Salsa Music, Emotions and Movement

Nicola Lambert, my partner, has been running TNT since my resignation in 2015. Once a month, Nicola invites new students to our apartment to listen to, think about and discuss Salsa music; we believe that all new students should be exposed to Salsa music and have Salsa music demystified as soon as possible. We do… Read more »

The Declining Middle Class of Salsa

I spend time analysing the local and global Salsa scene to identify new trends and opportunities. One observation is the increasing gap between inexperienced and experienced Salsa dancers. Watching the US presidential race Bernie Sanders repeatedly talked about the declining middle class, which I think is a great way for framing what I see in… Read more »

PSS: Building up to the Perfect Social

I have been involved in Salsa events and organisation for the past 8 years. I do not work in Salsa for money but for the excitement and the joy of bringing people together. I do not find much enjoyment in doing the same thing over and over again for too long and I am always… Read more »

The #ThinkingDancers Salsa Initiative

Over the years I have tried strange and controversial ideas in Salsa; as someone who works in Salsa, I feel it is important to take risks and try things beyond the norm. In 2017, I will be launching the #ThinkingDancers Salsa initiative in order to propagate ideas on what Salsa is and could be. In… Read more »

2016

All things considered, 2016 was a fantastic year in Salsa for me. Without the day to day management of TNT (my first full year of zero involvement), I had more time to explore, improve and grow in Salsa. Here are my highlights for the year: Congress Attended In 2016, I attended the following Salsa Congresses:… Read more »

A Dark Day for London Salsa

My blog was created to share my opinions about Salsa and to give knowledge to those newer in their Salsa journey. On Monday 24th October 2016, two promoters in London launched one of the most shocking and negative campaigns I have ever witnessed during my 12 years of dancing Salsa. This campaign was littered with… Read more »

The Falling Pound and Salsa

I have been dancing Salsa in London for 12 years now and over the past 8 years, I have been a teacher, promoter, event organiser and general Salsa educator. On Thursday 23rd June 46.5 million citizens cast their vote in the UK Referendum on whether the UK leaves or stays in the EU – this… Read more »

Opportunistic Leading

Many dancers have asked me where I find the time to think about the patterns that I lead; especially given the speed that I can lead. The answer is that I do not think about what moves I will lead next but use Opportunistic Leading. This blog describes the concept of Opportunistic Leading, why I prefer… Read more »

What, Why and When of Salsa

The world of Salsa has changed remarkably over the last decade; from the number of people that dance, to the number of teachers and more importantly the awareness of Salsa as a dance activity.  Ask your colleagues or family members about Salsa dancing and you will get an opinion. However, as Salsa has grown the teaching… Read more »

My Performance Courses

In my blogs, I am quite vocal against the proliferation of Salsa Performance Courses and the impact they have on up and coming dancers and the future of the scene. Some of my previous blogs about Performance Courses can be read here: Performance Courses – gives my perspective on the pros and cons associated with taking one… Read more »

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Latest

  • Salsa Heroes

    There are a vast number of personalities in the Salsa community but in this post, I want to draw attention to those that I consider being the unsung heroes of the Salsa scene. People will dance Salsa for many reasons but the growth of the Salsa scene is not dependent on the number or quality… Read more »

  • Salsa Training Wheels

    Learning something new is never easy. To aid the Salsa learning process instructors use training wheels to remove fear,  uncertainty and to provide a safe and predictable framework for learning. However eventually this can act as a restricting chain which must be broken for the sake of your dancing. In this post I will highlight some… Read more »

  • Transferable Skills from Salsa

    Having recently retired from Salsa I decided to try my hand at West Coast Swing. After going to classes I realised that there are some elements from Salsa that really helped me. After thinking about this more I realised that it has nothing to do with Salsa but life attributes that have been heightened through… Read more »

  • Internal Conflict in Salsa

    During my time as a Salsa instructor in London I have worked with many students. Now that I am retired I write these articles to share my opinions and to help, guide or inspire dancers. While this article may not apply to you I will talk about the internal conflicts within Salsa dancers, so why not read on? Internal Conflicts Today information… Read more »

  • Breeding Robots

    We all know what it means to be a robotic Salsa dancer i.e. a dancer that has no unique movement, no individuality and looks like they are just going through the motions in a well drilled manner. If you are new to Salsa this is common in your early stages of development but after years… Read more »

  • Glass Ceiling

    I have been active in the London Salsa Scene as a dancer and teacher for more than 10 years. To grow as an instructor I have spoken to many aspiring dancers about their growth in Salsa and one reoccurring theme with students has always been how to break through periods of stagnation – a metaphorical… Read more »