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 of framing what I see in… Read more »

PSS: Building up to the Perfect Social

I have been involved in Salsa events and organisations 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 »

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… 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… 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 of… Read more »

Building a Salsa School (Part 2) Customers

Running a Salsa School is just like running any other business. In the previous article, we talked about the need to understand your own purpose which will give you conviction during the inevitable hard times. In this article, I want to talk about the Customers of the Salsa Scene, how to reach them and the… Read more »

Connection in Salsa

The second part of my leading series is about connection and will cover how I create a physical and emotional connection with my partner. In the physical connection section, I will talk about my ideas behind preparation, initiation, development and finally the lead. In the emotional connection section I will talk about mood, energy, empathy and how this… Read more »

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Latest

  • The Right Stuff

    There are people around the world who are born with a natural talent or rather an advantage in a particular activity. If you combine natural talent with work ethic and you end up with an amazing result. I personally do not believe that I was born with any particular talent and although I have done… Read more »

  • Salsa Shows

    I have frequented professional dance shows for a while now; contemporary, ballet, hip hop and everything that strikes my fancy. I have never taken a massive liking to Salsa shows and have always wondered why. Why can I pay a premium to visit the theatre but not sit through a set of Salsa shows even… Read more »

  • Tip #5 for Instant Improvement

    This is the final article in the rapid improvement set; these five articles were written to be thought provoking and will hopefully awaken your awareness, make you think about your learning, give to you the motivation to move on when you are ready and make you want find your limits through stretching yourself. The final… Read more »

  • Tip #4 for Instant Improvement

    I have a hobby of watching new dancers in London and over the last 5 years, I have scouted and kept an eye on several dancers who show potential. Just think of someone who follows the youth team in a sport curious to see who the next big thing will be. I don’t just stop… Read more »

  • Tip #3 for Instant Improvement

    My next tip for improving your Salsa is to instil the following mind set “Move on Quickly”. While people start to fume about this statement and start seeing red I will state that there is a difference between Moving On Quickly (moving between instructors and schools) and Rushing Up Levels (moving up classes). For me… Read more »

  • Tip #2 for Instant Improvement

    My second tip for rapid salsa progression would seem to contradict the title but is definitely a key driver in those that progress quickly; all those that follow this tip find themselves in a much better place compared to their peers. My second tip is to “Master Less Material“. I want to approach each of… Read more »