I have been avidly dancing Salsa for nearly half a decade. During the last 3 years of my experience, I have generally been dancing at the "advanced" level, and I keep on going, even to "intermediate" level sessions. I must tell you that you are one of the best instructors -whose Salsa classes I have had the pleasure to attend. I have nothing to gain by telling you all this, but I am doing so because I want to support your efforts, and because I want to help to preserve your place in the world of fun and pursuit of happiness.
Tenia, there are several factors which clearly set you apart from different Salsa dancers and instructors with whom I have been acquainted: First, your instruction style is detail-oriented, and you do a great job breaking the moves down into simple steps. This statement may sound trivial at first; however, in my experience, it is a rare talent for anyone to be able to explain the breakdown of moves in the way you do. In other words, many great dancers do not necessarily make good teachers. Most instructors I have seen tend to overlook or skip important aspects during their teaching, and therefore lose their Salsa students early on. Your personal teaching style makes it feasible for Salsa students to really pick up the dancing foundation and have something to practice. As for the more advanced Salsa, I like how you pay attention to the comfort partners need to create when implementing intricate moves.
Second, you are always very organized and have a definite plan for the moves you are going to teach. I have previously been in classes where I felt like the instructor was making up the lessons during the actual class time. The reason it is important to have a complete plan is because you are not spending the students' valuable time trying to figure out what is coming next. This also makes sure that you are selecting moves that are practical in the first place. You have always planned slick moves that make your students look good when they are dancing. Those are some smooth moves!
Third, I am amazed by your choice of Salsa music, especially since I am such a picky person. You select songs that are very good, and you also make sure they will be at the right pace for your lessons. It is difficult to be able to incorporate such a compendious variety of songs, including popular titles and modern hits, and still not overplay them.
Fourth, you have a unique approach in your classes, which quickly show how personable you are. Even though you are a great dancer you have not allowed your success to inflate your ego needlessly. Many instructors that I have met seem to have such an "enlarged ego," and it begins to hinder their instructional ability because it sometimes stands in the way of being open with their students.
Tenia, your honesty and dedicated personality come through in your classes, and it makes all your students that much more secure and confident in themselves while they are learning how to Salsa. Thank you for your dedication, because it really keeps us going!
Alon
Los Angeles
2006