If you would like to learn how to salsa dance or learn the Spanish language, you should do both at the same time.
There are many Spanish schools that offer salsa dance lessons, and surprisingly, the techniques to learn both are complimentary.
A few years ago, I wanted to take some time off from the busy working world to travel and explore the world.
I had always had this secret ambition to learn to speak Spanish so I targeted my travels on South America with an ambitious goal to learn all about South America.
I did significant research on the area and decided to enroll in a Spanish School in Uruguay, which was purportedly very safe and friendly.
When I arrived, I found this to be more than true as the people were warm and the climate was the same.
At the Spanish school, I noticed that they not only offered Spanish lessons, but they also offered salsa dance lessons.
I figured this would augment my South American experience so I enrolled in salsa lessons as well.
I quickly realized that there were similarities to learning both Spanish and salsa.
I had researched the best way to learn Spanish before my trip overseas.
I was dead set on learning the language and decided I needed some method to the madness.
However, learning a language, like learning salsa dance, is much more than attending a few classes or watching a few videos: it takes a lot of work.
The first day I arrived in Uruguay I tried to speak what little Spanish I knew with the people in the street.
They had no idea what I was saying.
Likewise, if I would have gone to a salsa club, after watching a how to salsa video, I would have been equally humbled.
Thus, I studied, taking lessons in both Spanish and salsa but not practicing outside the classroom.
I thought I knew them both pretty well after a certain amount of time so I hit the real world.
Again, I had trouble with both because I was only "classroom" experienced.
I realized that you cannot learn either Spanish or salsa simply in the classroom.
However, you also cannot avoid classes and simply insert yourself into the real world.
You need to alternate.
You need to attend classes and then hit the street with what you have learned right way.
This will reinforce what you have learned and show you the variances that exist in the real world, which never quite exactly mirror the classroom.
Do I recommend going to South America to learn Spanish and dance? Absolutely.
It was the very best experience of my life and, by the way, I'm pretty good at both Spanish and salsa now.