Salsa City Forum » Salsa Music and Dance » Please Girls / Ladies don't leave the classes early!

The beginners class at Que Pasa was spot on last night we had equal numbers of girls/ladies to guys.

Later we started the improvers class and we had just one or two extra guys which wasn’t too much of a problem as Tammi rotated the female partners between the spare guys.

The problem came when part way through the class some the girls/ladies left the class early! This unfortunately this left us with a ridiculous situation of eight guys having to share three girls and Tammi as partners.

At one stage us spare guys looked like we were in a T’ai Chi class as we were trying to practice the moves with our invisible partners.

Ok you all may have had legitimate reasons why you couldn’t stay, but please don’t let this become a habit.

Again I appeal to all you girls/ladies out there to come and top up the imbalance in Tammi’s classes, a slight surplus of females is not so much of a problem as surplus of guys. Come on us guys aren’t that bad, and we don’t bite!

Don’t let the disappearing women bother you too much. Not everyone has the same commitment. Try to give every woman you dance with a good experience, but don’t be too disappointed if you never see your favourites again. It happens a lot.

Yes Hugh I’m generally used to the fact when we partner up in Cuba and say ‘Hi’, to a new partner it’s seems quite often the case that they do not come the next week. In contrast The Wharf is mainly comprised of regulars.

Last night at Que Pasa was a different scenario to that at Cuba, which us guys who were there felt disrupted the class.

However since writing this thread earlier, it’s crossed my mind that possibly the females who left early may have felt uncomfortable with repertoire we were being taught which included an intimate body wiggle in a reverse position with the guy facing away from the girl.

This has prompted me to consider from now on it maybe worth asking new partners whether they feel comfortable trying a new intimate move when they have seen it demonstrated by the teacher for the first time. The ‘yogurt stirrer’ is another move that maybe some girls may find crowds their space.

It’s just a suggestion to you guys in admin, but is it worth putting a bit of advice in the FAQ section of this website aimed at beginners in particular (unless it already exists) about etiquette and the intimacy of some of the moves. In fact I think Andy’s website has some advice along these lines.

What form do you think that advice should take? You can put it here. In my experience overly intimate moves in partner dancing classes are quite rare. Rueda might be a bit different. As Tom implied in another post, the “yogurt” in “Yogur” is a metaphor. So I can understand that a woman might be a bit taken aback to encounter that move in her first class.

Hey all,

Last night (Que Pasa) was my first Salsa class and I’m happy to say I really enjoyed myself!

I knew before I arrived that I would have to switch partners during the class and was initially pretty nervous about this! I tried not to cling on to my boyfriend too much and after the first hour became a lot more confident.

We stayed on for the improvers class and although it was a bit hectic swapping to try to accomodate the 5-1 (or 8-1!!!) guy-girl ratio, I had a great time and left with a big smile!

Can’t wait for next week’s class :o)

Hugh, there are a number of moves I’ve encountered that I think of as “just a couple of inches away from downright sleazy” -- leads where the hand is on the hip, for example, or when you’re thigh-to-thigh -- but it’s those couple of inches that make the difference.

I’ve nothing against sleazy dancing but I tend to restrict it to when it’s me and the husband.

Thanks Rhi, for rotating with us spare guys.

Yes, I can now understand that if that was your first class you were a bit nervous to rotate partners.

Your first class though, to stay on to do the improvers in the first week, I’m really impressed! You certainly seem to have taken to Salsa like a duck to water!

Hugh, I think it may be best if we invite all girls / ladies out there to add any comments about how they feel about certain intimate moves. Like Elena has already done, thanks Elena. That way us guys may be able to learn a thing or two. But like I said earlier, I think with new partners it’s just a case of asking them if they feel comfortable giving a new intimate move a try.

Also, I think the dip moves are a matter of trust and I don’t think they should be attempted unless both partners have seen it demonstrated by a teacher. Because the last thing you want is for the girl to end up in heap on the floor or, worse still, the guy falling on top of her.

When I asked one of my partners last night at Risa, about trying a reverse dip she wasn’t comfortable to give it a go because she hadn’t seen it demonstrated which was fair enough and I respected that so we gave it a miss.

Cheeky is one thing, sleazy is another. I’d say that Andy’s moves fall into the former category, unlike some I’ve seen from other teachers. It is a matter of judgement, though: moves that some women find amusing, others might find offensive.

Dai, your approach to dipping is exactly right: if in doubt, don’t. It’s very easy to injure a woman with a dip even if she doesn’t end up on the floor.

Yes Tom, some of the dip moves I’ve seen performed at Cuba after the classes look a bit iffy. Have any of you girls out there ended up with bad backs?

Another move I saw being performed after the classes last night at The Wharf last night was where the girl faces away from the guy in double armed cross over hold.

Again if the girl has not seen this move demonstrated, and it is imposed on her by surprise by a male partner who is a bit heavy handed the consequences appear potentially painful!