When I first learned to dance all the different styles were all equally unfamiliar to me. I picked West Coast Swing because I live on the west coast and the first dance lesson I happened to attend was West Coast Swing.
That was a mistake.
Not that there’s anything wrong with West Coast Swing. I love West Coast Swing. But it’s a poor choice for starting because it’s a niche style. Even on the west coast, West Coast Swing is less popular than East Coast Swing.
If all else is equal—and to a beginner, it is—then you should pick one of the most popular dance styles. The most popular dance in the world is Salsa. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Shanghai or Madrid. If you live in Seattle then the second most popular dance is Lindy Hop (AKA East Coast Swing). Nothing else can touch these two.
90% of beginners should start with Salsa. The remaining 10% should start with Lindy Hop.
Salsa is a highly rules-based dancing style. It’s as complicated as marching in formation. I don’t mean you can’t style it. I mean that you don’t have to style it. You can dance mechanically and have a good time.
Lindy Hop on the other hand is a freewheeling dance. It’s relies hard on a jazzy kind of intuition. If you’re a gearhead like me then this makes Lindy Hop much harder to learn than Salsa.
So that’s it then, right? Salsa is the better dance for beginners.
Well, not quite. Salsa has a quirk. Every 6 songs or so, Salsa DJs will often play a single Bachata song. Bachata is a slow, easy dance to learn, but it is not Salsa. If you want to dance to every song at a Salsa dance then you have to know two dance styles.
Personally, I think that Salsa is still the right choice for beginners. You can sit out the bachata songs for a few weeks and pick it up quickly once you feel comfortable with your salsa.
But if you think this looks irresistible then by all means, go ahead.
Seattle Dance Blog 