Dance in Herts, St.Albans, Harpenden, Watford, Radlett, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City, Berkhamsted

Q. Do I need to book?
A. No you don't. There are beginner's classes every week, and classes at three other levels as well. You can turn up whenever you want, and if you miss a week or two it doesn't matter too much.

Q. Do I need to come with a partner?
A. Not at all. Everyone moves around in the classes anyway.

Q. Does it matter that I have never danced before?
A. No. You will be taught from absolute basics, and can move on at whatever pace suits you.

Q. What should I wear?
A. You will be using 5-10 calories a minute which is similar to slow cycling, fast walking, or knitting like a maniac. Consequently you should wear something to keep cool. Jeans are a bad idea. So is armour. Smooth-soled shoes are a good idea. Trainers, slippers and diving boots are not good ideas, although you can get away with trainers without any trouble.

Q. Which class should I be in?
A. If in doubt you should ask a teacher. If you don't feel you are learning anything ask your teacher if you should move on.

Q. How long should I stay in each class?
A. Until you feel you have learnt enough or your teacher tells you to move on. The class should be testing and fun. If you are really struggling, drop down a class, for your benefit and for the others in the class. If your teacher suggests you move back a class don't be offended, they are there to help and have your best interests at heart. The object is to make you a better dancer and this won't be achieved by moving to a more advanced class before you are ready.

Q. What is the etiquette about asking people to dance?
A. Most salsa dancers will dance with most others. Everyone remembers what it was like to be a beginner, so don't be afraid to ask anyone. If they say no, it's usually for a good reason, and not worth pursuing. If you don't want to dance with someone it is best to just say, "no, thank you". Any elaboration is unnecessary. So is debating, wrestling or going for the best of three.

Q. Will you stop treading on my toes?
A. Unlikely. Accidents happen on the dance floor. It's not usually murder, but please take care. Please be considerate to other dancers as well by not invading their space.

Q. What music do you play?
A. We play a very catholic selection of music, a mix of old and new, fast and slow, from any continent or style as long as it is danceable. In short; anything we are asked to (apart from Ricky Martin, the Cliff Richard of Latin Music). If we haven't got it we will try and get it for next time. If you don't like the music please tell us and we'll try to do something about it. If you want us to play anything in particular, please ask. We appreciate positive and negative comments, too.

We try to start the dance sessions with slower-paced tracks and then progress to faster stuff as the evening wears on. This doesn't always happen, but we try. We also throw in an occasional merengue, bachata, cha cha, and even a rumba on the third week of October. The only common theme is that it is all danceable.

Q. Where can I get the music that is played at the clubs?
A. Ask the DJ or see the music page. The play list for each night is available if you want to e-mail me.

Q. Where can I get dance shoes?

A. There are a couple of local shops (depending on where you are, of course). The local favourites are Let's Dance! They have shops in Welwyn and St.Albans and are highly recommended. They carry stocks of Roch Valley and Capezio, but are very helpful and will order whatever you usually wear from other manufacturers. Way up North in Stevenage there is Stagedoor. They trade at the Indoor Market, St.George's Way, and do all sorts of dance trainers and shoes. There’s also one towards Watford called Heavenly Dance Shoes who make to order. This will appeal more if you have strange feet or a desire distract people's gaze from another area to your shoes. You can always spend a happy hour around St.Martin's Lane or Covent Garden, and potter around the specialist dance shoe stores there. This is fun every now and then (even if you don't possess the shopping gene) as they have an extraordinary range of shoes (some truly hideous), their staff can be comically arrogant, and, of course, The Ivy is only 10 minutes walk away if your blood-sugar level begins to dip or you need a treat.

Q. Should I buy dance shoes on-line?

A. Avoid purchasing online unless you have bought before and know the model and the size. The sizing on dance trainers can be quite bewildering and sometimes appears to be based on random numbers generated by typing chimps. This has improved lately, but I’d always want to try them on first, just like any shoes. Of course it may be that feet just change size when you go to purchase dance shoes. I have no evidence that feet, like ears, get bigger with age, but then I haven’t looked for it.

Q. How do I look after dance shoes?

A. Shoe care for men – just like any other shoes; men will throw them in a bag until you really can’t stand the sight of them any more and are convinced that they are worn out. Actually, they only need either a good polish (leather) or a gentle wash in the machine (dance trainers).

Shoe care for women - I have no idea how women think (about shoes), but their care routine should be the same. The little sparkly ones (the shoes not the women) are often about as reliable as a horse’s health. It’s also worth bearing in mind that open-toed shoes do what they say on the tin and leave you open to the crushing presence of your partner’s extremities. The simplest solutions to this are either to buy closed-toe shoes, or to only dance with lovely, light-footed and very skilful dancers. One may be easier to achieve than the other.

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