Justin,
And all beginners, I am a relative and fairly slow learning beginner I have done Salsa for about three months in Stellan’s beginners class and a couple of others.
Justin I think your ‘enthusiasm over technique’ may actually be an advantage in the freestyle dance at the end, I tend to dance within my self and not really try a new move till I have really nailed it. When you actually watch some of the better dancers you will find that in many cases whilst technically sound they actually make up quite a lot of moves, and in some cases it is just a case of being willing to try something.
I went along to my first (begginers) class on my own and had a great time, the opening class usually drills the basic steps into you, and there are usually plenty of absolute beginners each week.
Also don’t try to progress too quickly, the key to getting better is not to learn a lot of moves but to truly master the basic footwork (mambo, back basic, Rhumba) I found that (for me) I made a large leap forward when I drilled these basic steps at home for 5-10 minutes a day each day, and can just about do an intermediate class in some of the clubs I attend.
