Our Levels

We are frequently asked “How long does it take to learn to dance?”. Our answer is that it depends on several factors and usually longer than most of our new students expect. We recommend that everyone start with our 101 level (even if you have take a class or two before us).

Here are our the different levels of our classes and an average of how long our students take to progress through our different levels.

101: 5 classes (Beginner)
102: 5-10 classes (Beg+)
201: 3-12 months (Intermediate)
301: 12 month + (Advanced)

As an example, if you have taken a few free lessons at a club, you would be a fit for our 101 class (Salsa or Bachata). If you have taken a few classes and can do basics but don’t know how to do some of the fancier moves you see others do, you should start with our 102 level for Salsa, or 201 for Bachata. If you moved from a different city where you were taking regular lessons for 6 months, you would be a good fit for our 201 level in Salsa. If you were dancing at a studio on a dance team for 2-3 years, you would be a good fit for our 301 classes. If you are learning both Salsa and Bachata, our Salsa syllabus is a lot tougher and expansive than our Bachata syllabus, so you might be ready for our Bachata 201 before the Salsa 201.

Salsa/Bachata 101

This is the starting point if you are looking to learn Salsa or Bachata. If you have never danced before, or you have taken a dance class at a dance club, this is where you would start. You will learn basics, how to dance on beat, footwork for turns and a few simple turn patterns.

This is a repeating class with a fixed syllabus. It typically takes around 5 of these for Salsa (Salsa 101) and around 3 of these for Bachata (Bachata 101). This is because Salsa has more fundamentals you need to learn as well as Salsa music being faster.

At the end of this level you would know the following –

Salsa:
Footwork – Basic step, side step, cumbia, right turn, broken left
Partnerwork – Right turn for the follower, right turn for the lead and crossbody leads

Bachata:
Footwork – Basic steps, basic three step turns, flare and slide, box basic
Partnerwork – Inside turns for the follower, turn for the lead and a couple of other simple turn patterns.

Salsa 102

Students in this level have typically been taking regular classes for 1-3 months. Can you lead/follow a basic step, right turn and a cross-body lead? Can you count the music? Then, you are ready for our 102 level class. This is where the fun begins! In this level, you will be learning some cool footwork patterns that you can do during the footwork section of a social dance, some cool patterns and styling to go with it. Our syllabus is designed to get you moving, learning, and dancing as quickly as possible!

At the end of this level you would know the following –

Footwork – Right turn, left turn, broken left, half right half left, susie Q, front double cross, basic with slide up, round step
Partnerwork – I go – you go, cross body lead (CBL) with left turn, CBL with right turn, CBL wrap/unwrap, cumbia

Salsa 201

Students in this level have been taking regular classes for 3-12 months. Can you lead/follow a cross-body-lead with left and right turns? Can you count the music? Do you know which foot goes with each number in the music? That’s a good sign that you are ready for the 201 level class. If you are not sure about what these mean, we recommend you take our 102 level classes.

In this level, you will learn all the basic building blocks of Salsa. We don’t promise that you will be able to execute all the fancy moves that you see experts do, but you will be able to see what are the the building blocks behind each move. Our 201 syllabus is our greatest achievement. From years of helping dancers bridge the gap between beginner and intermediate, we have devised a curriculum which will teach you both the theory behind the moves and the practice moves you will need to master to be able to learn and execute the advanced moves in the future. This is where your dance journey will be solidified. You will learn the most popular patterns which you can lead wherever in the world you might go. All our moves are designed to be build upon later in the next level.

Our Salsa classes are all on1.

Bachata 201

Students in this level have been taking regular classes for 2-12 months. We do not currently have a 102 level for Bachata, so the jump from 101 to 201 can be challenging.

In this level, you will learn more advanced body movement, different ways of interpreting music, some challenging footwork combos and challenging partnerwork combos.

Our Bachata classes have a small footwork section and then turn patterns. We do patterns which are appropriate for both traditional style and sensual style.

Salsa/Bachata 301

This is our advanced level class. Can you do a double turn? If the answer is “easily” you can try our 301 level. This level is for students who have been taking lessons for at least 12 months.

We will be working on advanced footwork, body movement, and turn patterns.