What to Expect in Your First 8-Week Salsa Cycle

If you have never taken a dance class, the phrase 8-week progressive cycle can sound like homework. It is simpler than it sounds. A cycle is a group of one-hour classes that starts on a set date, runs for eight weeks, and teaches a level in order, with each class resting on the one before. Here is how it works at RW Latin Dance, and what to expect when you join your first one.

Day one: you do not need a partner

The first thing to know is that you can come alone. The cycles are built to teach from scratch, and a partner is not required. Many people arrive by themselves, a lot of them nervous, and the whole class starts at the same point: a basic step, the count, and how to stand. Nobody in a first-day beginner class is expected to know anything, which is exactly the point of a beginner class.

One student wrote on Google that, from the very first class, the instructors created a welcoming environment and made it easy to follow along. She also said she made a good friend after starting the cycle. That is a common thing to hear about a group class that meets on the same evening, with the same people, for eight weeks.

Why you start on the first day

A progressive cycle is cumulative. Week two assumes you were in week one, and week five assumes the first four. For that reason, a cycle has to be joined on its first day, and there are no drop-ins in the middle of one. It can feel strict until you picture the alternative: a teacher who has to stop and re-teach the basics every time somebody new walks in, while the rest of the class waits. Keeping the group together is how everyone, including you, moves forward at a steady pace.

Choosing your level

Salsa On2 is taught in stages. The cycles are Beginner, Beginners 2, Advanced Beginner, and Intermediate. If you have never danced, or you took one class years ago and remember nothing, the Beginner cycle is where you start. If you already have some experience, call (704) 449-8112 and describe what you can do. It is better to start one level lower and feel confident than to land in a class that is moving faster than you are.

The general shape of an eight-week beginner arc

Each studio has its own syllabus, so ask your instructors for the specifics. In general, though, an eight-week beginner arc in a partner dance follows a familiar curve, and knowing it helps you judge your own progress.

• The early weeks are about the basics: the count, the basic step, posture, and shifting your weight. It will feel like a lot of repetition, and it is supposed to.
• The middle weeks add partnering. You begin to take hold of a frame, practise leading and following the basic, and learn your first simple patterns and turns.
• The later weeks link those patterns together and put them to music, so that you move from isolated steps to something that starts to resemble a dance.

Expect to feel clumsy somewhere around week three. That is normal. The step you understood on Monday falls apart when music and a partner arrive. By week six, most people notice that the clumsiness has quietly gone.

Practising between classes

Ten minutes at home helps more than you would think. Put on a salsa song, count out loud, and walk through the basic step on its own, forward and back, without worrying about style. Do not try to practise the newest pattern in your kitchen. Practise the foundation, and the new pattern will feel easier next week. If you get stuck, bring the question to class, since your teachers would much rather answer it than have you guess.

What it costs, and how to book

A salsa progressive cycle is $165. Classes are booked through the studio's Punchpass calendar, and passes are bought in the studio's Square store. Salsa On2 classes run on Monday and Tuesday evenings at The Dance Loft, 756 Tyvola Rd Ste 734, Charlotte. Because cycle dates change, check the calendar for the current start date rather than relying on a date in a blog post.

After cycle one

When your eight weeks end, you will have a working basic, a handful of patterns, and a sense of how salsa feels with a partner. The next level builds on that. Many students keep going from one cycle into the next, and the studio's Friday socials give you a place to use everything outside class. Rodrigo and Wendy Jimenez teach at the studio, and they bring a Dance degree from UNC Charlotte and years of performing to the way they structure each level.

To get started, open the classes page at /classes to see the Salsa On2 levels and the current schedule, or read the Salsa On2 page at /classes/salsa-on2. If you have a question about which level fits you, call (704) 449-8112 and ask before you book.