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SALSA Simplemente!September 20 LATESTThis site last updated - 6 October 2008
Through the year so far the flow of newcomers to salsa continues unabated. It's great to see so many people taking that most difficult step - the first one onto the dance floor. So if you are reading this because you are interested in salsa, either dying to do it or tempted to try it, just come along to one of the sessions and have fun while you learn in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. As a beginner you will not be alone - walk in and dance out.
Scroll down for more details of venues, classes, times, and answers to many Frequently Asked Questions.
Diary Dates
NO Sunday Salsa Workshop at Grosvenor, Heaton, Sunday 19 October 2008
NO Sunday Salsa Workshop at Grosvenor, Heaton, Sunday 23 November 2008 Christmas Salsa party night at the Grosvenor, Heaton, Saturday 6 December 2008 Ticket details soon
Winter Salsa Ball the Three Tuns Hotel, Durham Saturday27 December 2008 8.00 pm to 1.00 am (bar 7.30 to 1.00). The annual opportunity to dump the jeans and T-shirts, to dress and impress, and to burn off those excess Christmas calories. No classes, no cabarets, no food (just a refreshing fruit buffet) – simply a night of socialising and dancing. (Photos from last year are in my Picasa Web Album - see below). As there is a limit on numbers this is a ticket-only function, there will be no opportunity to pay on the door. Tickets are £8 and are available from me at any of my venues, or send me an email and I'll tell you where to send your cheque and SAE.
Photos Viewing Pictures in the Windows Live albums - If you can't see all the pictures in the albums alongside here, or see them full size, you may need to temporarily adjust any firewall privacy settings - temporarily turn OFF both Cookie Control and Ad Blocking.
Most of my pictures are now in my Picasa Web Album where the they load more quickly.
August 08 Welcome to SALSA Simplemente!Welcome to SALSA Simplemente! Hello and welcome to my little bit of Space in t’internet land, a simple allotment in the market garden of cyberspace. OK, so it’s not as pretty as a proper web site and it’s not as slick – no tabs or fancy drop-down menus. But it does have all the information I would put on a web-site – all you have to do is scroll down a bit.
The Space contains a series of Blogs (evidently it’s cyberspeak for web-logs), essentially text boxes with the following contents:
SALSA Simplemente! What's in a Name?SALSA Simplemente! What's in a Name? I’ve taken a little bit of poetic licence with the expression SALSA Simplemente! It can mean both “simply salsa" (as in “only salsa”) or “salsa simply”, both of which I think are appropriate. Apart from a little merengue here and there, a cha-cha now and then, plus a bachata or two, I simply dance salsa. And in my classes, hopefully, that's the way I teach too, slowly and simply.
Where are the Classes?Where Are The Classes?
DEXTER’S GROSVENOR DANCE CENTRE, Chillingham Road, HEATON, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5LL
(Most) Sundays, 3.00 - 6.30.
The Sunday Salsa Workshops have been running for some years now and many people in the area, who once thought they had two left feet, learned here and are now certifiable salsaholics – me included. For the moment the format is generally as follows:
Not only is it a great place to learn, but it's also a great opportunity to practise to moderate paced music with loads of time and space. There’s an open invitation for everyone to ask for help during the free-dance periods—everyone gets stuck now and then and I’m more than willing to help. The Grosvenor is a full size ballroom with excellent wooden dance floor and bar. Location - Junction of Chillingham Road and Tosson Terrace. The entrance is in Tosson Terrace – look for the Bookmakers on the corner. Click here for a Map. Tel 0191 2652868. Entry is £6 for the whole afternoon (£5 NUS).
GALA THEATRE, Millennium Place, DURHAM - Mondays, 7.30 - 11.00. Second floor - "The Studio". Large modern room, excellent wooden dance floor, bar, balcony wih views over Durham. It's very close to the city centre and less than 5 minutes walk from Prince Bishops' secure multi-storey carpark. Click here for a Map. Classes:
Then the floor is yours until 11.00 pm. It’s not a late night venue and class time is limited. The classes here are aimed at beginners, novices and improvers. In either case I want people to learn a little, enjoy themselves a lot and come back for a little bit more. But on the last Monday of the month I’ll probably do something that’s a little more , erm, “challenging” for the more accomplished dancers, many of whom come along early to help with the classes and stay to dance afterwards. Entry is £5 (£4 NUS).
Salsa Classes - FAQs
Salsa Classes - FAQs
Do I need to be able to dance?
No! A sense of rhythm is a benefit but a sense of fun is more important. I will take you right from step 1.
I teach slowly and methodically. I don't want you to go away feeling frustrated and confused, I want you to learn a little, have fun and come back for more.
Do I need to book?
No. Even if you are a complete beginner there is no need to book. There are nearly always some beginners every week so you won't feel out of place - just turn up in time for the beginners' class.
Is there a course for beginners?
No. There is no course as such and therefore no start date. The beginners' class is very similar each time; it's the a, b, c of salsa, concentrating on basic steps and rhythm. The second class includes basic moves for novices so you will steadily build up a repetoire of simple combinations.
If I do the beginners' class, can I do the second class too?
Absolutley, there's no extra charge. I always invite beginners to join in the second class if they were comfortable in the beginners' session. The second class has to accommodate a range of abilities from recent beginners to regular dancers so I always put something in at the start of the second session to help novices. If only that bit sticks it's still progress.
Is it friendly?
Absolutely! Very relaxed and friendly. It's not strict, just strictly fun dancing.
What should I wear?
Casual is the norm, there's no need to dress up. One point though, if possible wear leather or hard-rubber soled shoes. Trainers are not recommended for beginners - it's not a work-out session; they will prevent you turning easily and may put strain on your ankles and knees.
Do I need a partner?
No. Just come along. Typically people come along in pairs or small groups for the first few times but once they realise how relaxed and friendly it is then many come alone.
How old do I have to be?
18 or over- my insurance only extends to cover adult classes.
Remember —
The hardest step is the first one onto the dance floor.
SALSA Simplemente! About MeSALSA Simplemente! About Me I had no previous dance experience, but a liking for Latin music, when I started taking salsa lessons at a local Health Club in 1999. To start with I was hopeless. But finally the penny dropped and once I had conquered the basics I became hooked and started dancing more and more, attending workshops in Newcastle and then further afield (Pontins Weekenders) - then as far as Cuba in 2004 and again in 2007. At the end of 2004 I qualified as a dance instructor with the UKA. My interest in Cuban music and dance gives me a preference for Cuban style salsa which can be very intricate but is also very fluid, expressive and a great deal of fun. I also love La Rueda, the Cuban-style group dance which is fabulous to watch and great fun to perform – and even more fun when it goes wrong. I teach common salsa basics so that people have a general background without specialising in any particular style. I teach slowly and methodically with particular emphasis on:
Salsa is not a strict dance; it is fluid, stylised and open to musical and personal interpretation. Above all it is fun. I want people, especially non-dancers, to try salsa and find out just how easy it is to learn. Just as importantly, I want people to have fun while they are learning. My thoughts about learning salsa can be summed up in three lines:
and the most important of all:
CDs - Suggestions for NovicesCDs - Suggestions for Novices
Once people get bitten by the salsa bug they often ask me, “What CDs should I buy to practise to?” And many times they follow that up with, “I bought one the other day and it’s too fast!”
Well, recommending anything like CDs is dangerous at the best of times, everyone’s tastes differ. But for novices ….. A minefield!
My first suggestion is: never buy a CD with a scantily clad young lady on the cover - that tends to be the best part of the CD. Believe me, I know, I’ve got loads of them!
Salsa, like many things in life, is better when you start off slowly and gradually get faster. So my recommendations to novices are generally of slower tempos. I’m not going to write reams about these CDs, there are plenty of comments online. I’m just going to point you in the right direction —just follow the links.
It may seem logical to jump straight to Cuba but my first and strongest recommendation is from Africa, Senegal to be precise. Where would teachers be without Africando? All their albums are excellent and have a cross-section of tempos. All have distinct, clear rhythms and the slower tracks are great for novices.
Then perhaps something with a Cuban influence. Cuban compilations usually include Son, which novices may consider to be just slow salsa (wrongly as it happens but don't worry about it), plus some cha-cha, all of which are easy listening. This compilation, The Beginner's Guide to Cuba, has 3 CDs and is great value.
Good general salsa compilations are I Love Salsa and More I love Salsa.
Salsa! is quite an old compilation (2001) but it does have a large number of moderate paced tunes that will suit novices.
I suppose I have to recommend a CD with a name like Simply Salsa (even more so as it contains a track called Cuban Pete) and it seems an obvious choice with a name like that - and when its bright red pepper is peering at you from the CD rack. It’s a great value four-CD box set but beware, it’s salsa in the broadest sense. Yes it has some moderate paced salsa tracks but the majority are older traditional Cuban tracks - son, bolero and cha cha cha. Enjoy the CD for what it is, a great cross section of traditional music (plus some bang up to date ones) but don’t expect 52 tracks of moderate salsa to practise to.
There are some other CD box sets worthy of consideration and which are both undoubtedly great value. The first is The Beginners Guide to Salsa, another seemingly obvious choice but its content rather belies its title. Each of the three CDs is entitled to suggest a gradual increase in tempo, from Warming Up! through Getting Hotter! to Dancefloor Meltdown! But having measured the tempos of all the tracks I can say that the mixture on each CD is not as clear cut as the titles would suggest. True novices may well alarmed by the speed of some of the tracks but there’s something in there for them too. Overall it’s a great compilation and well worth the money.
Consider, too, The Essential Guide to Salsa. This three CD set has a similar mixture of tempos but I would suggest it has more to suit novices.
At the end of 2006 The Beginners Guide to Salsa, vol 2 was released. Once again it is a three-CD boxed set but, unlike vol 1, the tempos of the three CDs do indeed reflect their titles of Beginners, Improvers and Advanced. Once again the beginners CD uses mostly son and cha cha cha but it's very suitable for beginners.
Forthcoming Events Forthcoming Events
This section currently blank. Previous EventsPrevious Events MAY SALSA BALL IN THE WINTER GARDENS OF BEAMISH HALL (2007) “This is the STILL the highlight of my social calendar,” said one seasoned salsero, again beaming from ear to ear. For this, the third Salsa Ball at Beamish Hall, the weather was not so kind; too cold to stroll on the lawns. I thought three in a row was too much to hope for!! But the bubbly reception and the chocs of choice for such an occasion seemed to lift everyone's spirits. The soft evening light through the skylights was perfect for pictures, especially as the ladies had done it again and provided a stunning show and looked absolutely fabulous. There are some pictures in the album columns to give you a flava but the whole collection is in my Picasa Web Album. Once again it was lovely to see so many recent converts to salsa burning the floor alongside the regulars, or just watching entranced. A fabulous night.
May Salsa Ball at Beamish Hall Saturday 3 May 2008
Once again the simple recipe was a great success - put lovely people in an equally lovely setting, wrap them in some great latin tracks and it just becomes a fabulous night. Although a couple of ladies did say that it was lovely to see the guys smartly dressed and looking gorgeous (their words, not mine), there's no doubt that it was the ladies who took the honours in the dress stakes once again. Absolutely fabulous ladies. Outstanding!! Thanks to those who have sent me their photos which I have now finished editing so you can see the dresses again and, perhaps, yourselves in action on the dance floor too. Click here for my Picasa Web Album.
June 29 Contact MeContact Me
For further information about classes or salsa in the Tyne and Wear area then please contact me:
 0796 954 3437Subscribe for regular eMail News I send out an eMail News every couple of weeks or so. Not just about what is happening in my classes but also about classes, concerts, dance nights and other salsa related events in the area. To subscribe just send an email with Subscribe in the subject line to:
salsasimplemente@hotmail.co.uk Please remember to alter your spam/junk mail filters (especially AOL users) to enable delivery of my emails directly into your Inbox.
(Confidentiality: I will not pass your email address to any third party)
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