4 ms·

Swing/lindy, west coast swing, waltz maybe. But it takes at least a year to become a good salsa dancer and Argentine tango even longer. The difference in these

Swing/lindy, west coast swing, waltz maybe. But it takes at least a year to become a good salsa dancer and Argentine tango even longer. The difference in these dances is the level of coupling (no pun intended) between the lead and follower. In Argentine tango both dancers meld into one moving unit and the brain has to learn how to do that.

pizza234 6y ago
It's unclear what the parent intends with "competent", and also not clear what "weekly" means (once a week? three times? daily?). I've been an amateur dancer for years, and definitely, for what I personally intend for "competent", it takes 2/3 years at least, with multiple times per week of practice, a few workshops every year etc.etc. There's certainly some people who dance pretty much daily and gets good in less than an year, some people with background in physical activities (sports or arts) who also get good quickly... but they're exceptions.
- User23 6y ago
  I assume by competent he means knowing the steps, how to lead or follow, and other basics. Kind of like how you can learn how to move the pieces in chess and learn basic strategy in a few months. You can get good enough to be better than 95+% of the population. You may set the bar for "competence" higher, but it's not a facially crazy assertion. That said my dance knowledge ends with a box step and I would definitely not call myself competent.
cycomanic 6y ago
It depends on what you consider good, but generally it is possible to become a a proficient enough salsa dancer in maybe 2 or 3 month, if you are keen and work on it. Importantly, many (most) salsa courses focus too much on moves and not enough on musicality and the basics (also due to student demand). I would argue you can have great fun with the basic food work and 2-3 moves, and I know that most followers really enjoy the dance even if the vocabulary is limited, as long as there is rhythm. This applies to Salsa in general, but LA/linear is more focused on moves and Cuban more on musicality I would say.

pizza234 6y ago

It's unclear what the parent intends with "competent", and also not clear what "weekly" means (once a week? three times? daily?). I've been an amateur dancer for years, and definitely, for what I personally intend for "competent", it takes 2/3 years at least, with multiple times per week of practice, a few workshops every year etc.etc. There's certainly some people who dance pretty much daily and gets good in less than an year, some people with background in physical activities (sports or arts) who also get good quickly... but they're exceptions.

User23 6y ago
I assume by competent he means knowing the steps, how to lead or follow, and other basics. Kind of like how you can learn how to move the pieces in chess and learn basic strategy in a few months. You can get good enough to be better than 95+% of the population. You may set the bar for "competence" higher, but it's not a facially crazy assertion. That said my dance knowledge ends with a box step and I would definitely not call myself competent.

cycomanic 6y ago

It depends on what you consider good, but generally it is possible to become a a proficient enough salsa dancer in maybe 2 or 3 month, if you are keen and work on it. Importantly, many (most) salsa courses focus too much on moves and not enough on musicality and the basics (also due to student demand). I would argue you can have great fun with the basic food work and 2-3 moves, and I know that most followers really enjoy the dance even if the vocabulary is limited, as long as there is rhythm. This applies to Salsa in general, but LA/linear is more focused on moves and Cuban more on musicality I would say.