Thank you for your online registration. We have reserved a place for you in our New Beginners Class, starting on the 6 March 2008. This class will be held every Thursday from 7:45 - 8:45pm at Corroboree Park Hall, Paterson Sreet, Ainslie. Check out our "Current Classes" page on our website for a map.

Class Entry Cards are used to keep track of class attendance and payments. More details about how these work are contained on the "Class Entry Cards" page of our website, if you have not already had a look. Cards are available for 12 weeks, 4 weeks or 1 week at a time.

Prices are as follows:

Normal Rate:
12 weeks : $170
4 weeks : $70
1 week : $20

Student Rate:(Please present a current full time student card on your first night, even if you have prepaid online)
12 weeks : $100
4 weeks : $40
1 week : $10

In order to start the first class on time, we would appreciate if you pre-purchased your card. Upon receipt of your payment, we prepare a card which can be quickly collected at the venue door on your first night. There will be a specific person issuing pre-purchased cards, so you can avoid the queue of people paying on the night. Pre-payments can be made by credit card, paypal account, direct deposit, or cheque/money order. Check out our "Prices and Payments" page for links to complete each option.

If you prefer, you can pay on the first night, but please arrive at the class 10 minutes early. You can pay by either cash, or cheque/money order. We do NOT have EFTPOS facilities available at our class venues, so if you would like to pay by credit card or direct deposit, you must do so before class. Direct deposits can take up to 3 days to clear, so please allow enough time for your payment to be transferred.

Our classes are an hour long, and they are followed by free practice time where we continually play music to help reinforce the moves learnt in class. You also get a little extra private tuition so we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. We also use this time to teach La Rueda (see further below for an explanation of this dance).

There is no need for any specialised dance wear! Just wear something comfortable. Some people like to dress up a bit, others like to wear casual clothes. You decide!

Please wear comfortable shoes though! Avoid soft rubber-soled shoes, like sneakers, as they stick to the floor and make it hard to spin and move. For men, a dress shoe with a hard rubber sole is recommended. For women, a dress shoe with an ankle strap and a medium heel is recommended. Low heels or flat shoes are also appropriate. High heels are not recommended for safety.

No partner is required, but it you have one, bring them along!

We provide nibblies and water, but you are also welcome to bring your own.

Just to let you know a little about ourselves, we are Canberra’s Premier, Number 1 South American Dance Studio. We began over 12 years ago, with real South American Owners from Chile and Uruguay. Their passion for their cultural dance began the Salsambada legacy.

Salsambada continues to teach traditional latin dance. There are no road rules, like in Ballroom dancing, and the body is not kept rigid or forced. Traditional dancing is all about being natural - relaxing and embracing the rhythm of the music with the entire body. We strive to fuse the teaching of good technique with a relaxed environment to make dancing what it should be – heaps of FUN!

While we teach some dips and flash moves, which come from the showy Miami and LA influences, we do not focus on routines or predicting steps. We teach our men to take the lead and be in control on the dance floor so they are not restricted to a set routine, and can dance socially with even those who have not danced much before.

We teach our beginner students three main styles of traditional latin, because they are the most popular:

SALSA
The most addictive dance you will ever learn. Salsa is considered the most attractive and most popular South American dance. The dance is structured to a four beat pattern, which is the most common in music, making Salsa very versatile! You will find you can not only dance to traditional Salsa music, but even most modern Top 40 songs! Makes it a great dance to show off at parties!

MERENGUE
A happy, fast and energetic dance from the Dominican Republic. Merengue is quite easy to learn as the music has a very distinct two beat pattern. All the movements learnt with the merengue footwork can also be done to the salsa footwork, so it’s like getting two-for-one!

LA RUEDA
Literally translated, "La Rueda" means "The Wheel". This is a group dance for which Salsa footwork is used. All participants form a circle, alternating male and female. We start with easy ‘freestyle’ moves (without partners) and progress to moves that require continually changing partners simultaneously, giving the wheel energetic movement. This is a lot of fun; you are sure to get a lot of laughs out of it.

With more advanced classes, we also incorporate moves from classic dances like Tango into the Salsa, as well as learn solo moves, called Shines, among other things.

Finally, we would like to assure you that our classes are fun and addictive. While we strive to continually raise the dancing standard in Canberra through our quality teaching, we also strive to keep our classes humourous and relaxed. After all, dancing is meant to be enjoyable! We also believe that everyone can learn to dance. Some people initially doubt their confidence or coordination, and while we do not promise that you will leave the first class dancing like Elvis Presley, if you are prepared to be patient, we promise you will see results. It typically takes a beginner 6-8 months to become competent. We have seen many students make significant progress with patience over the many years of our teaching experience.

If you have any other questions, please find our contact details on the "Contact Us" page.

Kindest Regards,

Melissa & Christophe
The Salsambada Crew

WARNING!!
Addictive - May change your life!