[quote]

Soy amante de la salsa y desgraciadamente descubro que su Sociedad de Salsa está fuera de mi país. No sé de algún lugar o persona por acá que tenga el nivel de enseñanza de Ustedes.

...Muchas gracias y felicidades por esta labor de difusión y arraigo de esta hermosa música.

Un saludo
A.Rodriguez

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Pedagogic Approach

It is the transfer of knowledge from the physical education sciences that has shaped the teaching philosophy of the Salsa & Merengue Society. I chose this approach in part to identify and avoid legacy practices of dubious utility which sometimes litter the path of learning in the arts.

"We've always done it this way" is hardly useful reasoning behind learning a particular exercise. Being simultaneously of a scientific bent and a sports educator, I tend to prefer teaching things which can offer a more logically robust response to the inevitable 'whys' of a precociously clever student.

And so the physical aspects of salsa as we present them are grounded in biomechanics, anatomy, physiology and physics; all of which are things that help explain the behaviour of our bodies.

But dancing is at the same time an art, and hence an appreciation of nuance and a grounding of the activity in music are vital parts of this past-time's nature.

It is also my responsibility, more so my desire that I illustrate the music and dance activities of the Spanish Antilles in its broadest possible scope; so that you, the student, are best informed to decide your place in it. And for that, I have placed a wealth of material on history, music-making, and pointed to resources on Latin American sociology.

If you're looking for lists of dance vocabulary, I'm afraid to have to disappoint you. There are plenty of other places that offer that. My emphasis must be on the logical development of skills, complemented by the exploration cultural meaning.

Loo Yeo