Most people appreciate watching others dance well, but not everyone feels like they are capable of learning themselves. Anyone can learn to dance, even if you have no prior experience with a beginner Salsa and Bachata class. Learning to dance, especially social dancing, can benefit your life in many surprising ways.
Physical Benefits
Learning to dance can be a great way to improve your physical health and fitness level. It is an effective way to exercise because it keeps your body moving, but it doesn’t feel like exercise because you are having fun. Unlike running on a treadmill for your cardiovascular exercise, dancing alleviates the boredom associated with exercise. It can increase your lung capacity, slow down the aging process, improve circulation, and keep joints loose. It can also burn calories, improve stamina, and help with blood sugar levels.
Dancing is also a great way to improve your balance, coordination, and posture. Because it helps tone muscles that act as a stabilizing force for your body, it will help you balance better and stand up straight. Learning the foot and arm movements improves your overall coordination as you become more aware of how you move your body as a whole. Sometimes athletes or martial artists learn to dance for these exact reasons because it is a skill that transfers to all areas of your life.
Other Benefits
Dancing can have benefits that extend past your physical health as well. Because social dancing means making quick decisions about how to lead and follow for each move, it also keeps your mind sharp. Adapting to new situations quickly helps to improve decision-making abilities, sharpens mental acuity, shortens mental reaction time, and improves reflexes. This is useful in dance, but will also help you in all other areas.
Participating in dance can raise endorphin levels which helps to fight stress levels and depression. Being more aware of your body and how it moves can help to make you feel more comfortable and confident in yourself.
It also promotes a lot of social growth. When you enroll in a beginner Salsa and Bachata class, you will meet different people who share your same interests. People who want to learn how to dance are friendly and eager to try new things. You get to interact with a partner and make a lot of social connections. If you have a hard time approaching strangers or meeting new people, being in a dancing class can help you overcome some of those fears.
It also helps you increase your cultural awareness. Learning about new cultures and trying new things helps to widen your global awareness. You will not only learn the dance, but you will learn more about Latin culture in general. You will also likely find a diverse population of people in your dancing class that will also widen your cultural lens.
Taking a dancing class can also be a good couple’s activity. Learning to dance together can help you make a deeper connection that will translate into your relationship off the dance floor. Building trust through dance not only helps strengthen a relationship, but the passionate dances can help you see your partner in a new light.
A lot of jobs tend to be monotonous and squelch creative juices. Taking the time to try something creative in your spare time will help you have an outlet for self-expression. You will probably find that after taking a dance class, you feel more creative in general.
What is Salsa?
Salsa and Bachata are both types of popular Latin dances. While each dance contains Latin rhythm, they are different in many ways like style and origin. Knowing a little bit about them can help you know which class is the best for you.
Because salsa is a mixture of a lot of different sounds from Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Africa, it is hard to pinpoint exactly where it originated. A lot of salsa singers and bands originate from Cuba or Puerto Rico, so salsa is usually associated more with those countries. It gained wider popularity during the 1970s when it spread to New York.
There are variations on salsa dancing, so it is important to understand that there are different styles. The most common are the New York, Colombian, and Cuban styles. No one knows exactly why it is called “salsa,” but there are several theories.
Because it is a hot and spicy dance that makes you sweat, some people believe the name comes from the word “salsa” meaning sauce in Spanish, like hot sauce. Other people think that just like a sauce, salsa dancing is a combination of a lot of different ingredients like music and styles.
What is Bachata?
Bachata has a more clear origin story. It comes from the Dominican Republic. It is a combination of some older types of music and dances called bolero and son. Bachata is a romantic dance and used to be taboo when it originated in the 1960s. It became more widely accepted in the 1990s.
Similarities and Differences
While the timing of salsa and bachata music is the same, there are some significant differences. Salsa music is faster and spicier, and bachata is slower and smoother. Because of these big differences in the music, the basic steps are also very different. Salsa has a lot of turns, but there are none in bachata. Generally, people tend to learn bachata moves a little slower, but once the basics are natural, the rest is easy.
How to Get Started
Finding a beginner salsa and bachata class in Singapore is easier than you may think! You don’t have to have any specific skills or pre-qualifications in order to get started. It is normal to struggle at first, so beginner class is perfect because everyone is learning together.
Once you start to gain a little more confidence and feel comfortable on the dance floor, it will start to flow more naturally. You can contact us with any questions you have about the classes; we would be happy to help!
Caliente Team.
Visit us to try one of our Salsa and/or Bachata Trial Class