There is a line that I love in a dance movie where a teacher is starting a lesson. She says to her students, "Dancing begins with the dancers' feelings." That is very true.

If you want to learn to dance, the most important thing is to derive pleasure from what you are doing. There will be mistakes---many of them, of all types. But if you love to dance, it will be great fun to practice and keep improving. This is what keeps people dancing. And it is the "practice, practice, practice" that is really how people become capable dancers.

Regardless of how basic you are when you start out, or how quickly or slowly you may advance, anyone can become a good partnership dancer. I have had students over the years who started out having trouble switching weight and keeping time--the most fundamental elements of dance movement. But those who stuck with it over time learned a great deal Salsa can be done with fancy acrobatics, but most people simply learn to lead and follow in partnership. The physical actions involved in this are not too different from walking--there are no backbends, no lifts in the air, etc. So social dancers do not have to be in exceptional physical condition. My point is that this is a skill that is accessible to anyone who can walk. It just takes patience and heart.

And here is a little hint.... When you look around at a club or in a class, and see people who appear to learn really fast, you can be sure that they have had a lot of exposure beforehand to either dancing, or moving in a rhythm, or listening to music, etc. That is, they have experience or practice at some underlying dance skills. No one comes out of the womb able to step in the quick quick slow rhythm. Life experiences can make this easier to pick up, while having little or no experience makes it a slower process. But it is learnable--by all who can walk!!

So don't be discouraged if you feel you are learning slowly. Remember that you may be watching people who came into a class with some skills that were already built. You can certainly get there too, even if you feel awkward and "dance challenged," by taking the time you need to practice and build those skills.

That is why I say that it's all about heart. If you enjoy dancing a lot, you can learn by putting in the time. The expression "labor of love" comes to mind.