Class Report

Salsa for Beginners

Teachers: Regina Lam and Victor Yang (pictured, far left)
Documentarian: Erika Rydberg
Location: Dance Place in Brookland
Date: Jan. 10, 2014

See more photos of this class on Flickr!

What we learned: Keep your feet going. Start moving with purpose and rhythm on the the balls of your feet.

As with many other dance forms, simply watching yourself in the mirror can help you figure out what you’re doing. Ladies, skip the heels: Socks, bare feet, or jazz shoes are best for beginners.

We also learned that gender roles are changing in the salsa world, and competitive salsa dancers can dance with same-sex partners at any level.

Where to dance:
Salsa Room
Habana Village
Lucky Strike on Sunday nights
Boveda
Cuba Libre

Many of these locations also offer free or low-cost classes. For a more traditional classroom environment, try DC Style Salsa Academy in Silver Spring.

Other Resources
DC Salsa Meetup
Queer Ladies Latin Dancing Meetup
Stuck on Salsa’s events calendar

See more photos of this class on Flickr!


Erika Rydberg, a D.C. transplant from the northernly lands of Boston, got involved with Knowledge Commons DC after an awesome experience in a Brookline, Mass., community skillshare during her college days. By day she works at a library and by night she can be found performing poetry, listening to music, or cooking copious amounts of vegetarian food.