Well, you miss one lesson and everything changes. We went back to salsa lessons tonight and in the week we’d missed we had actually moved venues. Bar Cuba has apparentlyl been taken over by a group of Russians to turn into some placed called Arch Angel (that will be interesting to see) so Amanda (the organiser) moved the lessons to a nearby bar called The Settle Down Bar. As a venue it was okay with a nice tall roof, reasonable amount of space (sort of) to dance, our own personal DJs in each of the lesson rooms (2) and it didn’t smell! But for its atmosphere it felt just a little too posh (waaaay to many suits around the place) and not down and dirty enough like Bar Cuba. Additionally the music they played at the bar outside of our rooms was absolutely rubbish – typical dance/house/clubbing music – and not in keeping at all with the South American feel we’d normally get. The benefits for Amanda I guess, for moving to the Settle Down Bar was an immediate increase in the number of people coming to the lessons (mainly girls so I guess that’s also good for Sir Jules if they stick around!)

Well, it seems that we are well and truly moving into the intermediate class. Tonight the intermediate class faced a dilemma – way more boys than girls whilst the beginner classes had slightly more girls than boys. Jules and I had dropped back to the beginner’s class but not long after Michael dragged me up to the intermediate class. It wasn’t actually as bad as last week as he definitely went a lot slower with his lessons … maybe too slow. It was much more enjoyable though and even though I’ll miss Mo’s teachings I’m looking forward to the challenge of really getting into some more complex steps.

Last week I spoke about the dilemma of not being quite a beginner anymore at Salsa but not being sure that I was ready to go up to the next level. Well, tonight we did it – we went up to the intermediate (or was it improvers)! It was really tough going. Michael, who is this really big buff guy but with amazing grace when he moves, was our instructor but he also had a partner with him. On the one hand it was great having the girl there to show us the moves, but on the other hand the two of them went really quickly through the steps. By the end of the lesson I was sort of getting a hold on the moves but it was not easy let me tell you. I felt really sorry for all my male partners but it was great to be able to constantly rotate to partners who could actually lead (wrong or right)! I’m still having a bit of trouble following their lead, especially when I know they are not leading me correctly, but hopefully its something that I can keep working on. We dropped back to the beginner class for the second half of the evening and found it soooo much easier and quick to pick up so although I’m not confident I can handle the intermediate class I think we really can’t go back to the beginner class, especially for the first half. I think we really need something in between … or a better teacher?

So I’m proud to say that we have made two straight months of going to salsa (tonight being our eighth week) and whilst I wouldn’t say we are experts just quite yet we definitely can’t classify ourselves as beginners any longer. We have actually reached the stage where we are criticizing the “new” beginners. Okay, maybe criticizing is a harsh word – more like realizing that its getting harder to make steady improvements when you’re dancing with people who have only just begun. Its especially tough for the women in the class considering it’s the men who are supposed to be leading, although Jules can tell you a story or two about some very obstinate ladies who would prefer to lead.

The great thing about Moe’s classes is that although he does go over some basics at the beginning – he also realises that most of us have been around for a few classes and tries to incorporate a few new things every week so we’re always learning a new routine, even if we have forgotten about it the following week. Tonight we learned a new type of salsa – Salsa Rueda – where you still dance as a couple but basically in a circle with other couples. There is someone who calls out the moves and then you move back and forth, switch partners, spin etc. Unlike couple dancing, you really need to be aware of everyone else and have very good timing. It was great when it worked and I hope some of the boys picked up a thing or two about their timing!

Anyway, watch this space to see if we overcome the not-really-beginners-anymore-but-not-quite-ready-for-the-next-level dilemma!

I thought I’d do a quick follow-up to last week’s Salsa dancing to prove it wasn’t just a one-off. 🙂 Tonight was even more fun than last week if that’s possible. This time around Sir Jules and I stayed around for the second hour and it really makes all the difference because last week the first hour was over before we even realised and its the second hour where you really consolidate your new steps. We even started to learn a routine which was pretty cool. Once again the lads outnumbered the lasses which was good for me but not so great for Sir Jules! Still I’m fairly sure he had a great time.

When Sir Jules first suggested doing some Salsa Dancing lessons I was all for it. Then when it was nearing to becoming a reality I started to get really nervous. I’m not convinced that dancing is at all my forte but to my surprise I had a really good time tonight. Perhaps it helped that salsa dancers are hot hot hot. Its a great form of dance to learn as though its normally done with a partner it can look great dancing solo as well.

So after fortifying ourselves with a nice mango daquiri it was off to Bar Cuba for our first lesson. It seems they have lessons every night and there was quite a good turnout with maybe 16 absolute beginners and then another 20+ intermediates shaking their hips in the basement (to my surprise the male contingent outnumbered the females by one!) The good thing about these classes for singles is that there’s no need to bring a partner because you will constantly rotate partners anyway.

The set up downstairs is a little unusual for dance lessons but I guess its supposed to function more as a bar than a dance hall. They do well with the limited space downstairs and it helps that a lot of salsa is dancing mainly in a small fixed area. We quickly learnt some basic steps and for a while (without the music) it felt like I was in an aerobics class! But when the music was switched on … man, there is just something about the rhythms of Salsa that makes you want to dance no matter how two-left-footed (like me) you are. Now if only I could get my hips loose and flaring, oh and actually be able to follow my male lead, then I’ll be set!

When I first started with the Audit Commission I was working with a very nice young man called Jonathan. He was telling me about this short writing course that he was doing and this piqued my interest. Finally, last week I decided to have a hunt around for a good course to do. So today I attended the first class of my Travel Photography and Writing course at City Lit. I can tell you that its fun to be a student again. The course, as the title suggests, is a 10 week course that combines travel photography and writing.

Interestingly enough I have met my first Grace. Grace Lau to be precise. Could her name be any closer to mine?! Anyway, she is our teacher for the photography side of things and I’m looking forward to learning what I can from her over the next few weeks. Zoe Bran is taking the Travel writing side of things. Naturally when I got home I googled the two of them just for fun (hmm …) If I’m not wrong Zoe Bran has written some pieces for Lonely Planet (“but not Travel Guides!!” I hear Zoe’s voice echoing in my brain.) She is quite pedantic about what constitutes travel writing and what doesn’t. As for Grace, if my google results are to be believed she is into … well lets just call it radical photography.

Steps taken: 9,889 (despite getting lost in Holburn when I was looking for the tube station after my class and having to take all those extra steps).