Your equipment

For the ladies, as soon as you decide you want to be a salsa dancer, it is time to invest in some shows. I currently have about four pairs, two are actually usable and have six pairs of ballroom shoes in my entire life.

I buy my shoes from Very Fine shoes. They have a warehouse in El Monte. With a coupon, you can get buy one get one free. A pair of shoes is about $90 so with this deal you can get two for $45, which is not bad.

Here are some guidelines.

Leather vs. Satin
The first pair of shoes I ever bought were leather. They are now donated to Goodwill because they didn't last long. Leather (this is referring to the straps of the shoes) scratches off really easily. The best was to go is satin. They don't scratch off, you just have to try and keep them clean, especially if it's a nude shoe.
If you have already bought leather shoes, once the leather does scratch off and you want to be cheap you can buy some paint from Michaels and fill them in.

Heel height
If you want to compete at a non-professional level you'll need at least a 2.5 inch heel. 3 inches is the the norm. The first year I started dancing I started out with 2.5 inch heels. It took my a while to practice being on the balls of my feet. Then after a year I moved on to 3 inch heels, which is what I dance in now. A lot of people were surprised that I wanted higher heels because I'm already very tall (5 feet 9 inches) but 3 inch heels makes your legs look longer, skinnier and overall are just more cool. If you are worried that less men will ask you to to dance because you are now "too tall" screw them, they are just too short to dance with.



Color!
Picking out salsa shoes is always very exciting. When you go in you can get pretty much any color you want. If you are starting out it would be best to first be boring and build up your salsa shoe closet with a black and nude shoe. Black goes with everything and nude shoes extend the leg. If you are going to be competing or performing, you'll need a nude shoe.

My nude shoes

After that, what color you want is all up to you. Red and leopard prints are popular. I have a bright blue shoe that is really pretty but hard to match with outfits.

Crystal Hernandez performing (with nude shoes) with the CSULB Salsa Spirit team

One of my favorite people to dance with

It's not often that you will find a dancer as great as Matt Blanchett. Blanchett is one of the nicest guys I have met and a true gentlemen.

Who he is:
Blanchett started dancing at the Cal State Long Beach salsa club in spring 2006 and has been dancing ever since. He is now Assistant Director/Associate Choreographer/Principal Dancer at Salsa Intocable Dance Company. 

Here is his most recent performance with the company

Why he is great: 
Blanchett has a way of quickly assessing his partner's strengths and weaknesses. What this means is that if you are good a free spins or other particular moves, he will make sure to make the you look good, which is what a good lead is supposed to do. Blanchett is also charming and can put a smile on anyone's face. A good partner is someone who can make his partner look like a better dancer she is and have fun too and that is Blanchett is-the perfect partner.


His advice to dancers:
"[The] best thing you could do on a dance floor is have fun," Blanchett said. "Whether you're doing fancy stuff or just the basics, your partner will enjoy dancing so much more when you have a smile on your face."

And he has an additional tip just for the gentlemen:
"Make sure your salsa etiquette is on point," Blanchett said. "Always present yourself in a gentlemanly and classy way. The ladies will respect you on and off the floor."

Words from a true gentleman.,.. 

The salsa club fashion police

Salsa dancing is an expression. It can be feisty, smooth and sensual. The same can be said of the way you dress. The way you dress yourself says a lot about personality.

Unless a salsa club has a strict dress code, you can dress casual or more formal. But here a few forms of self expression that have gone wrong.

1. Showing too much

Photo by Kasia Hall

Latin dance is not for prudes, but if you going to be touching someone AND be practically naked, you might as well get your own room. In general, my advice is when you go out, choose one part of your body that you want to show off whether its your boobs or your legs. But not both.

2. Too much on

Photo by Kasia Hall

When dressing for the salsa club its always important to keep your partner in mind. If you are wearing something complicated, you can get tangled. Or if you decide to tie a sweatshirt around your waist, it can hit him when he is turning you. From my experience, it's safe to put your sweatshirt down, no one is going to steal it. 


3. A little too dangerous

Photo by Kasia Hall

 When you're in the club be aware that you are moving around so wearing a dangerous top such as this can lead to a wardrobe malfunction. 

4. Overdone

Photo by Kasia Hall

Men always have it easier than women when it comes to fashion. There are just less options for them. But I am tired of seeing the fedora hat. You and everybody's brother has one, don't bring it to the club. 

5. Scarfs

Photo by Kasia Hall

Scarfs are actually pretty common in the salsa scene and I'm not really sure why. Unless you are David Nieto, who actually makes a disclaimer about his scarf, you can't pull it off.