Organisers & Instructors

Neil & Giedre are the club organisers and instructors. Both are experienced in salsa cubana (Cuban salsa), la rueda de casino ( 'the wheel'), cross body on 1 salsa and also traditional bachata beginners level to get you started.

Club Ethos

The aim of the club is to spread the joy and happiness of dancing salsa whilst meeting people and making friends and to prepare students to be able to dance salsa socially or special occasions. We provide a fun, relaxed environment that's inclusive of everyone regardless of ability, age, gender or anything else. Indeed, it's quite normal that Giedre might lead in classes (i.e. the traditional 'male' part) and Neil might teach follower ('ladies') steps at times.

Learning

The main purpose of classes is of course to learn the dance fundamentals which we do following structured learning in 6 week cycles. It often improves fitness and it's also an easy way to make friends, but our objective is getting you to a level where you could attend social events or dancing at a special occasion like a wedding in 2 or 3 courses.

Classes & Partnering

Students rotate and dance with each other during classes as this helps to build up the overall skill level of the group as well as promote the beautiful social spirit of salsa.

Sometimes couples request to only dance with each other, however this is not beneficial to them, the group or the instructors as you become locked in to only understanding one lead or follower, falling behind when one partner advances at a slower pace and reinforcing errors or issues with technique. Rotating partners helps to overcome this and allows instruction to progress within the course timeframe without ending up in what's called 'class-in-class' lessons where the couple ultimately receives extra tuition at the expense of the group and falls short in ability, or become a distraction to the rest of the group.

It's also part of the salsa spirit that those who start gaining more experience can begin to help those with less experience to progress.

All of this is standard practice across salsa dancing clubs.

Dance Practice

Whilst classes are a group learning experience, if you are a couple or can get a dance partner then practicing outside of the class is the perfect way to progress. We sometimes add an extra 30 minutes 'social' / practice time to the end of the class for you to continue to practice and it's a great time to ask the instructors for any extra help or tips. This is valuable time to make use of. We also share out videos in our Whatsapp group explaining the moves in the lesson to aid your learning and home practice.

If you want more personal attention, or to receive home instruction as a couple without partner swapping, then you can book 1-2-1 private tuition normally attended by a male and female instructor together at £40/hour in or around Droitwich / Worcester.

Communication

We generally use Whatsapp to communicate with students after receiving permission to add you to the group. We may also send SMS messages in certain situations or occasional emails. You can remove yourself from Whatsapp by leaving the group at any time. Please advise if you wish to opt-out of any other communications. We generally remove people from mailing lists every 6-12 months if they show no interest in attending classes or social events.

Health

Please only attend classes when you are in good health (including not having colds and viruses), fit enough to dance and injury free as we cannot take responsibility for health nor injury. Classes are structured so that there is a break after lineups before class, then a break half way through. If at any point you feel unwell or have pain, stop immediately and inform your instructor and follow their directions. As part of class planning, we minimise excessive spins and do not practice dips to avoid stress on ankles and backs.

Safeguarding and Partner Awareness

Salsa is a close partner dance where physical contact is part of leading and following. We ask all dancers to be mindful of hand placement and body positioning to ensure everyone feels comfortable and respected. While accidental contact can sometimes occur, especially during turns or fast moves, we encourage all participants to stay aware, communicate openly, and avoid touching anywhere inappropriate. Creating a safe, welcoming environment is a shared responsibility for both leads and followers. By attending classes you are agreeing to 'negotiated touch' including allowing instructors to place hands for holds and changing posture. If this is something you prefer not to happen then please advise your instructor in advance of the class. Students always have the right to refuse physical correction without explanation. Students should always be asked for consent before giving a demonstration.

Feedback / DSL

We are always open to receiving your feedback whether compliments or ideas, or any issues or complaints that affect you in our classes where we will try to help you within the ethos and lesson structure that we operate to. This is best brought up outside of the actual lessons by talking to the instructors after class or messaging privately via Whatsapp. Your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Neil Whelan 07972 196474.

Acceptable Behaviour

It's fairly obvious that everyone must be polite and respectful to each other and inclusive towards other students, which is all part and parcel of having a fun and enjoyable environment. As in any educational environment this means following what the instructors ask in class, they're the captain of the ship.

We take seriously the duty of care to all our students and their learning, so should a student act to the detriment of how we operate or has a negative effect on other students then we will act to resolve the situation as friendly as possible but as a last resort we reserve the right to expel a student with immediate effect.

Professional Boundaries

While the salsa community is social, messages must remain professional. Avoid overly familiar language, excessive use of "flirtatious" emojis, or discussing personal/private life matters. Any messaging that is suggestive, harassing, or discriminatory will be treated as a breach of our Safeguarding Policy and may lead to immediate termination of membership or employment.

Social Events

We love going out to social events to dance! We always let all our students know when they're taking place on our salsa events page, as well as giving tips on how to get dance-ready for a social. We also run non-salsa get-togethers from time-to-time such as bowling nights and meals out together. Hopefully we'll be seeing you at one soon!