating a turn (turning her, not myself). How do I signal that I'm just doing something aesthetic, let go of her hand more, so that just the fingertops touch?

[@thedancedojo]

Great question Jim. Your partner also needs to learn the difference between a turn (you lifting your hand and drawing a circle around her vertical axis) and a hair brush (you lifting your hand up and moving it over her head, with no indication around her vertical axis - i.e. neutral territory). If your partner never learned the difference, she'll be confused and there's nothing you can do. That's why it's important for both leads and follows to take lessons, so they learn the fundamentals and principles that allow them to understand the language of lead and follow and grow as dancers. -Robin

[@jimguldemond4471]

@@thedancedojo Thank you Robin, that cleared it up for me! Loving your video's, I watch them every day

[@thedancedojo]

@@jimguldemond4471 Right on Jim you're so welcome! Thanks for the love man, and glad the vids help :)

[@MabiLoverArabel]

As a novice follower, what can I do to avoid making mistakes? I enjoy music and dance, but I'm afraid of making mistakes. (Using translater😂)

[@thedancedojo]

Don't be afraid of mistakes. It's totally normal and OK! The best thing to do is learn from a good teacher so you're confident you're getting good information/principles of how to dance well. I also recommend combining in person classes with an online program so you can practice more at home and you have high quality material and instruction you can reference anytime if you forget something. Take it step by step and have micro-successes. That's how you build confidence! Creating good habits by having a good teacher makes all the difference. -Robin

[@saraanne2187]

How do I as a follower have fun with beginner leaders?

[@thedancedojo]

That is a great question that I don't have a great answer to because I haven't practiced following Sara. My best answer would be to focus on what you're able to do to interpret the music (body movement etc) as he's leading you. That said, because he's a beginner, he probably won't give you much room to do your thing b/c that would be uncomfortable for him and he probably doesn't know how to do that. It will likely just come down to enjoying the experience for what it is - connecting with another human to an enjoyable song (hopefully) and that's that. We often get caught up in the difficulty level of what we're doing, but that's not what makes a dance rich. Did your partner make you smile or laugh? Are you bringing the music to life with your movements? Are you changing the emphasis or energy in your movements to match the song? These fundamental pieces are often those that are missing, and those that are focused on least in classes, which is a shame, because they're the most fulfilling. If you find yourself with a beginner, try to make him smile so he's at ease and can relax. This will help him enjoy the dance which will then make it nicer for you. Beginner lead's are often SOO nervous they can barely get through a song. Think about the human, the music and do your best to enjoy those few minutes :) Hope that helps a bit -Robin

[@saraanne2187]

@@thedancedojo Thanks so much for your profound answer 🤗

[@danieldelacruz7305]

A lot of times girls don’t want to mimick you they want to do their own shines

[@thedancedojo]

Sure Frank, there's lot of follows like that, but they're probably more experienced. I'm talking about dancing with beginners who, if you let go of them, will probably be nervous and won't know what to do, so giving her something easy to mimic is a way to make her more comfortable and have fun. -Robin

[@sgarcia492]

What if you’re dancing with a beginner lead?

[@thedancedojo]

Great question. I've never done it myself. do you have any suggestions? I need to tap into some follow friends and eventually get videos up for you :) -Robin

[@jaroslavhenner1299]

I am swing dancer but I danced salsa a tiny little bit as well. I am sure I am not the only one who thinks leading is difficult for the beginners more than following. It is lot to think about. And timing matters, making it even harder. It takes time for the figures and move to soak in. So I guess helping keeping the rhythm and patience are big favour. I love followers who do not forget about having fun as it reduces the stress. If you can practice some styling without disturbing the leader, you can keep yourself entertained this way and surely the leader can get inspired from you. Receiving feedback certainly did help to just realize I could improve something. But the problem is that not everyone is open to hear it and can get hurt or upset. It would be great if both roles were asking for feedback. I think it is not done often enough. So much time did I looked on the ground, was tense, led with arms.

[@sgarcia492]

Usually I just practice basic with them because I’m not that advanced in my dancing either, but I can see how that can get boring. It’s motivated me to learn how to lead, so I can help teach too (:

[@sgarcia492]

Jaroslav Henner I appreciate the reminder to have fun. I forget a lot, so I like to bust out some goofy 80s dance moves to get me out of my head for a bit, and it usually makes everyone around me laugh (:

[@thedancedojo]

@@jaroslavhenner1299 Everything you said here was so on point. It's definitely harder for leads at first and it makes a world of difference when your partners realize that, do the best they can do to enjoy whatever you're able to do. I've also realized by talking to many leads how fragile the psyche is early on and it's so easy to be scarred by negative experiences, which is really unfortunate, because it takes time to get past that beginners hump. Thanks for the comment! -Robin

I don't like Magna because of this :D