Salsa beginners course

This depends on the activity. For the Salsa Beginners Course, we prioritize those who want to take part in the entire experience - as we want to give them the best experience. Also, Cuban Salsa requires more than a single class to have a real feel of it.

However, if you insist, you can ask us a day before the course starts. If there is still a spot, you could allow that. Please be mindful that many of our courses get fully booked by then.

Every few months, we also give a taster class that you could join one time only.

We predominantly teach in English in La Candela. Why? Because we believe it helps us create an international atmosphere. Cuban culture is very different than German, and the international vibes help you connect with it.

Is your English not good enough? It doesn't need to be perfect. We also teach through our body and by example. Many of our students say that their English improved a lot just by joining our community.

Our teachers do speak various langauges including German, Spanish, and others. So, depending on the teacher, you will be able to connect with us in your native language as well.

Our cooperation with Urban Sports Club is limited. And generally the Salsa Beginners Course is not available through Urban Sports Club. However:

Discounted La Candela membership for USC Members:
The best offer we have for USC memberships is a discount on La Candela memberships - 20 euro monthly off any La Candela membership . You can check the options here.
Membership with a discount needs to be registered manually. Please contact us if you are interested.

Promotional classes:
Every few months ,we open a promotional class that you could join with.

Why do we not open our classes for USC?
We love the dance and we want to give the best experience and education for our students. The compensation by Urban Sports Club simply doesn't allow us to do so.

What does a better experience include?

• Highly experienced & educated teachers.
• Longer classes that offer real progression
• Balance between men & women in class.
• A clear path to grow as a salsa dancer - one of the most extensive programs for Salsa dancers.
• Great conditions in terms of studio, sounds system, flooring  etc..
• A care for our community, going to dance together, social gatherings, and international festivals outings.

Some of our classes are offered through ClassPass & WellHub (not WellPass). Unfortunately - this extends only to Solo classes, and therefore the Salsa Beginners Course is not offered through them.

Why do we not open the course for ClassPass/WellHub/WellPass?
We love the dance and we want to give the best experience and education for our students - part of it is to ensure we have a similar number of men & women (or leaders and followers) throughout the course. This is only possible through our in-house system.

The Salsa world can be casual or fancy - it's up to you. We recommend coming in comfortable. Some pointers:

Shoes

• No Street shoes are allowed on the dance floor. You can use any other type of shoe that you do not use for the Street.
• High heels are permitted on the dancefloor only if they are designed for dance. (Otherwise, they can scratch the floor).
• More on Shoes for Salsa can be found here.

Clothes

• Come as you are. We recommend comfortable clothes or coming smart. We do not recommend any clothing that feels restrictive.

Smell Nice

We cannot understate how impactful it is to smell great to your partner. Please consider the following:

• Use of effective deodorant, and perfumes is highly recommended.
• If it's been a while since you brushed your teeth, a mint or gum is highly helpful.
• If it's been a long day, consider bringing a second fresh shirt for class.
• Keep the lovely garlic meal for another day.

If there are spots available, you technically could, and you can contact us in order to do so. (Normally our system is locked to purchase the entire course).

However, please be mindful that our Salsa Beginners Course is progressive and you will miss material. It shouldn't be a major issue to join in the second class, but it will get difficult from the third class on without any previous experience.

It’s highly individual. Are you familiar with and comfortable performing: the Right Turn, Guapea, Enchufla, and Dile Que No? If so, you may be ready to join the Improver level.

Keep in mind that it’s not only about what you know, but also how you execute it—your timing, connection, and overall technique matter just as much.

We offer level checks free of charge to help you find the right level for you. Come to our Salsa & Friends event and asks us for it. Or contact us to arrange for an apointment in another day.

Our Salsa Beginners course is designed to be progressive. While it's fine to miss 1 or 2 classes, more than that will make for a difficult course and it's worth to consider joining in another iteration.

Some pinpoints:

• We repeat the material of previous classes - but we do so rather fast.
• If you miss classes, it's recommended to put some effort into recapping the material. You can do so via our Salsa Academy Video Archive, via meeting friends from the course or by taking a private class.
• Missing two consecutive classes makes for a hard comeback.

The Salsa Beginners course is designed for absolute beginners. At the beginning, the pace may feel slow, but it gradually picks up. This is intentional, as we cover a lot of essential information that is specific to Salsa Cubana—details you might miss if you join higher-level classes, where this knowledge is already assumed.

If you already know Salsa LA or NY style, some material will feel familiar. However, it’s the small but important differences that will help you dance the Cuban style authentically.

For this reason, if you want to learn Salsa Cubana properly and build good habits from the very beginning, we recommend a bit of patience.

If you feel impatient or would like to progress faster, you can also take private classes to accelerate the beginner level and then join the higher-level courses sooner.

Unfortunately, we do not allow watchers in our classes. This is a policy that is meant to keep our students feeling comfortable during class. Try it out! What's the worse that could happen? 😉

While it is possible, we don’t recommend it for most dancers. From our experience, students learn much more by dancing with different partners. This also reflects the reality of the social dance scene—at most socials, dancers change partners every song or two.

That said, if this is still your preference for any reason, you may ask the teacher not to rotate. In that case, you’ll likely be placed at the side of the class so the partner rotation can continue smoothly without disruption.

Aweome. We totally support that. That's not uncommon and the community is generally very open minded.

If you will discover any issue we have strict Code of Conduct policy and you can contact us for support.

Normally, we recommend beginners start by purchasing the Salsa Beginners course as a full course—it’s simple and low-commitment.

However, in some cases, other options may be a better fit:

5-Class Punch Card
Useful if you can’t attend every class and prefer to pay only for the sessions you join. Please note that you’ll need to register for each class individually; otherwise, your spot is not guaranteed.

10-Class Punch Card
Ideal if you already know you’d like to try additional classes or plan to continue dancing. The 10-class card offers more flexibility and a better price per class.

Membership
This is the most cost-effective option per class. If you’re already committed, this is the way to go. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to register for each class individually.