Jacquelyn says:

To help to inspire and motivate oneself, a couple of things you can do:-
1) Surround yourself with people who love Salsa! Be open minded and get infected by their passion.

2) Search for salsa videos on the internet, you'll be amazed at what you can find online and the standard (I'm referring to the high standard; of course!).

3) Be thick-skinned and tell yourself that you can DANCE! (even if your mom tells you otherwise).

4) Be vain, be very vain! Nothing beats you wanting to look good on the dance floor.

Wenai says:

JOIN THE PERFORMANCE TEAM! ok, if you have been there and done that, then you can either join the COMPETITIVE team or be an instructor. Just kidding! For myself, as I am not the material for competitive dancing or teaching, I will go back to be a student again and remind myself why I am so in love with dancing and salsa. I'll take up lessons on Bachata, salsa-on-2 or even go to another dance school to experience a different style. Hmm, another method is to get hitched with a salsa instructor, sure got pressure to do better in Salsa!!!!!

Najib says:

Salsa! The word salsa signifies the amalgamation of so many different cultures which has its origin all the way from Africa.

Hence salsa is more than just a dance. Its more like a culture.

Therefore you should immerse yourself in the culture of Salsa. Some people learn more moves, some dance till they drop at the clubs and some even go to gym to getting fitter so as to be better dancers

For me. I immerse myself in the music of the dance! That's because I believe that's where the true culture of Salsa lies! The ever naggy Albert Torres was spot on in saying that most people dance to the music and don't even know the name of the songs.

Certain songs I love it so much, I learned to sing to the lyrics of the song. It may not sound correct (ok i admit it ..I cant sing) but it brings you closer to the words of the music and that would definitely increase your musicality skills later on as you progress and your body learns to move to with music.

In a 'YOUTUBE' world there is not much standing in your way of doing research on dance styles, moves and music. But the final most important thing is to continually take classes. A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that once they complete the advance classes that they are all made to be a superstar. I say to these people. Get over yourselves. I know for a fact that all my teachers whom I love dearly ...continue to take classes to learn and improve even further.

I even remember at the Malaysia festival whilst chatting with Leon Rose, he mentioned that he wanted to take capoeira classes. So there is no excuse for you if you want to progress, immerse yourself in the music and the culture and continue to take classes!

Yiling says:

1. You have got to actually LOVE salsa. Does it make you happy when you think about it?

2. Lots of dancing, listen and watch.

3. Expose yourself to different styles of salsa & music.

4. Dance with good male dancers

5. Go to Salsa events, dance and watch the fantastic people - if you find yourself thinking - I'll be like them one day - in my own style, then you've got it! It's got to come from within to enjoy salsa dancing - not from the wows you get from others (that's a plus)

6. Be consciously trying to improve on those areas you are weak in - for me - Rhythm, styling, shines etc

7. Smile! its Salsa!

Burbor says:

I used to think that dancing a lot helps but...recently, I've reached a
plateau whereby I can't seem to find as much joy as I 1st started learning dancing.

I am a really shy person and therefore I'll never dare to ask people for dances unless they are people whom I know well. I reckon that I should change my personality and be more open, it's still not easy for me. maybe that was why I am beginning to feel bored on the dance floor = not dancing enough with different leads.

I also realized that I'm dancing sluggishly (not enough control in my body muscles) and therefore I feel lack of confidence and maybe at any time I might fall if I am to follow some complicated moves. when this fear appears in my mind, I will not be able to enjoy the music as much as it affects me. unsatisfied I become resulting disappointment with myself and unmotivated eventually.

So I stopped dancing for awhile, to take a break. surprisingly, I missed dancing so much that I am motivated again! I dunno about the muscle control thing (maybe I've forgotten about it again during the break) but somehow, I'm driven to continue dancing on.

So what I'm saying is, maybe we should give ourselves some breaks in between when we feel the need for it. Hope this helps.

Andy says:

Hey, I remember when I first started learning salsa, all I wanted was to remember the various patterns (u lucky gals need not remember any, leave it to the guys! :P)

I was busy keying in the moves in my h/p@ class, much to the dismay of the instructors..

They thought I was smsing my friends and not paying attention in class (haha...now they know).

As I progressed on, I realized that dancing salsa is not just about remembering patterns.

What I feel is important is besides remembering the patterns, a good lead dancer should be good in the fundamentals like cross body lead (right foot stepping to side on count 2, not to front!), giving appropriate tension (e.g. tension on count 1 & 5 for enchuffla), one's lead, dancing to the salsa rhythm (quick quick slow) and the counting of the one in salsa music ( yo, attend the musicality workshop, it helps).

Also, dancing with many different people helps me to understand whether my lead is good, and also I get to see how gals from different dance schools react to our
patterns!

Watching established & advanced dancers like Sol from Korea and Yanqing from Singapore really inspires one to be like them, to constantly improve on one's salsa skills.

Set yourself a goal, and practice hard towards it. Don t give up easily, no matter what others say. If instructors scold us, treat it positively and learn from our mistakes.

Ask yourself what is the level you want to achieve? Do you want to learn a lot of patterns? Or do you want to be a good dancer with solid fundamentals? Do you desire to take it to a competitive level, be part of a performing team or even be a dance instructor?

Practice frequently as and when you can will help to improve. Attend social nights (ask Jean when the next one is coming!), or go union square and practice: P

Going for refreshers is one good way to remember the patterns. You will find it easier to execute the patterns the second time round.

At times, I will feel bored with old patterns, so I will take lessons to learn new patterns, shines and meeting new friends, this is what keeps me grooving. My target now is to be good in my double spins and executing patterns well with good salsa lead and timing.

Ladies! This is for you! Try not to anticipate what patterns the guys are going to perform next.

Occasionally, some lady dancers I have danced with actually anticipate what moves I am going to do next, but now I am smart enough to vary my moves and excite them, hehe ^_^

Guys! don t feel discouraged when we forget some part of a pattern, just do basic steps.

Also, don t rush the patterns